Although at first glance it has a similar silhouette to their Via Backpack, instead of being made for everyday commuting, Bellroy’s Transit Backpack is intended more for quick trips out of town.

This is evident from the moment you open the 28-liter main compartment, which unzips all the way down for easy access to your stuff and has compression straps to keep it all in place, along with two mesh compartments along the flap for smaller necessities.

Behind that main compartment is a separate zippered 16″ padded laptop sleeve and another zipper pocket where you can stash a phone and charging stuff, both of which make it easier to get through airport checks.

You also have a few external-access scattered around for storing keys, sunglasses, a passport, a wallet, a water bottle, etc.

The Transit was made for comfort as well, which can be attributed to the padded shoulder straps, contoured foam back panel, and detachable sternum strap that can be slid up and down to best suit your chest shape.

Get the Bellroy Transit Backpack for $179 on Amazon in your choice of Nightsky, Black, or Ranger Green. If you’re planning on a slightly longer trip away, check out the 38-liter Transit Plus ($319).

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Anyone whose living situation requires them to walk to a laundromat or communal laundry room — college students, apartment dwellers, RVers, etc — will appreciate this drawstring backpack laundry bag from Dalykate.

It holds two or three loads of laundry, about 44 lbs worth, and can be hung on a wall or door to collect those dirty clothes (in place of a standalone hamper) before being easily transported on your back to wherever you do your laundry. It’s made from waterproof and tear-resistant 600D oxford cloth, backed by reinforced stitching at the joints to ensure a longer lifespan.

On the front of the bag is a mesh pouch with its own drawstring enclosure, where you can stash your detergent and/or fabric softener. Inside the main compartment is a zipper pocket that’s ideal for laundry quarters/tokens, machine cards, or your phone.

This is a relatively small purchase that makes a big difference in the daily lives of certain people. Get it for $18 on Amazon in a variety of colorways.

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While Eagle Creek’s “Pack-It” lineup of packing cubes is primarily known for helping organize your travel luggage, they also offer Gear Cubes that are designed for holding gadgets and electronics, outdoor tools, and anything else you want moisture to stay away from.

Available in a few sizes and colors, each Gear Cube is made from 100% recycled 900D polyester twill fabric that resists punctures and scuffs, and they coat that material with 200D TPU laminate to provide a moisture-repellent barrier to keep the contents safe and dry.

Notice the internal zipper mesh pocket for holding smaller items.

Aside from those points, you can use these like any other packing cube — keep a few of them in a larger bag to separate and organize different types of items, or carry one as a standalone bag using its grab handle, or use the corner snaps to attach it to the inside of your day bag. Whatever you go with, your stuff will stay protected and organized inside.

Get the Eagle Creek Gear Cube in these sizes:

• X-Small ($27)
• Small ($37)
• Medium ($47)
• Medium X3 ($57)

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We’ve always loved the aesthetic of messenger bags, but since they’re often designed to carry a whole lot of stuff at once (including large laptops and cameras), they do tend to be on the bulkier side. If your mobile work setup is slimmer and more iPad-oriented, you’ll appreciate the Shinjuku messenger by WaterField Designs.

Named for the famously bustling Tokyo district + travel hub, this agile and unobtrusive messenger bag is perfect for navigating crowded city streets and packed commuter trains. And yet, despite its compact form, it doesn’t compromise on style or functionality whatsoever.

The Shinjuku comes in two sizes:

1. Compact ($229) — Fits an iPad up to 11″.
2. Full ($239) — Fits an iPad up to 12.9″ and a MacBook Air up to 15″.

Both sizes come in your choice of traditional or X-Pac waxed canvas — each paired with a premium full-grain leather front flap — with the latter option being a high-performance fabric that manages to combine durability with water-resistance while remaining lightweight.

In addition to the built-in padded sleeves for the devices listed above, you also get ample storage space for all your daily essentials, with a variety of pockets inside and out that offer easy access to oft-reached-for items like your phone, transit pass, AirPods, and more.

