Peak Design – Travel Backpack 45L – Review

2019-01-20 Ken

Carry ons, backpacks, wallets and other bags

One Bag Travel. Travel Backpack, Full of Functions.

Looks great, functions great. But…

I’ve always been a fan of Peak Design’s bags and have owned and used the Everyday Backpack and the Everyday Slings.

Peak Design is a popular camera accessory brand and they are known to make highly functional bags.

In 2018, they came out on Kickstarter to make a Travel Backpack an so naturally, I backed the project.

As with all Peak Design Kickstarter projects, the Travel Backpack was a huge success and the backpack arrived towards the end of December and it’s been sitting in the corner of my room since.

I haven’t been using the bag at all and I probably won’t be doing so in the future.

Why?

Stick around to find out!

Today, I’ll be reviewing the Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L.

Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L – Review

Travel Backpack – Functions and Specs

The best way to get to know the Travel Backpack and its features and specs would be to go to Peak Design’s website.

In this review, I’m gonna focus on the aspects of the Travel Backpack that really stood out to me and also the points that I didn’t like.

you can access the backpack from the side
the backpack utilizes the outside of the bag, not just the inside
you can dock it with a carry-on bag
the bag stands on its own (I like this the most)
made from quality materials
heavy
the straps don’t work well with my shoulders (this was the deal breaker for me)

The things that I like about the bag are pretty much the same as the thoughts I had for the Everyday Backpack.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise as the Travel Backpack was made based on the Everyday Backpack.

Size

The size of the bag is huge, as it should be: you’re supposed to be able to travel the world with just this backpack.

It’s about the same size as the WANDRD Hexad Carryall Duffel (far left in the picture) and the AER Travel Pack 2, which have similar concepts.

You can access the backpack from the side

It’s hard to get stuff out from the bottom of a normal backpack right?

With the Travel Backpack, you can access the backpack from both sides so getting stuff in and out is super easy.

The way it’s designed, you can get to the PC sleeve easily.

Being able to get your laptop out at an airport security gate is a mandatory feature for a travel backpack.

Another mandatory feature of recent backpacks is the quick-access pocket.

The Everyday Backpack didn’t have this feature but it’s been added to the Travel Backpack.

I use it for earphones and sunglasses.

The backpack utilizes the outside of the bag, not just the inside

One of the exciting features from the Everyday Backpack, the hidden harness straps, have been brought over to the Travel Backpack.

The straps are hidden under the front panel towards the bottom of the bag.

When you’re not using the straps, they’re safely hidden under the panel which is held closed by magnets so they won’t come dangling out.

Details like this is where Peak Design is at its best.

You can use these straps to strap on stuff like jackets, tripods, etc. to the outside of the bag.

You can dock it with a carry-on bag

If you decide to use the Travel Backpack with a carry-on bag, you can haul a lot of gear.

That’s when the docking capabilities come in handy.

With a small bag like the Topaz, the setup looks very top heavy.

Looking pretty good with the Briggs ＆Riley Baseline.

On a side note, the AER Travel Pack 2 also has a similar feature.

You can use the dual purpose docking handle to carry the bag like a duffel.

When you’re using the backpack in such way, you can make it super low profile and sleek by tucking away the shoulder straps.

Waist straps are actually hiding in this area too.

When you want stability, all you have to do is reach in and out comes the waist straps.

The bad stands on its own!! (I like this the most)

The Travel Backpack has a sturdy frame which enables it to stand on its own.

This bag won’t be tipping over easily.

This large backpack is going to end up being heavy in most cases so being able to put it down on the floor and not having to worry about the bag falling down is huge.

Made from quality materials

The Travel Backpack is made from high quality materials.

Sturdy materials are intentionally being used so that it can withstand the abuse when you have to check that bag when going on planes.

I personally like the feel of the mesh lining that they used for the interior.

This bag will take the beating, for many years to come.

These are all good things, but also has a negative side effect.

The Travel Backpack is really heavy.

Heavy

According to its official specs, the Travel Backpack weighs 2.05kg.

Considering that you’ll be packing the bag with a lot of stuff, the bag will be extremely heavy.

That’s inevitable and is sort of the point, after all you’re traveling with one bag.

But because the backpack is going to end up being heavy, you would want the backpack itself to be as light as possible.

The stress from the extra weight of the Travel Backpack is gonna take its tolls in the long run.

No matter how much I like a bag, I’ll end up looking for a replacement if it’s heavy.

The straps don’t work well with my shoulders (this was the deal breaker for me)

The straps of the Travel Backpack have an interesting design that allows them to be tucked away when you’re not using them.

But because they are mounted on the the bag not completely horizontally, but at an angle, they tend to fall off of my shoulders.

This is because I have sloping shoulders but combined with the fact that the bag will be super heavy when it’s full, the straps not fitting well is a big problem.

This is not an issue specific to the Travel Backpack and is common for me with Peak Design’s other backpacks as well.

The strap ends have a unique design to prevent them from dangling.

I really like the details such as this that go into the design of Peak Design’s backpacks so its really too bad that the straps don’t work for me.