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Expect to pay $100-400 for thoughtful designs + legit materials.
Click on the bags you like below to watch the video and get an informed look.
Note which bags interest you and what you like/dislike to help you make your final decision.
Very sleek design (and details).
Solid organization built into the bag. Not a typical shell for a bag, can be difficult to pack.
This is the bag that started it all for me. The Carry On backpack from Minaal is one of the professional traveler's best friends with its sleek design, killer materials and medium sized capacity for minimal travel. view bag
Now available in the upgraded "Synik" version. (Watch the vid.)
Intuitive organization.
USA build, materials and details.
Some love it. Some hate it. All respect it. #dads
One of the internet's most beloved backpacks due to its accessibility, organization, build quality and capacity. Dad-bag looks tho. view bag
Solid looks. Nice accessories.
Excellent back panel and straps.
Great organization. Optional camera accessories.
Excellent materials.
Thoughtful details
The Prima System from Boundary Supply is one of the best in this kickstarter-y/techy/camera/daily-carry category because of the material feel and functionality in use. view bag
The Subterra backpack from Thule is designed to be a minimal travel bag with room for both your tech needs, daily needs and weekend travel needs. view bag
A medium size travel bag made with solid materials.
Excellent internal organization for tech and daily goodies.
The materials inside make this bag feel really nice to use.
A really solid feeling bag with lots of pockets both inside and outside the bag and enough capacity for the minimal traveler. view bag
Simple, clean looks, but super functional.
Comfy straps, some air channels on the back.
15" laptop sleeve on the back
Bitchin' top handle. G-hook is the main clasp.
Front organization pocket.
Two great water bottle pockets. Quite expandable.
Smith the Roll Pack from Millican is a perfect eco-friendly rambler for daily adventures that's built excellently, has plenty of room for your stuff, but still looks good when it's not totally full. view bag
Like a rocket pack for tech people.
Nice soft back panel.
The Travel Pack expands capacity.
These Nomatic bags are chock full of pockets. There are 2 different bags here: the Travel Pack expands up to about 30L, perfect for short trips and minimal travel. The Backpack is 20-24L daily carry. Both are sleek, totally organized, and rocking the "jetpack" look. view bag
The Atlas Executive Holdall from Waterfield is an excellent large-ish capacity shoulder bag designed to help you shift seamlessly from tech gear to gym gear. view bag
The Hideout Pack from Everyman is a solid take on a street/urban/heritage bag with lots of organization at an affordable-ish price point. view bag
It's got a good look. "Rugged tech."
(Pretty solid) camera accessories and organization.
Available in two sizes: kinda big and really big.
Lots of decent organization.
Security pocket hides against your back.
A very functional (and stylish) bag for both urban and outdoor use with solid durability, decent organization and side-access for optional camera cube integration. view bag
Very simple aesthetic. Definitely on the rugged side of stylish and clean.
Extremely simple bag in terms of pockets. A couple inside, one on the outside.
Laptop compartment on the back is tough and protective.
Expensive, but it's got an amazing warranty. A simple, understated, powerful bag that will gladly see you through anything in life. view bag
Solid Materials. Clean looks.
Very comfortable, robust shoulder straps.
Solid organization panel.
25L capacity.
The Setout Laptop Backpack from Tortuga is well organized solidly built for daily carry and minimal travel. view bag
Simple, clean aesthetic.
Solid organization in this bag, from the laptop compartment to the quick access pocket, org admin panel and more.
Remarkably comfortable straps + back panel.
Lots of capacity for today's minimal travelers.
A very innovative backpack for either large daily carry or serious travelers who need one bag for both travel and daily carry. A great bag for medium size 1-bag travel category. view bag
The ATD1 is an expandable backpack you can use for both travel and daily carry. Looks pretty damn good too. One of the best in this category for sure. view bag
The Guide Pack from Tom Bihn is a bag geek's boner pill. It's classic design and exceedingly excellent manufacturing make it more like an heirloom than a bag. But this bag also performs great as a travel bag! view bag
Removable hip straps, expandable capacity
Excellent harness system for this bag. It might look a little funky, but it's comfy AF.
