Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L - Review 2023

A Well-Organized Heavy-Duty Travel Backpack

With the Peak Design Travel Backpack, you get a modern low-profile design, flexible and organized storage space, durability you can count on, and many unique features.

With the combination of weatherproof and 100% recycled 400D and 900D nylon and tough and clean stitching, there’s no need to worry about your bag ripping or your things getting wet.

The rigidity of the entire bag also makes it an ideal camera companion. Peak Design has camera cubes available to safely store your camera gear and accessories.

Its comfortable backpack strap system is completely stowable in magnet-locked panels for compact carrying when you don’t need the straps. This is perfect for when you want to put the bag on your rolling luggage and give your shoulders a break.

The bag’s capacity is flexible, with compression snaps on the top section and expansion zip sections to give you the packing space you need. You can choose between 30 liters, 35 liters, and 45 liters. And no matter how much storage space you opt to use, there are lots of zipped compartments and secret pockets to keep your items organized.

Construction and Design

The Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack comes with technical-grade materials. Its 400D nylon shell is strong and durable, and the 900D waterproof bottom liner ensures your items stay safe and dry. Both offer tear and abrasion resistance. With a high denier count at the bottom of the bag, it feels like rubber to touch, a tell-tale sign it can withstand abuse.

When it comes to the zips, Peak Design is not messing around. They are using proprietary UltraZips, which have more tear resistance and glide around corners easier. The glide was slow but felt strong and secure, and there were a few halt points when trying to move the zippers fast.  But all in all, like the rest of the bag, they felt indestructible.

The Hypalon pull tabs are big enough to use a travel lock to secure the pulls together, providing a bit more security. The stitching is clean and reinforced, giving the seams excellent strength to hold together an overloaded bag.

Harness System

The Peak Design Travel Backpack harness system has a clever design. You get the basics – thickly padded shoulder straps, an adjustable sternum strap, and a hip belt with a zipper pocket. The hip belt connects with a g-clip which is fiddly, and to be totally honest, the whole hip belt is difficult to adjust and does not seem to help carry the load. But the weight displacement design of the bag is quite comfortable even without that added support when loaded with a 16” laptop, 2 camera bodies, 4 lenses, a speedlight, and multiple other photography accessories.

There are also lash points for your sunglasses. But what makes this bag stand out is how neatly and compactly the straps can be stowed away in the magnet-locked back panel. 

Plenty of Ways to Carry

Peak Design covered the Travel Backpack with grab handles. You’ll find them in every direction- top, bottom, sides, and back. No matter how you want to grab and carry your travel bag, there’s a handle for you. The one at the back also doubles as a pass-through for your luggage’s handle. It’s the same feature we enjoyed when we tested out The Stubble and Co Adventure Bag and the  Level8 Atlas Backpack. But among the three, we like Peak Design’s simplicity and the fact you can grab it with one hand when needed.

Storage

With options from 30, 35, and 45 liters, the Peak Design Travel Backpack has you covered no matter how much you need to pack for your next trip. Whether it’s a weekend in Miami or a week in Aspen, its flexible capacity helps you go from one adventure to another.

Main Compartment

You have three ways to access the main compartment of the Peak Design 45 L Travel Backpack, from the dual side loading or the main clamshell opening.

The clamshell design offers you full access to all of your items, and you have everything in sight. But to do so, you need to lay the bag on its front. It’s a common compromise you make with clamshell travel backpacks. We also experienced this with the HEIMPLANET Transit Line. Essentially, the only time you’ll manage to have full access is once you reach your destination.

We’re glad Peak Design decided to have side-loading zipper access on both sides. There’s no need to worry about which strap to swing down as with only one side access like we found on the Gregory Paragon 58.

It is a perk that every photographer will love. You can swing your backpack to your front, and voila! Grab your camera through the side access—no need to remove the entire bag to get your gear.

Camera Cube Accessories

The Peak Design Travel Backpack is compatible with their Peak Design Camera Cubes (sold separately). The bag itself has sturdy construction that feels very protective, but with the added protection and organization the Camera Cubes provide, you will have the utmost confidence your gear is safe.

The medium cube and small cube fit perfectly in the Travel Backpack. Within the cubes, there were movable spacers to design the storage compartments to best suit your gear. There was more than enough room for everything we needed.

Laptop Sleeve

Inside the main compartment, you’ll find a built-in laptop sleeve that can accommodate laptop sizes up to 16 inches. There is padding, and the Velcro seal holds securely.

This Peak Design bag comes with a clamshell opening, but the laptop sleeve is well placed to still grab on the go. You can easily slide it out at airport security by only unzipping the top of the main opening of the backpack.

Front Compartment

The front compartment of Peak Design is spacious enough for any quick grab items you may want – your book, glasses, headphones, cords. On the lid, there’s a zipped mesh pocket on top with accessory slots. Under it is another medium-sized zipped pocket.

From the front compartment to the main compartment, there is a pocket section that can be zipped down and stowed. If you want the to use this section with its extra 2 pockets, they have pass-through zippers and can be accessed from inside the bag as well, which is perfect when you are using the main compartment.

Top Pocket

Your passport, some cash, IDs, anything you need quick access to can sit inside the top pocket. It’s also low-profile, giving Peak Design Travel Backpack a clean look.

Magnet-Locked Bottom Pocket

Here, you’ll see a couple of carry straps stowed inside. You can attach them to the top loops for quick storage and access to a coat or sweater. You can quickly stow the straps inside the pocket when not in use, and the magnet seal auto-locks.

Large Side Pockets

The Travel Backpack from Peak Design provides you with large, expandable side pockets for your tripod or  water bottles. Tall jugs like the Hydro Flask 24 oz. and the YETI Rambler Water Bottle won’t have any trouble fitting in here. But small ones may be tricky to easily access since the holsters are deep. It’s the same dilemma we dealt with the Salkan Backpacker’s Main Pack.

Since you have lots of room, these side pockets can also accommodate your selfie stick, or perhaps a rolled-up windbreaker for just-in-case situations.

The large side pockets also have secret pockets. These may be more discreet for your passport and wallet. Although anything bulky does affect the space available in the side pocket.

Compression and Expansion

Another feature of the Peak Design Travel Backpack that manages to edge out its competition is its flexibility.

The default mode of this bag can accommodate 35 liters. If you are not carrying much and want to compress it down and have a lower profile, you can snap the top section together, sizing that area down 6 inches. Be aware the snaps are a little hard to snap together and tend to undo themselves easily. For additional packing space, zip open the side expansion sections, and you get 45-liter maxed-out capacity.

The Last Travel Backpack You Will Need to Buy

For roughly $300, Peak Design’s 45L Travel Backpack is a high-end product. But with a lifetime warranty and construction that feels indestructible, it is designed so you will not need another travel backpack again.

There are plenty of customizable features, from capacity to organization to even how you carry it and access the compartments. This bag from Peak Design is so functional and easy to use, it’s kind of fun finding new ways to put it to the test.

It’s a great investment if you’re searching for a long-term travel backpack that can adapt to any travel lifestyle.