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Best Laptop Backpack for 2024 – CNET [CNET]
Our Experts
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn’t consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
- More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
Laptops today are strong and sturdy, but there is still a lot of anxiety attached to carrying one around. Whether you’re a student, a remote worker, or just someone who always likes to have their laptop to hand, you’ll know how important a good laptop backpack can be to help carry your laptop safely.
There are a ton of laptop backpacks on the market, and not all of them are great. With so many options, finding the best one for your needs can be tricky. To help you pick the right model, we’ve sifted through a wide range of laptop backpacks and have rounded up our top picks.
Our picks include a range of options, including waterproof, slim design, business-attire approved, and adjustable backpacks. Our testers have spent hours walking the streets, commuting and traveling with these backpacks to see how they hold up over time.
Read: Best Laptops Under $500
Photo Gallery 1/1
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What’s great about the Jumper is that it works equally well as a daypack as it does a camera bag. Unzip the main compartment and you have a large open space for your daily essentials and a small zippered pocket for valuables (though there’s no key leash). On the front, there’s a zippered compartment with small organizational pockets to hold cables, batteries, earbuds and more. A water bottle pocket on the right, a hidden zippered pocket in the padded back panel and a separate laptop compartment at the back with a weatherproof zipper all give you enough storage for your daily commute or walking around campus.
Just behind the front compartment’s zipper, though, is another zipper that opens the entire bottom half of the backpack to the inside. With the compartment open, you can use the included four padded dividers to organize and protect your camera equipment in the bottom half. The sides of the backpack and the bottom are padded as well. A panel inside at the top of the bag drops down to form a separation between the top portion and your camera gear so you still have room for stuff that’s not camera gear. Straps on the bottom can hold a large tripod (or a jacket) or you can use the side pocket for a small travel tripod instead.
Lastly, there’s a zippered opening on the left side to give you fast access to your camera without having to lay the bag down and open the front section. It’s a really clever, versatile compact design. And for those who don’t need the camera protection, Brevite makes a version that’s just for hauling your stuff.
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Large zippered side panels give you easy access to everything inside regardless of where it is in the bag. Each side panel has separate zippered storage areas for accessories and a slim padded laptop compartment is accessible through a zipper at the top. It will easily carry an iPad or snugly hold up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro.
All the zippers are weather-sealed and the fabric is water-repellent, and a magnetic latch system lets you expand or shrink the top of the bag, so you can fill it to the top and still secure everything inside. External side pockets and hidden straps give you more storage on the outside.
All of those features and the quality construction will cost you, though: The smaller 20L-size bag I tested costs $260, while a larger 30L version is $290.
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If you like clean, streamlined designs and bags that can shrink or grow depending on your needs on any given day, you’ll appreciate the
Large zippered side panels give you easy access to everything inside regardless of where it is in the bag. Each side panel has separate zippered storage areas for accessories and a slim padded laptop compartment is accessible through a zipper at the top. It will easily carry an iPad or snugly hold up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro.
All the zippers are weather-sealed and the fabric is water-repellent, and a magnetic latch system lets you expand or shrink the top of the bag, so you can fill it to the top and still secure everything inside. External side pockets and hidden straps give you more storage on the outside.
All of those features and the quality construction will cost you, though: The smaller 20L-size bag I tested costs $260, while a larger 30L version is $290.
The Up Seoul solves this access issue with a zipper at the top of the bag that goes across and then down the right side, giving it a wider opening. On the inside, you’ll find a padded laptop sleeve, a couple of slip pockets, a shallow zippered pocket with a key leash and an elastic water bottle pocket. On the outside, there’s a slip pocket on the left for a water bottle or umbrella, a large zippered pocket on front and a hidden zippered pocket on the right big enough for your phone that can be accessed with the bag.
Soft padding on the shoulder straps and back panel and removable sternum and waist straps help keep this bag comfortable even when it’s packed full. The Deuter Up Seoul is available in six color combinations and is made entirely from recycled materials.
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The Up Seoul is a daypack version of the bigger rolltop bags messengers use. Rolltops are great because if you suddenly need more space in your backpack, you can unroll the top and create a chimney for your stuff. Plus, rolling over the top keeps rain out. However, once they’re full it can be a pain to get to stuff at the bottom of your bag.
The Up Seoul solves this access issue with a zipper at the top of the bag that goes across and then down the right side, giving it a wider opening. On the inside, you’ll find a padded laptop sleeve, a couple of slip pockets, a shallow zippered pocket with a key leash and an elastic water bottle pocket. On the outside, there’s a slip pocket on the left for a water bottle or umbrella, a large zippered pocket on front and a hidden zippered pocket on the right big enough for your phone that can be accessed with the bag.
Soft padding on the shoulder straps and back panel and removable sternum and waist straps help keep this bag comfortable even when it’s packed full. The Deuter Up Seoul is available in six color combinations and is made entirely from recycled materials.
The Belmont, like all of the company’s bags, are made to order in Portland, Oregon. It’s available in a dozen color options and they’re made from water-, tear- and abrasion-resistant Cordura or recycled EcoPak EPX fabric.
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The Belmont is a simple backpack with a zippered front pocket, two slip pockets — one on each side — for a water bottle or umbrella and a drawstring top covered with a flap to keep out the weather. It’s on the inside where things get more interesting.
Along with a built-in suspended 15-inch laptop sleeve there are two rails of soft Velcro. Using those rails you can customize the internal storage with removable organizer pockets. Customizing your pockets means you get exactly what you want, plus when the bag is really full, you can just remove the pockets to get to your stuff without unpacking the backpack first.
The Belmont, like all of the company’s bags, are made to order in Portland, Oregon. It’s available in a dozen color options and they’re made from water-, tear- and abrasion-resistant Cordura or recycled EcoPak EPX fabric.
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When it comes to backpacks that pair well with business attire, leather is usually the default material. Leather is expensive and heavy, though, especially with backpacks large enough to accommodate a large laptop. The Slipstream fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro but its lightweight fabric and lining made from recycled materials keep weight down without sacrificing style. It’s been waterproofed, too, so a sudden downpour won’t get your stuff soggy or damage your laptop in the separate rear compartment.
There are no exterior side pockets for a water bottle or umbrella, but two slip pockets inside the main compartment can easily hold both. The shoulder straps are padded with memory foam and covered with a soft, smooth fabric to help protect your clothing. They’re also curved for greater comfort.
The main compartment is large enough to hold a bike helmet, a change of clothes or whatever else you need to get through your workday. A small compartment on the front is handy for your phone, sunglasses and keys. And, despite being made from fabric, it has a structure to it that allows it to stay standing when you put it down — whether it’s empty or packed full. It is a large bag, though, so if you like the look but want a smaller option, Troubadour has a helpful visual comparison chart for all of its backpacks. The Slipstream is available in five color options and if you really want leather, it’s available and it’s waterproof, too.
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