The Peak Design 45l Travel Backpack has garnered significant attention in the travel community, and for good reason. After using it extensively as my primary travel companion for the past four years, I’m ready to share a comprehensive, unbiased review. While it stands out as one of the best travel backpacks I’ve ever tested, it’s important to consider its nuances to determine if it’s the right fit for your travel style.
To be transparent, this review is not sponsored. My aim is to provide an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, empowering you to make an informed decision. Please note that this article contains affiliate links, which help support this website.
Front view of the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack in grey, showcasing its sleek design and versatile straps.
Price: $299
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Is the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack Right for You?
The Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack is meticulously designed for modern travel scenarios. It’s particularly well-suited for travelers who prioritize efficiency and organization, often navigating airports, taxis, and staying in hotels or comfortable accommodations. This backpack excels in ease of use and smart organization, rather than being geared towards rugged outdoor adventures requiring highly specialized gear.
Consider the Peak Design 45L if any of the following resonate with you:
- Carry-on focused travel: You prefer to travel with carry-on luggage and frequently stay in hotels, B&Bs, or vacation rentals.
- Suitcase-style backpack preference: You want the spaciousness of a suitcase in a backpack form, suitable for solo use or paired with rolling luggage.
- Tech-savvy traveler: You often travel with tech gadgets like laptops, cameras, and accessories.
- Versatile travel needs: You’re a weekend traveler, business traveler, digital nomad, or leisure tourist seeking a adaptable backpack.
However, this might not be the ideal backpack if:
- Extensive outdoor adventures: Your trips involve prolonged hiking, frequent hostel stays, or wearing a backpack for extended periods. While durable and weather-resistant, it’s not optimized for hardcore adventure travel.
- Primary need for a daypack: Its size and features are more than what’s necessary for a daypack. (Explore dedicated daypack options if that’s your main requirement.)
Traveler holding the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack in a sunny outdoor setting, highlighting its portability and style for urban and light outdoor travel.
Key Features of the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack
The 45L Travel Backpack is packed with thoughtfully designed features. To fully appreciate its capabilities, I highly recommend exploring Peak Design’s official tutorial videos. They offer a comprehensive visual guide to unlocking its full potential.
Using this backpack is a genuinely enjoyable experience. It’s reminiscent of using a well-designed tech product – every detail, from the magnetic closures to hidden straps and intelligent compartments, contributes to a seamless and intuitive user experience.
What sets Peak Design apart is their design restraint. Unlike some backpacks that overwhelm with unnecessary, gimmicky features, the 45L focuses on practical, user-centric design. Every feature feels purposeful and genuinely useful for travel.
Despite its robust 400D nylon construction, which maintains its structure even when empty, the backpack weighs a reasonable 2.05 kg (4.5 lbs).
Close-up of the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack showcasing its laptop sleeve, outer straps, and top pocket, emphasizing its organizational features.
Key features include:
- Dedicated Laptop/Tablet Sleeve: Strategically positioned close to your back for balanced weight distribution and includes a padded bottom to protect devices from impact.
- External Carry Straps: Two robust outer straps on the front panel are perfect for securing a jacket, raincoat, or other bulky items for easy access.
- Quick-Access Top Pocket: A conveniently located top pocket with a soft lining is ideal for sunglasses, phones, or other essentials you need readily available.
- Spacious Side Pockets: Two large side pockets can comfortably accommodate water bottles, tripods, or other larger cylindrical items.
- Front Organizer Compartment: The front compartment features five internal sleeves for organized storage of smaller items, documents, and travel accessories.
- Uncluttered Main Compartment: The generously sized main compartment is intentionally designed without dividers, offering maximum flexibility for packing clothing and larger items as you prefer, especially when using packing cubes.
Maximize Space with Peak Design Accessories
One of the most compelling aspects of the Peak Design ecosystem is its seamless integration with a range of optional accessories. These accessories are specifically designed to work in harmony with the 45L Travel Backpack, enhancing its functionality and organization.
This modular system allows you to customize the backpack to your specific travel needs. The thoughtfully designed toiletry bag, electronics pouch, and packing cubes maximize space and efficiency within the 45L Travel Backpack.
Collage showcasing Peak Design accessories including the electronics pouch, packing cube, and wash pouch, highlighting the modular system and organizational benefits.Electronics pouch
Open Peak Design large packing cube and wash pouch, displaying the internal organization and lightweight materials of these travel accessories.Large packing cube + wash pouch
Having used numerous packing cubes and pouches from various brands, Peak Design’s accessories are my clear favorites. Their superior design and functionality are so impressive that I continue to use them even when traveling with other backpacks.
The common thread across these accessories is the use of lightweight yet durable materials that hold their shape effectively. The internal dividers are flexible and adaptable, optimizing organization. Clever features like the ‘folders’ in the wash and electronics pouches help compartmentalize items neatly without relying solely on zippers.
I particularly recommend these three accessories:
- Packing Cubes: These are exceptionally well-designed packing cubes. They are lightweight yet structured, and can be used as a single large compartment or divided into two sections. The Small Packing Cube is perfect for socks and underwear, while the Medium Packing Cube is ideal for organizing shirts and similar garments if you prefer meticulous packing.
- Wash Pouch: This toiletry bag offers numerous small compartments, including a unique magnetic-closure pouch for small items like cotton swabs or contact lenses. It fits perfectly in the backpack’s front compartment and features a convenient hook for hanging.
