About two years ago, we ran an article in which Verge staffers talked about their favorite backpacks and other bags. It’s time for a new one, and so we asked the staff to tell us about their favorite travel packs, day-to-day bags, and other ways to carry stuff around. Here’s what they told us.
I like to travel light, but as a dad, that’s almost impossible. I bought a Tom Bihn Synik 30 a few years ago and found that there’s a reason it’s on almost every backpack list you’ll find. (Any serious one, that is.) It holds everything I need for a day out with the kids or a weekend traveling… or longer if I travel light. Tom Bihn bags are known for their high-quality materials — mine still looks brand-new after about six years — and the Synik 30 has a ton of pockets for storing anything from a change of clothes to a small first-aid kit or whatever else dads carry. I also love that there’s a water bottle pocket right in the front-center of the bag, that the large main pocket has straps to buckle down clothes for a weekend trip, and that it has a dedicated laptop sleeve.
I could keep going on about all the clip-on caches you could buy, the super-comfortable straps, and more. There are 26-liter and 22-liter sizes too if you don’t need as much space. — Todd Haselton, deputy editor
Just to tag onto Todd’s writeup, I was gonna recommend my Tom Bihn dad bag, which still looks good after almost 18 years, but it’s so old they’ve redesigned it twice since I got it. I wish it had a water bottle pocket, but it’s in such great shape I can’t justify replacing it just for that. That’s the flipside of buy-it-for-life bags, I guess. Anyway, Tom Bihn makes a great dad backpack. — Nathan Edwards, senior reviews editor
My criteria for a good work backpack essentially includes: it’s not a black hole, it’s comfortable enough to carry everything I need for a full day out, and it still looks professional. The Lo & Sons Rowledge backpack fits the bill.
This bag is comfortable to carry even when loaded up with my laptop, water bottle, and power bank. Its zippers are smooth and sturdy, the metal details and leather pocket give it a sleek look, and numerous organizing tools and pockets help me find anything I need quickly, even when I need to pull out all my electronics to go through a security line in order to enter a courthouse. Pro tip: Lo & Sons occasionally has online warehouse sales during which I previously was able to score this bag for about $150. — Lauren Feiner, senior policy reporter
NANANANANANANANA BAT BAG!!
Childish whimsy aside, Killstar has a decent selection of bags and purses to suit those with alternative fashion tastes, and this Vamped Up backpack is one of my favorites. It can’t fit devices like laptops or larger tablets through the zipper, but it’s plenty roomy enough for phones, wallets, e-readers, and a good handful of pocket-sized essentials. That back-facing zipper placement makes it tricky to steal from, and I find the rubber-like bat design on the front is pretty effective at keeping all the contents dry when rain hits. I’ve linked to the black version, but I own it in a striking red color that gets me hounded with cheerful compliments every time I wear it. — Jess Weatherbed, news writer
For the past year I haven’t left the house without Alpaka’s 2L Flight Sling bag, which is spacious enough to hold a couple of phones, earbuds, keys, and other everyday carry items I don’t want weighing down my pockets. But for a recent trip to British Columbia I wanted something similarly sized that could also hold a water bottle, so I opted for Alpaka’s 2L Flow Satchel that was recently successfully Kickstarted. It has a similar internal capacity as the Flight Sling but with an extra zippered pocket on the back that ended up being useful for safely stashing my passport, and an expandable sleeve on the side that was large enough to hold the Owala water bottle I was traveling with. The sling is also water-resistant with sealed zippers, which was particularly appreciated during an early morning whale-watching trip, as the morning fog left the outside of the bag soaked but the inside completely dry. — Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter
Peak Design Outdoor Sling
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This is a recycled recommendation, because I only heard about Peak Design’s Outdoor Sling when I read my colleague Thomas Ricker’s mini review of it. I’d had my eye on the Everyday Sling for a while, but even the 3L model felt too bulky (and too expensive) for me.