The front flap, secured by strong magnets, includes a zippered pocket for items you need to grab quickly. Inside, you’ll find a main compartment with additional pockets, a key hook, and a stretchy water bottle pocket that retracts when not in use, striking a balance between space and organization that many larger bags miss.

In short, the Shinjuku messenger is a compact yet capable everyday bag that’s versatile enough to handle all your commuting, city exploring, and weekend errand-running needs. Check out all your buying options at sfbags.com.

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Traveling light doesn’t have to mean compromising on packing space or functionality. In fact, with the right gear you can have the best of both worlds, and tomtoc’s Navigator-T66 backpack embodies this balance perfectly.

Available in 40-liter and 28-liter sizes, the Navigator-T66 is a carry-on-friendly bag designed for business and leisure travelers alike, with dimensions that fit snugly within IATA’s flight size requirements, along with a variety of multi-functional compartments (inside and out) to hold everything from laptops and tablets to clothes and cameras.

The large main compartment of the 40L bag fits up to four days’ worth of essentials (two days for the 28L size), and unzips like a suitcase to offer quick access to those things, as well as making it easier to pack and unpack than a typical backpack. The tech compartment on the back also swings open up to 180° to make getting through airport security checkpoints a breeze.

I’m a fan of how the bag is actually constructed too. They used durable, post-consumer recycled fabric (made from PET plastic bottles) to keep things more eco-friendly yet still robust, and they outfitted it with premium YKK zippers rather than cheaping out with lesser ones.

They also focused on wearable comfort even when the bag is fully loaded, as evidenced by the 3D padded back panel, thick contoured shoulder straps, and adjustable chest buckle.

For those trips when you do need to bring separate luggage along, the Navigator-T66 has a pass-through strap on the back so you can hang it on a suitcase for easy transport.

You can get the tomtoc Navigator-T66 in two sizes and colors:

• 40-liter: Available in Black ($81) and Gray ($86)
• 28-liter: Available in Black ($76) — (Gray unavailable as of July 19th, 2024, but keep checking the Amazon page for when it returns)

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The team at Peak Design has just released two all-new families of packing cubes for keeping your various odds and ends organized while traveling.

They come in two types of ultralight fabric:

1. 100%-recycled 50D “Terra Shell” nylon, which is weatherproof and highly abrasion-resistant. [Available in Small ($25), X-Small ($20), and XX-Small ($15)]
2. 180g “Powernet” see-through nylon mesh that is stretchy (expands up to 2x in size!) and breathable, making it ideal for wet clothes and gear, as well as bulky or oddly shaped items. [Available in Small ($25), X-Small ($20), and XX-Small ($15)]

Both materials are Bluesign approved, Fair Trade Certified, and 100% carbon neutral, so you can feel good about the impact of your purchase. They’re also both available in a handful of colorways, my favorite being “Eclipse”:

Whichever size/style you go with, you’ll be treated to thoughtful design features such as 1) their ability to be converted into ultralight sling bags by attaching a carry/camera strap (not included), 2) the two strap passthroughs that allow the cubes to be externally mounted onto a larger bag, and 3) the way they all fold totally flat and cinch together with the elastic zip pull cord when not in use.

You can get a set of three ripstop or a set of three mesh packing cubes (each contains one of each size, only in black) for $50 a pop, or you can use one of the links I included above to browse the individual sizes and then their respective colors.

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&SONS (“and sons”) presents a unique take on the dopp kit with their Essentials Toilet Bag, a military-inspired waxed canvas and leather travel companion that looks like a tool/gear roll but is made for carrying your overnight essentials.

Inside the bag are pockets and holders for grooming scissors, a razor, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a small bottle of aftershave, a badger shaving brush, a comb, and more. The whole shebang can be hung on a wall by the main strap buckle for easy access to its contents:

While the 100% cotton waxed canvas exterior is quite water-resistant, the ‘pull-up leather’ accents aren’t necessarily so, so be sure to take care of them accordingly.

