Best Travel Bags & Packs From Backcountry
Published August 20, 2024
Our community of Gearhead® Experts spends a lot of time on the road traveling to bucket list destinations and our favorite secret local spots for adventures of all shapes and sizes. Whether we get there by plane, train, car, bike, or on our own two feet, we’ve experienced the best and worst of what travel has to offer. We designed our bags and backpacks to solve problems on the go, making our lives easier while hauling everything we need to make memories that will last a lifetime.
The Destination 20L Backpack was built to be a daily companion, taking you from early morning workouts to long days in the office and sunset hikes on local trails. The pack is made from recycled, tear-resistant polyester ripstop that easily handles the morning commute and brushes aside low-hanging branches when trekking toward towering summits. The back panel compartment pulls double-duty hauling a laptop or water bladder with a simple feed-through for tubing to run down the left shoulder strap.
The pack features multiple quick-access front pockets for stashing phones, wallets, keys, and other small items, while a stretchy side pocket keeps your water bottle close by. Two gear loops give some extra capacity for securing extras like a pair of sandals for hikes that end in thundering waterfalls. The main compartment boasts a large, zippered opening so you can quickly pack your gear and find what you need on the go, while the 20-liter capacity holds plenty of cargo for day-long missions and quick overnights.
Get The Destination 20L
The Destination 30L Backpack is the bigger sibling of the 20-liter pack, designed for fast-paced travel and quiet weekend escapes. With the increase in size comes added features like side compression straps that keep the pack feeling balanced and secure and a side grab handle so you can quickly load up the car and hit the road.
The padded back panel sleeve fits a laptop up to 16 inches, or you can slip in a reservoir for convenient hydration while taking on wilder expeditions. A large mesh pocket in the back panel organizes small cords and provides ample space to stow a journal or book in case a flight or train gets delayed.
The top, front, and side pocket configuration remains the same as the 20-liter backpack, with a larger top pocket that can stash all your quick-access essentials like a wallet, keys, battery pack, and lip balm. The support system receives an upgrade as well, with additional padding for the lower back and shoulder blades that keeps you comfortable on long days. The padded, removable waist belt is great for hauling heavier gear, evenly distributing the load when toting a full day of supplies around the city or packing a weekend’s worth of clothes through the airport.
Get The Destination 30L
Best Travel Duffels From Backcountry
Our lineup of All Around Duffels was built to get you—and your gear—from point A to point B with as little hassle as possible while offering solutions to nearly every problem. We may not be able to ensure you make it out the door in time to catch your flight, but we can make it easy to carry your hastily packed bags to save a few precious seconds on your way to the gate.
The All Around Duffel is made in three sizes: 40 liters, 60 liters, and 105 liters. No matter which size bag you opt for, the feature-set is identical across the whole family, starting with the ultra-tough construction that stands up to dusty days of travel along rutted-out dirt roads and long-haul flights across oceans. The weather-resistant material ensures that clothes and gear stay dry when passing showers send you scurrying for shelter, and the waterproof end-cap storage gives you a place to stash clothes or shoes when they start taking on a funky odor.
The bags come equipped with detachable shoulder straps, which are removed via simple buckles, so you can comfortably haul heavy gear on your back while keeping your hands free. A padded base helps protect more fragile cargo when you set the duffel down on shining airport floors or the bumpy cobbled streets of an old, weathered city.
We designed the storage to keep you organized no matter how long you’re traveling. In addition to the main compartment are two external zippered pockets: the waterproof end-cap storage opposite a quick-access pocket built to hold daily essentials. Compression straps keep all your belongings secure, and two daisy chains allow you to attach extra gear to the outside of the bag. Inside the bags there are two zippered mesh pockets on the lid, one of which hides a security pocket with a key loop to keep valuables secure.
The All Around 40L Duffel is our smallest duffel bag, capable of handling two-to-four-night excursions. It is perfect for weekend car camping trips and quick visits home to see family and friends. The small size is perfect for gear-intensive days, and we find ourselves hauling our boots to the mountain in it all winter long.
Get The 40L Duffel
The All Around 60L Duffel bumps up the storage space, allowing you to explore indefinitely, as long as there is a washer and dryer nearby. The 60-liter capacity offers plenty of space while packing for a week-long getaway.