The 2L Outdoor version is exactly what I wanted: compact and collapsible, lightweight, and compartmented enough to carry a bunch of stuff in. It’s perfect for carting around my sunglasses, sunscreen, and an umbrella when I’m out at a festival or on vacation; it can also take my phone, wallet, and keys if I want to keep my pockets clear day to day. This isn’t the bag for carrying a camera or replacing your backpack, but for bits and bobs, I don’t think you’ll do much better. — Dominic Preston, news editor
Having lived in New York for nearly 10 years, I’ve been on the hunt the entire time for black work- and travel-friendly totes that look sleek and professional but are still stylish and cool for the everyday. The most important part, though, isn’t the look — it’s the strength of the straps and the durability of the bag. I feel like I can confidently state that there is no bag with stronger straps than the Telfar — they’re thick, they’re woven into the bag itself, and they can handle everything I tote around with me in New York from sunup to way after sundown. My work bags usually last two years max, and so far, this one has lasted more than five, with no signs of failing on me anytime soon. And that’s with me using it every day for work and as my travel personal item, complete with my work laptop, gym clothes, and everything else I need every day! (Note: as of this writing, they were out of the black bag, but it does come in several other colors.) — Hayden Field, senior AI reporter
About a year ago, a friend gifted me a lovely photograph that she had taken and framed herself. Because it was so large, she delivered it in a huge canvas tote bag and announced that I could keep the bag as well. And while I appreciated the photo, I think I loved the bag even more! Levenger’s Delivery Tote Bag is extraordinarily deep — 22.25 inches — and 15 inches wide, and can hold up to 50 pounds of books, laundry, tech accessories, or anything else you need to store and/or schlep around. No, this is not something for a quick trip to the grocery store, but if you need to transport a largish load, it’s really useful. For example, my partner and I have been downsizing, and I found it perfect for carrying loads of our used books to a local charity.
Levenger sells it with three different attributions: the New York Public Library, the Boston Public Library, or the National Book Foundation. According to Levenger’s site, each of these institutions receives royalties based on sales. And each bag has a quote printed on the inside. The New York version (which is what I have) offers this from Daniel Webster: “On the diffusion of education among the people rest the preservation and perpetuation of our free institutions.” Which is incredibly apt in these troubled times. — Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor
You have a gaming handheld, and you’re wondering, “What if I had an awesome protective sling properly designed for it?” For months, I’ve been testing the Mechanism Inventory against the Genki Saya Carry to try to answer that question. Both make me happy for different reasons!
Despite costing less at just $79, the Mechanism oozes quality and is so thoughtful about protecting the handheld itself. The waxed canvas outer is soft yet structurally quite rigid; you drop your handheld into a delightful (and optionally removable) “foam taco” inside that protects the screen and joysticks. When it’s fully closed, the whole case feels almost pillow-like, to the point I could drop it without fear for my handheld. The strap is reassuringly thick, the zippers are smooth, and the secondary pocket’s big enough for an entire original Switch alongside your Steam Deck, or a beefy external battery. And it has a couple of Mechanism mounting points for that whole ecosystem of accessories.
The Genki doesn’t feel quite as well made and doesn’t protect the handheld as much, but it’s less bulky and more formfitting. It expands to fit all sorts of objects (including larger handhelds like the MSI Claw 8), then cleverly cinches down to hold smaller stuff without it rattling around. Lots of little pockets for my Game Boy cartridges, chargers, keys, you name it. It has fancy buckles that are a joy to play with, including a self-closing magnetic Fidlock strap that can keep your handheld from falling out with the zipper open, so you don’t need to fully zip and unzip every time you move locations.
For an EDC (everyday carry) bag for all my gadgets that’ll also sometimes hold a 7- or 8-inch handheld, I’d pick Genki. For a dedicated handheld bag for 7-inch handhelds, it’s Mechanism all the way. — Sean Hollister, senior editor
When I got into cycling last year, I saw a bunch of people with fancy pannier bags and thought, “I want in on that action.” I was riding with a garden-variety backpack on my back, which is a nice way to ensure you arrive at your destination with your back covered in sweat. But I also wanted to be able to carry my bag on my back once I was off the bike. Nothing is more annoying than setting a bag down on the floor to take out your wallet (or phone) so you can pay for your coffee — and helplessly watching the bag flop over.
