The Best Carry-On Travel Bags, According To Minimal Packers

The AER travel pack 3, and all the contents it can hold. 

"I always travel with a carry-on no matter how long my trip is. My go-to backpack is the Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack in small/medium size. It's a very well-built and functional bag. I love it because it is big enough to hold all of my essentials (camera gears, laptop, clothes, and other small essentials), but also small enough that it makes me think twice about what I actually need on the trip. It takes a little more effort and planning to pack light, but I think it’s worth it. There is no point in lugging around the extra weight of things that we don’t need." — Sophie Daquis, minimal lifestyle vlogger

$159.95+ at Amazon

"My favorite bag is the Pakt One Bag. I love that it has two separate large compartments that are accessible either from the top of the bag, or if the bag is unzipped down the middle and laid out flat, both sides are accessible from the inside. This makes both packing and quick access super easy and convenient. The bag is made from great materials and has held up really well over time. There are plenty of other areas to pack smaller items and the shoulder strap is pretty comfy as well. I can fit everything I need in this bag for any length of trip. There is even a laptop sleeve in the middle of the bag which helps leave the backpack behind. I haven’t used another bag in a few years as this can hold everything I need for any trip." — Spencer Scott Pugh, minimal lifestyle vlogger

$295 at Pakt

$295 at Amazon

"My go-to travel backpack is this Kenneth Cole one from Amazon. I love it because it has a separate sleeve that fits a full-size 15-inch laptop comfortably. It also has several other pockets and compartments for smaller electronics and gadgets. But what REALLY sold me is the strap that slides onto your rolling suitcase so that you can roll it around without fear of it falling off the suitcase (and NOT having to carry it on your back throughout the entire airport!). I took this backpack and a small carry-on rolling suitcase with me on my 10-day Europe trip and it was so easy to carry everything I needed! With the cobblestone streets, a full-size check-in bag was just not an option. Traveling with less not only reduces my stress but also helps me learn to live with less!" — Rachel Vinn, minimal lifestyle vlogger

$50 at Amazon

"In my latest travels to Victoria [British Columbia, Canada], I used the Samara ocean backpack to hold my electronics and essentials. It’s my everyday bag anyway, so I brought it with me. It’s super minimal yet practical, and holds more than you’d think!" — Mychas

$150 at Samara

"The bag that I've been liking the most recently is by Thule, the Aion 28-liter pack is the one I took on my most recent trip and that worked out great. It's small enough to be carry-on and it's kind of the edge of being a personal item, which means you can sit [it] under the seat on an airline. So it just gives you a lot of options for carrying. The 28-liter size is big enough, it's kind of right in the sweet spot as far as size goes. It has enough organization, has a laptop sleeve and a little divider, kind of a built-in packing cube, so it gives me enough organization to separate all my gear out. Some bags kind of go overboard with pockets and dividers and compartments and it adds a lot of weight and price to the bag. So I think this is a good sweet spot for me where it's large enough to hold on my gear and organize it well, but it's also has a pretty simple minimalist look and feel to it that makes it not weigh too much and also not be super expensive." — Grisdale

$188.45+ at Amazon

"Recently I upgraded to the Monos backpack which has a lot more space but still quite sleek and minimal. It has lots of handy and intuitive compartments, is waterproof, and I’m planning to test it out on a quick in/out trip to Mexico City coming up. Keep you posted!" — Mychas

$200 at Monos

"My favorite travel bag is the Le Pliage Tote by Longchamp. It has been me go to bag for minimalist travel for almost a decade. I love that the body is made of nylon and the straps are leather so it’s both incredibly durable yet stylish at the same time! It is a classic and simple bag with one interior pocket that forces you to be intentional about what you want to bring with you. I use smaller pouches to divide my things into categories and I bring a simple capsule wardrobe to keep my clothing items to a minimum. But you actually can squeeze a lot into the bag if needed! I am able to pack for an entire week easily and include my laptop, too, if it is a work trip. I just returned from a solo 3-week trip to Europe and there is no way I would’ve enjoyed moving around six different countries if I had tons of luggage with me. I get in and out of the airport quickly because I never have to wait at baggage claim. I hop off the flight and hit the ground running. — Carla of The Carla Project, minimal lifestyle vlogger

$124 at Nordstrom

$155 - $235 at Amazon

"[My favorite bag is the] AER travel pack — depends on how much I need to take. Mostly I pack clothes, cords, Kindle, portable speaker, water bottle, occasional iPad or laptop." — u/nanerpoodin, a Redditor at r/onebag

$275 at AER

"I usually use a Hedgren bag. I bought it three years ago... The reason I love it is because I have a nice back pocket for my passport that isn't accessible by pickpockets and a laptop sleeve that allows my to pack my laptop.I use packing cubes and usually have three: one for toiletries (a dopp), one for clean clothes and one for dirty clothes. That way I can do my laundry when traveling with no problem. The key is that if you have a minimalist wardrobe, you can do your laundry every three days or so and stay fresh." — Jonathan Klinger, a Redditor at r/onebag

Klinger has Hedgren's Bond model that is currently out of stock, but the Voyage Zenith is similar.

$170 at Nordstrom

Even the most seasoned minimalist travelers struggle with bringing formalwear on the go. If you need to bring a suit to a wedding or conference, but don't want to bring a whole separate garment bag, this bag is frequently praised on the OneBag subreddit. Halfday's garment duffel is a sleek, easy-carry bag that rolls out in a garment bag and has a separate section for shoes. 

It's "perfect for a traveling musician!" wrote buyer Luis h. "Fits exactly what I need for 3-5 days worth of traveling and performing. Don’t hesitate to get it." 

$98 at Halfday

As a proud New Englander, I'm pretty sure I was brought home from the hospital in an L.L. Bean Boat and Tote. They're timeless, durable canvas bags that age so gracefully and look even better with wear. As a kid, we used them for beach and lake bags, toy and snack bags, and my teacher mama used one every day to go to school. A few years ago I got myself a zippered XL-size with bag regular straps. It's my go-to travel bag and holds way more than you'd think it would — I'm talking multiple pairs of pants and shoes and even room for whatever thrift finds I get when traveling. Best part, it looks really vintage and classic, so you never feel like you're carrying your old dorky duffle bag from high school soccer.

$44.95 at L.L. Bean

And if you're in the market for a hard-sided carry-on option and don't have to worry about any cobblestone streets:

"My favorite carry-on bag is the Beis carry-on because it has the most durable outside material I’ve found so far, has organizational compartments on the inside, and the wheels are super smooth. They also come in cute colors which doesn't hurt." — Taylor Wynn, travel vlogger

$198 at Beis