Solid capacity expands on the back of the bag for minimal carry-on travel.
Here is the bag fully expanded for travel.
The little brother to the Tortuga Setout, the Setout Divide from Tortuga is a full-featured bag for the style-casual modern minimal traveler. view bag
Unique, burly, "urban utilitarianism" kind of look.
Tons of external access and organization.
Extremely water resistant. Built real well.
Great straps. Stowable water bottle pocket.
At first glance it looked weird. Then I used it for a couple days. Good god does this bag do it all well. Seriously, so much organization, so well built. view bag
Not sure when this one is going to be available to the masses, but it's a solid one. view bag
Outdoorsy vibes.
Killer water resistance and protection.
Customizable camera cube setups.
Ridiculously comfortable harness system.
The X30 from Shimoda is a full featured mobile studio rig for adventure filmmakers and hobbyists alike. view bag
Simple aesthetic. Killer durability and external access.
Expandable rolltop gets you some extra space.
3 external access pockets.
1 Laptop pocket with water sealed zip.
Side zip into the main compartment. #lifesaver
Understated looks for such a functional bag.
The Passport backpack from Futures is a delightful and feature rich everyday carry bag (that's totally doable for minimal travel). view bag
Xpac exterior. Rolltop for expandability.
Side camera access. Removable hip strap.
Great internal org for camera gear.
Beefy for daily carry, but doable. Can travel.
The Element backpack from Compagnon is durable, expandable and built to house all your daily photo/video needs. view bag
Excellent materials on this bag.
28L capacity = minimal travel + daily carry capable.
Lots of organization. Great laptop compartment.
Top quick-access pocket.
Front vertical pocket.
The 28L Transit Backpack from Bellroy is nicely sized and well organized for big commutes, business travel and regular ol' adventure travel. It's such an innovative design. view bag
Uber well built.
Converts between: backpack, briefcase, messenger.
Expandable from 20-30L.
Easy-ish front access pocket.
Tech organization throughout.
Killer details.
The Forge from Black Ember is a convertible backpack-briefcase-messenger with expandability from 20-30L. view bag
Epic build quality.
Luxurious materials.
Killer bag, high price tag, but killer. Unpretentious aesthetics. Access and organization. Excellent, innovative materials. Modern classic design. view bag
A very capable travel bag for the price.
Solid capacity in this 38L bag.
Top front pocket size is excellent.
The Litehaul 38 from Kathmandu is capable, stylish, boasts a very interesting pocket configuration and a more comfortable than normal harness system. view bag
Available in several colors and sizes. Suit-able.
Lots of organization and details.
Expands for travel.
Comfortable straps and back panel.
Top quick access pocket.
Front dual zip pocket with RFID sleeve.
Bottom-front pocket.
Laptop compartment. (Side zippered water bottle pocket not pictured.)
Organization in the main compartment.
Expandable compartment.
A surprisingly solid backpack for both daily carry and travel. Organization, professional looks and an expand/collapse feature for travel conversion. view bag
Playful aesthetic. Ready for heavy use.
Stowable backpack straps.
Clothing + tech for short trips.
Laptop compartment with admin panel.
Two front dimensional pockets.
The Global Briefcase 3-Day from Topo is a very capable minimal traveler's bag, with enough tech organization, clothing capacity and style hybrid 2-3 day travel. view bag
Robust X-pac material. Water sealed zips. Super durable.
Straps and back panel are super cushy, comfortable.
Perfect for minimal travel. 27L. Fits under airplane seat.
Boxy looks, but a killer combo of features.
The Outbreaker Laptop backpack from Tortuga is an excellent minimal travel bag or large-ish daily carry bag. Durable, comfortable, lots of pocketing. view bag
Water resistant. Expandable. Sleek.
Multiple side-access doors.
Lots of ways to configure the inside of this bag.
Expandable front compartment.
Water resistant, not that bad looking.
The OneMo backpack from PGYTech is a soft-shell photo/video/drone backpack with expandability and external access doors into multiple locations on the bag. view bag
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