An often under-discussed aspect of buying a good bag for your back is its breathability. When the back sits flush against your shoulders, you lose out on a lot of airflow that can impact your comfort. Not only will a breathable bag that sits slightly off your shoulders – via a mesh dividers – keep your back cool, but it also means you won’t be tempted to fiddle with the straps to relieve the discomfort.

What backpack is best for travelling?

Most airlines allow you to bring on a carry-on case as well as a small personal bag for your trip, prompting many to hunt for the best travel backpacks that offer comfort, capacious compartments, plenty of pockets for passports and essentials, and also built from quality materials to cope with your jet-setting. Below, we’ve got a range of sizes and builds, and the vast majority are ready-made to cope with flights, bus trips or a road trip with no problem, but there are a few things to consider.

Waterproof travel packs are an essential grab for anyone travelling to countries with wetter climates, with many hiking backpacks featuring weather-resistant rain covers to combat water-related headaches. If your destination isn’t the deep rainforests, most backpacks with comfortable shoulder straps, a wealth of pockets to hide away essential items and possibly even space for one or two packing cubes to organise your luggage are things you should keep an eye out for.

What makes a good backpack?

When it comes to backpack shopping, you’ll want to pay attention to construction, fabrication and durability before pressing that all-important ‘add to cart’ button. That said, just like with the above, what makes a backpack great depends on what you need it for… luckily for you, we’ve laid out quite the selection below.

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