Get the Essentials Toilet Bag for $105 at the &SONS shop.

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I don’t know about you guys, but my kids can be real trash goblins on car rides. Despite our best efforts to have them hand us whatever bits of trash they have so we can put them in a bag up front, I will occasionally peer into the backseat and wonder how on earth they’ve still managed to turn it into a warzone.

To keep things simpler, I’ve decided they need to have their own trash bags within arm’s reach. These nylon trash bins from HOTOR are just the thing. They hang on the backs of our headrests and have a top opening where trash can be slotted in as needed, and there are little storage pockets on the sides where they can stash unopened snacks and whatnot.

The interiors are waterproof and don’t leak, so even if kids are tossing in juice boxes that haven’t been 100% consumed, you don’t have to worry about it making a mess underneath. While the company does sell their own trash bags to go with the bins, I find that grocery bags work just as well. Either way, the bags are held up by magnetic snaps around the rim, so swapping out bags is super easy.

The trash bins come in 2-gallon ($13) and 3-gallon ($19) sizes, both of which have a number of color options to choose from.

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After a close call with closure in 2021, the team at Eagle Creek is thankfully still plugging away at making some of the best travel gear around. They’re also aiming to eliminate fabric waste along the way, which brings us to their newly refreshed “No Matter What” rolling duffel.

Constructed from 100% recycled 600D polyester ripstop that is both abrasion- and moisture-resistant, along with reinforced seams, lash points, and lockable zippers to ensure it can support heavy loads without faltering, this duffel proves that eco-consciousness doesn’t have to come at the expense of quality.

But more than just being durable, the NMW duffel also features reinforced grab handles and heavy-duty oversized wheels that allow you effortlessly transport heavy gear throughout all your adventures. Protective corner bumpers by those wheels help keep the duffel upright on rough surfaces, so there’s no fear of being taken out by a crack in the sidewalk.

When you get where you’re going and need to stow the bag away, it conveniently compresses into an included stuff sack for compact storage in a small closet or underneath a bed.

The No Matter What rolling duffel is available in two sizes and three colors:

• 110L: ($149): Safari Brown | Atlantic Blue | Black
• 130L ($159): Safari Brown | Atlantic Blue | Black

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As useful as a bike pannier or handlebar bag can be, sometimes you don’t need to carry that much stuff and throw off your bike’s center of gravity. That’s where a frame pack like the Blackburn Outpost shines.

This durable, water-resistant bag mounts within the front triangle space of most bicycles, giving you a place to stash small items like snacks, a water bottle, or some bike tools. On occasions where you do want to pack a little extra — like a superlight windbreaker jacket, a battery pack, a hefty bike lock, etc — the bottom of the main compartment expands downward to handle it:

The Outpost is also a fantastic place to store a hydration bladder, as it has a passthrough for the drinking hose (which also works nicely for running a phone charge cable if you’re carrying one of those battery packs I mentioned).

Even when fully packed, you don’t have to worry about your legs rubbing against the pack all ride long. It’s quite slim despite its generous storage capacity.

You can get this versatile bike bag in three sizes:

1. Large ($70) — 5.25 liters standard, 6.95 liters expanded / weighs 402 grams empty
2. Medium ($65) — 4.3 liters standard, 5.8 liters expanded / weighs 360 grams empty
3. Small ($60) — 2 liters standard, 3.5 liters expanded / weighs 280 grams empty

There’s also an “Elite” edition that features welded seams, two external outer pockets with drainage holes, and anti-rattle zipper pulls. However, the compartment size is fixed rather than convertible.

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There are toiletry bags, and then there are premium dopp kits. We’ve written about a number of such products over the years, but rarely do we see such nice ones come in pairs like the new Brothers Dopp Kit Duo by luxury accessory company Hard Graft.

If you take your travel toiletries seriously, these are the bags for you. Each set comes with a larger dopp (8.6″x 4″x 2.7″) and a smaller one (5.5″x 3″x 2″) that easily nestles into it when needed, so you have some flexibility in how you pack and organize your grooming gear.