Get The 60L Duffel
Finally, we’ve got our largest duffel: The All Around 105L Duffel. This huge bag was made to pack everything needed for months away from home and capital-A Adventures. It's particularly great at handling big, bulky gear and keeps the trunk of the car tidy on long road trips.
Get The 105L Duffel
Traveling can be amazing, full of breath-taking sites, mouth-watering meals, and lung-busting good times with friends new and old. On the other hand, it can be frustrating to dig through a bottomless duffel bag for a particular shirt to wear to dinner, only to find it and realize you need to iron out the wrinkles. That’s why we made the Destination Packing Cubes, which prevent a poorly packed bag from slowly taking over a corner of the room. They also maximize your packing space without having to sit on the bag to get the zipper to close.
Each cube’s mesh lid allows you to easily see what’s inside, and the wrap-around zippers allow you to open the bag fully to quickly grab what you need. The cubes come in two sizes: the small at 4 liters and the large at 6.8 liters. The small size holds a few T-shirts or enough socks and underwear for a week on the road. Meanwhile, the large size offers enough room to bring three or four pairs of pants or a couple of chunky sweaters.
We recommend grabbing two or three of the large cubes for trips that last up to a week, and three or four for longer travel or colder climates. We’ve found that having three of the small cubes is perfect for most trips, giving you space for socks, underwear, t-shirts, and toiletries as needed.
Get The Destination Packing Cubes
Our travel plans are typically based around spending time outside. And when wintry weather settles in, that usually means planning trips to bucket-list mountain resorts. We built the All Around Double Ski & Snowboard Rolling Bag so we could safely travel with our favorite skis and snowboards wherever the powder is freshest.
This bag is one of our top-sellers, and for good reason. It breezes through airports thanks to convenient rolling wheels, and the adjustable length fits two sets of skis or two snowboards up to 195 centimeters, so you can arrive fully equipped for whatever conditions the mountains throw your way.
Best of all, the Ski & Snowboard Rolling Bag easily attaches to our All Around Ski And Snowboard Boot Bag for an all-in-one system, allowing you to bring your perfectly fitted boots along for the journey, rather than relying on rentals or borrowing a friend’s.
Get The Ski & Snowboard Roller
Get The Boot Bag
For convenient, grab-and-go gear storage, we made the All Around 36L Gear Tote and All Around 70L Gear Tote. Both totes are made from the same rugged material as our All Around Duffels, with internal compression straps that keep equipment secure while bouncing down bumpy, off-road tracks. A daisy chain wraps around the bag so you can clip sandals or water bottles to the outside if you run out of internal space, and zippered internal and external pockets keep small items secure while you dig your toes into the sand.
The 36L Gear Tote is perfect for picnics at the park and days at the beach or lake, stashing snacks, water, towels, sunscreen, and lifejackets. The 70L Gear Tote easily holds ski boots, helmets, goggles, and gloves for two on drives to the resort, or can stash your beach gear with extra space for a soft cooler on hot summer days.
Get The 36L Gear Tote
Get The 70L Gear Tote
FAQ
Q: How do I choose the right size duffel for my needs?
A: Selecting the right size bag can be tricky since many factors are at play. You’ll want to consider how long your trip is, the types of activities you’ll need to use it for, and how much clothing and gear you plan on packing. Generally, we recommend the All Around 40L Duffel for trips that are five days or less, the All Around 60L Duffel for trips that range from five to ten days, and the All Around 105L Duffel for any trip over ten days or if you need to haul lots of gear. Keep in mind things like access to washing machines and how much you’re capable of carrying when you’re packing.
If you need some help selecting the right bag for you reach out to our Gearhead® Experts via chat or call us at 1-800-409-4502.
Q: Are Backcountry’s bags waterproof?
A: Our bags are designed to be weather-resistant, meaning they’ll shed light moisture but should not be counted on to keep clothes or gear dry in heavy downpours. Our All Around Duffels are equipped with end-cap dry bags to separate wet, dirty clothes.
Informative Links
Need to refresh your wardrobe with some do-it-all, travel-ready clothes? We built our Destination Collection for exactly that purpose.
Packing your bags for a weekend camping trip? Make sure you have everything you need to hit the road with our Car Camping Checklist.
Planning a winter ski trip and not sure how to travel with your gear? Read our guide on flying with skis and snowboards.
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