Turns out a company called Two Wheel Gear gets it. It makes a convertible bag with backpack straps you can stash in a pocket for pannier mode. Once you’re off the bike, you snap the straps back together and wear it like a backpack. There’s a laptop sleeve, plenty of pockets, and even a rain cover in its own compartment. Brilliant! — Allison Johnson, senior reviewer
I love all my children equally, and by children, I mean bags. I have maybe seven bags I cycle through regularly, ranging from the Peak Design Everyday 15L (which was featured in the last roundup) to my fancy Anya Hindmarch canvas tote to my (then) $5 black Uniqlo half-moon bag. But if we are talking about things that truly changed my life, it is zip-up pouches that store small items, from pens and electronics to contact lenses and Flonase, which I chuck inside my other bags. For what use is a pretty bag if all your loose items are just flying about willy-nilly? (And don’t tell me that you’re a perfect human who actually uses the built-in pen holder in your backpack. No one does that.)
I’ve accumulated multiple pouches over the years from various places, and they each contain highly specific items. (I even have one for my bobby pins and hair ties.) But this 9-inch canvas pouch from The Unemployed Philosophers Guild has become the home of my most essential items. It’s well-constructed, big enough to hold multiple items — mine holds pens, business cards, a small external battery, two cables, and sunscreen — but is also flat enough to fit in most bags unobtrusively. (I also just learned it has a carabiner loop, which, game changer.) Plus, it comes in the most fun prints I’ve seen from a bag company: mine is the Alchemy print, but there are over a dozen more, including a Shakespeare print, a Bob Ross print, a pasta shapes print, and for the TRUE tech enthusiast, a “cables and ports” print illustrating history’s finest dongles. What more could you ask? – Tina Nguyen, senior reporter
In 2017, I was gearing up for my first international flight to the UK and Barcelona to cover MWC, so I needed some luggage. Away bags were all the rage then, what with their minimalist design and built-in battery. So, I bought one — and hated it. The battery wasn’t as powerful or convenient as I wanted it to be (the FAA ended up banning suitcases with non-removable batteries later that year), the tiny wheels were rickety on centuries-old streets, and its hard shell meant it left little room to expand in case I wanted to bring back souvenirs. It might have been a fine bag for some, but not for me.
The moment I got home, I returned it, and bought the Timbuk 2 Copilot medium carry-on luggage. I landed on this model for one reason, really: it has two skateboard wheels that operate silently, whether I’m strolling it down a bumpy sidewalk or through a flat airport terminal. I have a handful of bags in my life that I love for various reasons, but this one’s special. I’ve stuffed clothing and doodads into this bag for all of my life’s biggest adventures so far, including my honeymoon to Japan and South Korea, my travels to India and the Netherlands, and numerous domestic trips. When I retire it someday (it has some scrapes, but still works perfectly), I imagine it’ll be like paging through a passport, with its scars being like the stamps upon entry to and exit from places where I’ve made so many memories. Then I’ll aim to replace it with the exact same model. — Cameron Faulkner, commerce editor
I’m sort of kidding, but not really. Sometimes you have just enough stuff to carry that normal pockets won’t suffice, but not enough to warrant a big tote bag or backpack. Women’s clothing has notoriously small pockets, so this summer I’ve embraced my inner dad — and I’ve become fully cargo shorts-pilled. My go-to has been an old pair of men’s Uniqlo cargo shorts, but anything with roomy pockets and belt loops to hook keys on will do. These Wranglers are nice, as are these from Fjallraven for a sportier feel. I also love my pair of unisex carpenter jeans from Big Bud Press for when it’s cooler. I’m thrilled any time I can go without carrying a bag. Nothing beats the feeling of being unencumbered. — Mia Sato, senior reporter
