Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L Review

The Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L has an understated design, yet is packed full of innovative features that will appeal to carry-on travellers and photographers alike.

I can’t tell you how many backpacks I’ve bought over the years – forever on the hunt for that elusive do-it-all backpack that is comfortable, versatile, expandable, has a laptop compartment, can carry my camera gear, has a water bottle sleeve, and looks great in any circumstance.

Enter, the Peak Design Travel Backpack. Is it the “one” I’ve been looking for?

Well, I’ve certainly put it through its paces in the last few months. It’s been hiking with me in the National Parks of New Zealand, exploring the Cami de Cavalls around Menorca, and hopping between the hilltop villages of the Costa Del Sol in Spain, as well as accompanying me on local explorations and everyday life back home in Provence, France.

Spoiler alert – it’s a great multitasker. So if you’re looking for a minimalist travel bag that can handle any situation, the Peak Design Travel Backpack is probably for you.

Read on to find out the features I love most, the kind of traveller I think it’s best suited to, and those who may be better off with the 45L version instead. I’ll also let you in on a few tricks about how to get the most from it in any situation – whether you’re a photographer or just want a stylish new travel bag. Let’s dive in!

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Design and Appearance

First of all, let me start by saying I love the simple, streamlined look of this backpack. It’s neither too technical, like some of my more sporty backpacks, nor too rigid/complicated, like some of my other photography backpacks. Basically, it fits well in any situation.

It’s a classic bag with a unisex appeal.

Made from quality materials, the exterior features a recycled 400D nylon canvas shell, that has been treated with a DWR coating to make it water resistant & weatherproof.

A waterproof 900D liner reinforces the bottom of the bag – making it strong and long-lasting, whatever conditions you subject it to.

Anodized aluminium and glass-reinforced nylon are used for the bag’s hardware, and the UltraZips and Hypalon zip pulls add to the longevity of the bag.

Comfort and Functionality

The Peak Design Travel Backpack is marketed as just that – ideal for travel. The padded shoulder straps will serve you well when walking around airports, city streets, or short hikes. But it’s the extra design features – specifically for air travel – that set it apart from the rest here.

The straps can stow away in the back panel of the backpack – ideal if you ever need to check it in. There are sturdy carry handles on the sides and a handy luggage pass-through, so you can carry it on the handle of your suitcase.

Being primarily designed for travel and everyday wear, it doesn’t sport a waist strap, and I think that was the right call for this particular bag (although if this is important to you, you can purchase a hip belt separately here).

It does, however, have an adjustable sternum strap, which makes carrying it for longer lengths of time more comfortable. I’ve taken it on a 6-hour hike where it performed well, and was comfortable as a day pack.

On the outside of the bag, you’ll find two large expandable side pockets, which are ideal for carrying a water bottle, tripod (I recommend the travel tripod from Peak Design), umbrella, or even hiking sticks.

And if you have even more to carry, it comes with two extra external carry straps for attaching accessories to the exterior of the bag. Either attached to the front, or underneath the backpack, as shown below.

Size, Capacity and Internal Features

The size of the Peak Design 30L Backpack is 53x34x18cm (20.9×13.4×7 inches). Or 53x34x20cm (20.9×13.4×7.9 inches) when expanded.

That means it fits perfectly into the carry-on luggage category – even when expanded.

It’s worth mentioning here that the backpack weighs only 1.44kg, making it a lightweight travel companion as well. Much lighter than a carry-on suitcase of equivalent size.

The Peak Design 30L Travel Backpack features one large main compartment, that is opened via the back panel for easy access. The open layout also means you can configure it how it best suits you with the use of packing cubes or camera cubes (sold separately).

And if you just want to stuff all your clothes in there – the suitcase-style opening works great for that too.

As for the capacity – it’s not as obvious as it seems. The travel backpack features an expansion zip. When this is closed, the backpack offers a capacity of 27L. When it’s open, it expands to 33L. So the 30L label is more of an average rather than the rule.

Inside, you’ll find several mesh internal pockets for organizing your cables, hard drives, travel documents and keys – basically, anything you don’t want rattling around in the large main compartment. There’s also a very large padded integrated laptop sleeve (with an internal divider for your tablet), which can hold up to a 16″ MacBook.

A padded zippered pocket on the top of the bag is ideal for your passport, wallet, cell phone, sunglasses – anything you need “quick access” to when out & about or transiting through airports.

Versatility and Use Cases

The Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L is a highly adaptable and versatile option for various travel and everyday scenarios. Designed to cater to the needs of digital nomads, frequent flyers, photographers, and casual travellers alike, this backpack excels in combining style and functionality.

The dimensions mean it fits within the carry-on size restrictions for the majority of airlines, including budget carriers like Easyjet and Ryanair – even when expanded to its maximum capacity of 33L.

I’ve even found I can pop my travel tripod in one of the exterior water bottle pockets when travelling, and it still fits within the bag size checkers of these budget airlines.

You can organize the interior with the use of Peak Design Packing Cubes, or Camera Cubes (more on these below). The Peak Design Everyday Sling can double as a camera cube inside the bag too (although it doesn’t allow easy access to your gear like the camera cubes do).

Its versatile design means that once you’ve unpacked at your destination, it can then be used as a day bag for exploring. I normally pair mine with a Peak Design Capture Clip so I can have my camera easily accessible at all times.

I’ll have a drink bottle in the external pocket, and the interior will house my extra layers, tripod, wallet, lunch, and anything else I’ll need for a day’s exploring/hiking/photographing.