Both are constructed with a triple-layer weatherproof cotton laminate exterior and lined with a soft Italian wool blend, plus some Tuscan vachetta leather accents that further add to the premium look and feel.

The Brothers Dopp Kit Duo is $192 at Hard Graft and comes in one of four colorways:

1. Charcoal
2. Brownish
3. Forest
4. Natural

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Pelican’s new Traveler Tech Organizer is an essential companion for tech-savvy travelers seeking to keep their accessories safe and conveniently organized on the go.

Crafted from an ultra-durable and splash-resistant ballistic weave (1000D) nylon reinforced with rubberized zipper pulls and compression-molded neoprene, this pouch shields your tech gear from the elements and safeguards against potential impacts and bumps along the way.

On the inside you’ll find a series of mesh pockets, compartments, and adjustable velcro cable wraps that keep all your tech essentials neatly organized and easily accessible throughout your adventures. No more tangled cords or misplaced accessories — this organizer ensures everything has its designated space, making it a breeze to find what you need when you need it.

The accessible external pocket with a built-in cord passthrough port adds convenience for on-the-go charging (without the hassle of unpacking or rummaging through your stuff), and thanks to the concealed AirTag compartment, you can easily track your belongings and travel with confidence knowing your gear is always within reach.

Get the Pelican Traveler Tech Organizer $40 on Amazon and be ready for whatever comes your way.

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The Elements Tech Case Max by ALPAKA is an environmentally conscious tech organizer storage case that doubles as a sling bag when needed, keeping you both hands- and clutter-free on the go, all while giving you peace of mind about your carbon footprint.

It’s constructed from X-Pac’s 210 denier high-performance VX21 laminated pack fabric, which is weatherproof and 100% climate neutral. The interior honeycomb 200D ripstop nylon and outer YKK lockable zippers are also weatherproof, so this is definitely a case you can trust to keep your stuff safe from…well, the elements.

Inside the pouch is an accordion-style organization layout where you can stash a surprising amount of stuff, including an iPad mini 6 or Kindle e-reader, a pair of foldable headphones, a gaming mouse, and more.

Get the Tech Case Max for $92 on Amazon. If you need to go down a size or two, you can also pick up a regular size Tech Case ($79) or the Tech Case Mini ($55).

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One of my favorite aspects of writing for T&T has always been discovering awesome ways to accomplish things I previously thought were already solved problems. Take these portable hanging travel shelves, for example. I’ve written about plenty of travel bags and packing cubes before, but never had I seen the two concepts intermingle like this.

The shelves can compress flat when empty and expand downward to have up to three front-facing shelves for clean clothes plus a bottom zipper compartment for laundry and shoes, and anywhere between those two modes.

It hangs on a typical closet rod or shower rod, so it’s usable in pretty much any hotel room or cruise ship stateroom. When packed down and secured shut, it essentially becomes a giant packing cube that can fit into various suitcases.

Get these nifty travel shelves for $23 on Amazon. There are also a bunch of other listings if you want to shop around for a better fit for your needs.

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I’m a big fan of vacuum compression bags for clothing storage purposes, both at home and while traveling. Air is what takes up most of the space when you’re packing those items away, so removing it from the equation lets you cram a lot more stuff into a smaller space.

Which is all to say that I’m very interested in the Airback backpack currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, which has an innovative built-in vacuum compression system inside the main compartment.

Check out the video:

The compression tech alone is enough to ensure you can pack 50% more stuff to take on your adventures, but there are also several other features to help maximize your travel experience, including an integrated weight handle, an odor-free compartment for shoes, built-in USB-A and USB-C ports for charging devices, water-resistant fabric, and more.

As I write this on November 8th, 2023, the project is far more than funded and ready to go, with 13 days left before it officially goes to production. Back the project at the €189 (~$203 USD) level or higher to receive an Airback of your own when it ships in March 2024.

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