- Electronics Pouch: Essential for tech-heavy travelers, this pouch provides ample storage and organization for cables, SD cards, adapters, and other electronic accessories. It’s incredibly helpful for keeping track of small but crucial items and preventing the frustration of lost tech components.
Interior view of the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack packed with accessories, demonstrating how the modular system maximizes space and organization.
Carry-On Compliance: Navigating Airline Restrictions with a 45L Backpack
Yes, the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack is designed to be carry-on compliant for most airlines. However, there’s a slight caveat related to its expandable feature.
In its default 35-liter configuration, it comfortably meets standard carry-on size restrictions. When you need extra space, it expands to 45 liters.
In its expanded 45L mode, it might exceed the carry-on limits of particularly strict airlines. In my experience, I’ve flown carry-on numerous times even in the 45L expanded mode without any issues. Its visually compact design helps, and as long as you avoid overpacking, it usually passes scrutiny. However, officially, it may be slightly oversized for some airlines when expanded.
At 35L, it’s ideal for weekend getaways or week-long trips. I typically only expand it to 45L for longer trips exceeding a week.
Regardless of the capacity mode, it is designed to fit in overhead compartments, but it will not fit under the seat in front of you on most flights.
Peak Design 45L Backpack: Long-Term Durability and Comfort
Having used the Peak Design 45L for four years, I can attest to its long-term durability. My original pack, from an early production batch, remains in excellent condition. All zippers function perfectly, and I’ve encountered no durability issues whatsoever. Feedback from the broader travel community suggests that Peak Design maintains consistently high product quality, aligning with my positive experience. Furthermore, the design has proven to be consistently practical and user-friendly over extended use.
There is minor fading on the front exterior, a result of adventure trips to developing countries where it has been exposed to dirt and rough handling. This is expected and doesn’t detract from its overall performance; a thorough cleaning should likely restore its appearance.
Comfort Considerations
The harness system of the Peak Design Travel Backpack, while well-designed, is an area to consider, particularly if long-duration carrying is a primary concern.
The harness includes padded shoulder straps, a sternum strap, and a waist belt. These components contribute to weight distribution and overall comfort, but it’s not engineered for maximum comfort during extended wear, unlike backpacks specifically designed for backpacking or hiking.
Close-up of the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack's harness system, showing the shoulder straps, sternum strap, and waist belt, highlighting its comfortable yet streamlined design.
The sternum strap is detachable on both sides for height adjustability, which is a useful feature. However, this design also makes it somewhat prone to detaching unintentionally. If you plan to check the backpack, it’s advisable to detach the sternum strap and store it securely to prevent it from snagging.
The waist straps are stowable and relatively thin. They provide adequate support for typical travel use, but they lack the substantial padding found in more backpacking-oriented packs.
Peak Design has prioritized a streamlined, aesthetically pleasing harness system, understanding that it meets the needs of most travelers, particularly those who primarily travel by air, taxi, and stay in hotels.
For travelers engaging in more intensive activities like extended hiking, frequent hostel stays, or prolonged backpack carrying, backpacks like the Tortuga Travel Backpack (high-end) or the Osprey Farpoint 40 (budget-friendly) offer more robust suspension systems better suited to those travel styles.
Additionally, when expanded to 45 liters, the added volume is primarily in depth, which can affect weight distribution. For optimal comfort during extended wear, backpacks with a taller, less deep profile might be preferable.
Side view of the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack, illustrating its depth and overall profile when packed, providing a sense of its size and shape.
45L vs. 30L: Choosing the Right Peak Design Travel Backpack Size
In addition to the 45L version, Peak Design also offers a 30L Travel Backpack, released in 2022. Having both, I can highlight the key differences.
While they share a similar aesthetic, they serve distinct purposes.
The 30L feels more akin to a larger daypack. I use it primarily as a commuter bag for carrying my laptop, keyboard, notebooks, and work essentials when working from a co-working space. A notable feature of the 30L is a smaller, top-access organizer compartment, perfect for pens, USB drives, and smaller accessories.
I consider the 30L too small for trips beyond a short weekend and view it more as an oversized sibling to Peak Design’s Everyday line rather than a smaller version of the 45L Travel Backpack.
Comparison shot of the Peak Design 45L and 30L Travel Backpacks side-by-side, visually demonstrating the size difference and similar design language.
Final Verdict: Who Should Buy the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack?
Despite minor points of critique, the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L remains one of my top three favorite backpacks. For many travel scenarios, it is unequivocally my top choice.
For budget backpacking trips to destinations like Thailand, I might opt for the more outdoors-oriented Osprey Farpoint 40.
However, for European vacations, work trips, or family visits, the Peak Design 45L is my constant companion. For general travel, air travel, and urban exploration, I believe it is simply one of the best backpacks available.
Where to Buy the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack
Peak Design primarily sells its products directly through their website. I recommend purchasing directly from Peak Design’s official site for benefits like free shipping and streamlined warranty management.
While some retailers carry Peak Design products, they mostly focus on their Everyday product line. The 45L Travel Backpack is not available on major platforms like Amazon. REI is another retailer that carries it, which may be advantageous if you are an REI member. Otherwise, direct purchase from Peak Design is generally the best option.
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Posted: July 04, 2023