The weather resistance and durability mean I don’t have to be careful with it either. It’s normally covered in dust, or resting on the gravel ground when I’m out hiking or taking photos. It’s even doubled as a footrest when catching some shuteye at airports, and it wipes clean every time to look like new.

Specific Features for Photographers

If you want to safely travel with a lot of camera gear, it’s best to combine the travel backpack with one or two of the Peak Design Camera Cubes. You can fit both a small camera cube and a medium camera cube within the backpack (with the extension open).

The cubes attach to the inside of the backpack via C-Clips, so they’re nice and secure, and they’re endlessly configurable with the included interior FlexFold dividers – so they will work for you, whatever your setup.

That said, if you’re solely looking for a camera bag to use out on the field, the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L may not be the best option (instead, the 45L backpack could be the right choice if you have a lot of gear – see my comparison below).

Why is this? Well, because the 30L bag is only accessed via a back zipper, you’d have to remove the backpack and place it on an even surface every time you wanted to grab your camera out.

Instead, if you’re carrying 1-2 cameras, check out the Peak Design Everyday Sling instead. This is now my go-to camera bag when travelling as it’s so versatile, low profile, and easy to carry.

Alternatively, I’ll attach a Capture Clip to the shoulder strap of my backpack (as shown above), and I’ve got an excellent way to carry all my day-to-day stuff while still having my camera handy.

Security Features

There are several discreet security features on this Peak Design Backpack. Firstly, the zippers are equipped with lockable zipper pulls, meaning you can fix your own padlock or cable lock with ease.

Inside the backpack, the mesh pockets are ideal for stashing anything you want to be secure and safe during your journeys. And the durable and thick material means it’s not an easy target for slash-and-grab type thefts.

Finally, there’s a dedicated sleeve on the exterior of the bag for your luggage tag if you were ever to misplace your bag.

Variety of Colours

The Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L comes in three different colours. I have the go-anywhere black version which features monochrome zippers and straps for coherence. This is the only vegan-friendly version if that’s important to you.

Similarly, the Midnight version is monochrome, except for the leather tag on the front of the bag. The Sage version features two shades of green – a lighter, textured colour on the main panel, and a darker sage colour on the zippers and bottom of the bag. It also features a leather brand tag.

Sustainability and Certification

As well as being made to last, with durable materials throughout, all Peak Design bags are made with sustainability in front of mind.

The Travel Backpack outer is made from recycled nylon, it’s Fair Trade Certified, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. The Sage and Midnight blue backpacks also feature Bluesign-approved fabrics. Peak Design’s line of bags are also 100% carbon neutral.

In addition, Peak Design is a 1% for the planet member, and they’re continuously working on further ways to do better with their products, processes, and labour.

Comparing 30L and 45L Versions

The Peak Design Travel Backpack comes in two sizes: the 30L reviewed above, and the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L. If you’re not sure which is going to suit your needs the best, read on to see the key differences.

Size and Capacity

This is an obvious difference between the two bags. I find the 30L plenty sufficient for long weekend trips when packing just clothes and accessories, and having some of my camera gear in the Peak Design Everyday Sling separately (as an additional personal item).

Whereas the large capacity 45L would provide more versatility when I need to bring more camera gear along, or I’m travelling for a longer duration.

Compartments and Access Points

Whereas the 30L has just one large main compartment, the main compartment of the 45L backpack can be divided into two individual compartments by utilizing the internal divider sleeve. The 45L can also store more packing cubes or camera cubes compared to the 30L version.

But the main difference comes from how you can access the gear inside. By using the Peak Design Camera Cubes, you can transform your Travel Backpack into a camera backpack due to the addition of dual-side access and front access points (as well as the same rear access point as the 30L).

The 45L backpack comes with extra, and larger external pockets for ease of grabbing your frequent-use smaller items.

Portability & Comfort

I find the 30L is lightweight and ideal to use as an everyday exploring backpack. Personally, I wouldn’t want to go any larger for a day pack. However, if you do want to utilize the 45L on hikes or longer days exploring, it comes with the addition of a stowable padded hip belt for extra comfort.

Carry-on Travel

One of the main reasons to choose the 30L over the 45L is that it’s carry-on travel-friendly. While the 45L may still fit some airline carriers (although you’d want to check weight limits once fully packed) it’s technically a little too long and bulky to fit the dimensions of many airlines.

See the Range of Peak Design Travel Bags Here

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Final thoughts on the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L

This Peak Design Travel Bag has proven to be an excellent choice for photography, travel, and everyday exploring. Its sleek and elegant design fits perfectly into a range of scenarios, and the weatherproof and durable fabric means it can accompany you wherever, or however, you travel.

Functionality-wise, it’s been thoughtfully designed to allow for easy organization and access to your belongings, while the laptop and tablet compartments ensure that your electronic devices are securely stored. The use of packing or camera cubes further expands the capabilities of travelling with all your gear.

You’ll also appreciate the attention to detail found with the external and internal attachment points, including external carry straps, foldaway shoulder straps and multiple sturdy grab handles.

Comfort has been a top priority when designing this bag, with the padded shoulder straps, removable sternum strap and padded back panel all coming to the party. The optional addition of a hip belt, really makes it a comfortable companion for any circumstance.

Overall, the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L successfully combines aesthetics, functionality and comfort into one awesome package. It’ll be the perfect travel backpack for all your future travels!

Disclaimer: The team at Peak Design sent me this sling to review; however, all opinions are my own.