Functional or stylish? We’ve all had to make that decision before regarding what type of daypack we should get for our next big trip.
While deep down we know we should go for functional, the strong desire to still look good while traipsing through the airport duty free section often over-rides. What ultimately happens is sore shoulders from bad straps and frustration when you can’t find anything in your bag and have to unpack everything just to find your passport!
Luckily, those days are over with a huge range of both functional and stylish daypacks on the market. These daypacks can be used for all sorts of activities, from carry-ons to bags used for your daily commute. You can now look stylish while perfectly carry everything that you need while on the go.
It can be tricky to find a decent daypack though, so we’ve done the hard work for you and asked around to find the top functional & stylish daypacks currently on the market.
Top Functional & Stylish Daypacks
Listed in order of price (from lowest to highest).
1. The North Face Vault
This one is for the slightly sportier folk. It is one of North Face’s slightly less rugged options. Featuring a FlexVent, suspension system with compression-moulded shoulder straps and a ventilated back pad. It also has a 15” laptop sleeve in the main compartment and comes in a variety of colours and patterns.
Buy on Amazon for $55
2. Jansport Hatchet Backpack
This daypack comes in a variety of colours and patterns, from floral designs to two-tone colours. It fits up to 15” laptops and has a spacious interior with various compartments. The padded straps make it comfortable to carry for long periods of time.
Buy on Amazon for $60
3. Eastpak Austin Backpack
This daykpack can easily be used for both the office and exploring the great outdoors. It has a padded back and shoulders, making it really comfortable to wear for long periods of time. It has a drawstring close and buckle-strap for aesthetic purposes. The main compartment is roomy with a padded laptop sleeve and two side pockets. It comes in a variety of colours, including a few fun floral designs.
Buy on Amazon for $77
4. Chrome Mazer Vigil
Chrome bags are built for the road – from city streets to forests and mountains. The Chrome Mazer Vigil is a water-resistant urban expedition pack. It features a padded laptop sleeve fitting a 15″ Macbook Pro, if you should feel like working in the woods or to bring it to your (coworking) office. You will also find hidden reflective attachment loops for any extra gear that you carry around. The adjustable ergo straps with EVA back panel make sure that you’re comfortable when walking around. We liked the zip at the top, which makes it very easy to access the inside of the bag.
Buy on Amazon for $180
5. Sydney Paige Guidi
This stylish daypack has three external zip pockets and a spacious main compartment with large laptop fleece-lined padded sleeve. The main section has a drawstring and magnetic closure, and the back and shoulder straps are padded. What’s even more awesome about this daypack is that for every bag bought, a matching backpack will be filled with school supplies and donated to a child in need!
Buy on Amazon for $90
6. Herschel Supply Co. Little America Mid-Volume Backpack
This Herschel pack has a fleece lined laptop sleeve pocket, as well as ventilated mesh back padding, keeping you cool while on the go. The front magnetic buckles give it an old-fashioned rucksack feel, and this one also comes in various colours and designs (including the popular floral design). There aren’t as many compartments as some other bags, with only the main section and one outside pocket.
Buy on Amazon for $100
7. Sandqvist Harald Backpack
This Swedish daypack was designed to work well for both Nordic escapes and city galivanting – while still looking stylish. The interior laptop pocket will fit a 13” laptop and there is a big exterior pocket that will hold a decent amount of goodies to save you rummaging in the main compartment. It comes in petrol blue, blue, and black.
Buy on Amazon for $219
8. Fjallraven Kanken Laptop Backpack
This backpack features a funky square look and comes in a range of bright colours – don’t worry, they also have the generic black and grey if that’s more your vibe. There is a laptop sleeve in the main compartment, along with a document sleeve. On the outside there’s a small external pocket where you can store your other goodies.
Buy on Amazon for $115
9. Heimplanet Monolith Minimal Daypack
If you’re all about living the minimalist life then this daypack is for you. They come in either black, navy, or white. While it looks super basic from the outside, it’s not lacking any features. It is built from 500D Cordura and lined with water-resistant YKK zippers. Overall it can carry 18 litres, and can fit a 15” laptop in its internal sleeve.
Buy on Amazon for $120
10. Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L
For travelers that travel with a lot of equipment – this backpack was made for you! Not only is this backpack weatherproof and comfortable to wear, but its aesthetic versatility is hard to match. The expandable design offers storage to hold 2 DSLR camera bodies with 3-6 lenses. The padded laptop sleeve can hold laptops up to 16″ and there are 3 Flexhold Dividers that can be used to protect drones, lenses and cameras. There are also many exterior and interior pockets to carry all of the other small things that you take with you.
Buy on Amazon for $289
Travel tip shared by Bridget Langer for Travel Dudes