Though I’ve been working from home for the past 15 years, both freelance and full-time, this often means needing to be available 24/7, so I typically carry my laptop everywhere I go—including sports practices, day trips, and vacations.
I have used many laptop backpacks in this time, and the dividing line between a work backpack that’s comfortable and fits seamlessly into your daily routine and one that’s aggravating at every turn is a fine one. If you’ve got limited closet space, it also helps if the backpack can pull double duty and be used for travel and/or hiking. The backpacks below are ones either I or another WIRED reviewer have used extensively in real life, taking on planes, hiking trails, vacations, and work trips.
For more bag and backpack recommendations, Bag Check features WIRED staffers’ favorite totes, sleeves, and packs. For more portable gear, check out our guides to the Best Wireless Chargers, Best Bluetooth Trackers, and Best Travel Adapters.
Updated September 2026: I’ve added the Paramount Daypack Lite 20L and the Navigator Backpack to my main picks. I’ve also included the Eagle Creek Tour Lite Travel Pack, North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro, Bagsmart Moss Backpack, Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack, and GoRuck G1 to our honorable mentions list.
Featured Products
Thule Paramount Daypack Lite 20L
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Troubadour Apex Backpack 4.0
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Best Laptop Bag
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Everlane
ReNew Transit Backpack
I took this backpack on a weeklong work trip, where I bitched about it endlessly to everyone who would listen. However, I must fairly and objectively conclude that this bag offers tremendous value for the money. It’s a light, attractive, rucksack-style backpack that’s sleek and understated enough for work, and it’s under $120. The 27-liter capacity accommodated enough gear for a full day’s worth of travel, from a scarf for the plane to a water bottle, snacks, and other in-flight accouterments. It has a slim profile and lies close to your back, so it’s not hard to carry and won’t swing into people on the subway. The pockets are very minimal—just an exterior laptop pocket, an interior tablet sleeve, an interior zip pocket, and two large catch-all pockets—but they work if you already put your belongings in pouches anyway.
Certain design elements just felt cheap. I didn’t like the curved zipper that gives you access to the main compartment—zippers that don’t run straight are doomed to get stuck. One of the catch-all pockets is annoyingly located on the cover flap, where anything inside will flap and bang around. The luggage pass-through is a bare piece of webbing. However, it all works: it’s light, affordable, and looks nice. The fabric is also water-resistant, so you can wear it in the rain! For most people, that’s all that really matters. —Adrienne So
Best Laptop Bag for Commuting
Thule’s newest addition to its already solid backpack lineup was made specifically for schlepping gear to and from work on a daily basis, and it shows. The silhouette is sleek and aerodynamic, making it suitable for bike commuting (there’s even a loop on the front to attach a bike light), and it’s just big enough for a laptop, several notebooks, and maybe a jacket without feeling too big or bulky. The water bottle holder on the side is stretchy for a variety of sizes.
I also love the amount of organization inside for smaller things like pens and notebooks (the flap folds down for access to the interior, too, so you can access these things next to your desk), as well as the hidden yet easily accessible small pocket under the flap for wallet, keys, and phone. It’s not the roomiest pack, so you’re not carrying gym gear in this or taking it on an overnight trip, but if you’re just going to and from the office with basics and a laptop, this is the most well-engineered option I’ve tried.