The Best Laptop Backpacks, According to Frequent Fliers

Easy access is one reason why Madison, Wisconsin-based Tania Burke, president of bike touring provider Trek Travel, prefers this Topo Designs backpack for her 4-mile bike commute: “It opens like a clamshell, so it’s easy to pack,’ she says, noting that its design avoids that digging-through-a-black-hole sensation that is the case with many backpacks. The rectangular, 30-liter bag has an outer panel where you can store smaller items, like toiletries and valuables, and a separate zipper to access the larger main compartment that fits enough clothing for a long weekend if you use it as a carry-on. A zippered pocket, closest to the wearer’s back, holds a 15-inch laptop, providing quick access to it without opening up the entire bag, which is a helpful detail that’ll come in handy while on TSA security lines. Shop this pack in three colors: Clay, Charcoal and Black.

Train ride companion