Best laptop bags in 2024: Our top picks for work, students, travelers and more

There's no shortage of great laptop bags to choose from in 2024, so finding the perfect one to protect your laptop can be a challenge. 

Luckily, we've done that hard work for you. We spent hours researching dozens of bags to uncover the top laptop bags for students, professionals, travelers, and everyone in between. No matter your budget or style, there's a great laptop bag out there for you. These top bags combine style, function, and price to deliver good value for your money and the protection your laptop needs. 

Hopefully, we already helped you find one of the best laptops, so now we'll guide you to the best laptop bag to tote that laptop around safely and in style.

Stevie Bonifield

Stevie Bonifield is a freelance tech journalist who loves mobile computing, gaming gear, and especially keyboards and accessories. After trying out dozens of different backpacks over the years, Stevie knows what makes a high-quality laptop bag that's worth your hard-earned money. 

The Quick List

Best laptop bag overall

Peak Design's Everyday Messenger Bag is one of the most well-thought-out products on the market today. Its magnetic MagLatch closure works like magic and ensures your bag is secure but still easy to open. Also, its customizable flex-fold dividers let you configure your storage to perfectly meet personal preferences. 

Adding to its greatness is a comfy adjustable shoulder strap, additional hip straps to help balance heavy loads, and a padded laptop sleeve that will fit all but the biggest 15-inch laptops. So, while the design targets photographers, it's also one of the best bags any regular Joe can buy.

Read our full Peak Design Everyday Messenger review.

Best budget laptop bag

If you want a sturdy, stylish, and affordable bag, you can 't go wrong with a JanSport backpack. The Main Campus has a dedicated, padded, zippered laptop pocket, two main compartments, two front pockets, and a water bottle pocket. Even better, it costs less than $60. 

The Main Campus's basic, no-frills design makes it highly versatile. You can take it to school, work, or the airport without looking out of place. It's also available in over a dozen colors, so you can find something that's just the right fit for your style. 

If you want a laptop bag that won't break the bank but won't break on you either, the JanSport Main Campus is a fantastic choice. It's durable, roomy, and offers good protection for your laptop. 

Best laptop bag for high school

The North Face is known for its durable, lightweight backpacks, and the Jester is no exception. Thanks to its stylish, durable design, which comes in dozens of different colors and patterns, it is easily one of the best laptop bags for high school students. 

It's big enough to fit your laptop, books, homework, a water bottle, pens and pencils, and even a hoodie or lunch bag. The compression straps on the front allow you to carry a sweatshirt or a smaller bag with gym clothes or sports gear. 

The Jester is also a great laptop bag for people with small and large frames. I found the curved, padded straps highly comfortable for hours on end, even with the Jester fully loaded with my laptop and books. It's also flat enough when empty to easily fit into a locker (yes, even the extra narrow kind). 

Best laptop bag for college

The Herschel Supply Co Little America is a stylish, premium laptop backpack with a stellar laptop pocket and durable build quality. Thanks to its slightly more mature yet cool design aesthetic, it's perfect for college students. This backpack will look right at home on campus, but it's also classy enough that you can take it to an office for an internship. 

Herschel backpacks also have some of the nicest laptop sleeves I've ever seen. They're well-padded and have an ultra-soft inner lining, so you can be sure your shiny new laptop isn't going to get scratched or dinged in your bag. The updated version of the Little America also conveniently has a zipper on the side for quickly accessing the laptop pocket. 

It's worth noting that the Little America comes in two sizes: 30 liters and 21 liters ("mid-volume"). If you have a smaller frame or don't need to carry much, the mid-volume version is the way to go. 

The only downside to the Little America is the lack of internal organization. There are a couple of small pockets, but it's mainly the one main compartment with the laptop sleeve and the small front pocket. The quality and materials are nice, though, and the style is perfect for college students. 

Best laptop bag for work

The Duane Convertible may look like a standard briefcase bag, but its secrets are revealed once you turn it on its side. Solo’s hybrid carrier seamlessly converts into a backpack when your arms are tired and can flip back into a messenger bag for better maneuverability or in a more formal setting. 

If you own a 15.6-inch MacBook Pro or Dell XPS 15, you can clip them into the bag’s padded compartment. A large front pocket organizes a handful of other tech products. There are even a pair of quick-access pockets for your phone, keys, and wallet. 

Best laptop bag for travel

Laptops are major investments, which is why you have to be careful carrying them around in airports and the outdoors. The Timbuk2 Spire is the perfect bag for protecting your laptop when you're traveling. It's a modern canvas bag with an integrated waterproof rolltop to prevent rain and snow from leaking in. Plus, it can accompany you on airlines, and the buckled rolltop closure is a bit tougher for would-be thieves to open compared to a basic zipper.  

Available in two muted colors, the Spire is designed to fit a 15.6-inch laptop and has a separate tablet pocket and internal and external pockets for other carry-on electronics. The daisy-chain webbing is also useful for bikers and outdoor adventurists who need to carry a bit extra when bag space becomes limited.

How to choose the best laptop bag for you

There are so many types of laptop backpacks out there, so to make your shopping a little bit easier, it's a good idea to narrow down your options to backpacks that fit your needs. You must consider several super-important aspects of a laptop backpack before buying, including size, compartments, and innovative designs that somehow manage to maximize space while maintaining TSA-friendly dimensions.

Size:  If you're going to purchase a laptop backpack, you're going to have to make sure that your laptop fits into your chosen backpack, of course.  You should measure your laptop's width (from left to right) and depth (from the hinge to the lip). When sifting through the internet for a laptop backpack, you'll have to make sure that the backpack is at least an inch longer than your laptop's width, since laptops tend to sit vertically in laptop backpacks. You should also make sure the backpack is wide enough to fit your laptop's depth.

You should also double-check to see if the backpack complies with TSA guidelines if you plan on traveling.

Compartments: Compartments are where laptop backpack makers get creative and design bags that fit certain consumers. If you tend to have a lot of small knickknacks when commuting and traveling, then you should opt for a laptop backpack with many fun hidden pockets and pouches.

If you're an on-the-go businessman or woman, you'll want to look for a backpack with a compartment that can safely store your files and folders.

Useful features: The number one thing I look for in a laptop backpack is a USB charging port in case my phone decides to run out of juice. I don't want to have to deal with outlet hoggers at the airport. Premium laptop backpacks tend to offer useful features that will make your commute and travels a lot easier.

Durability: You should also keep in mind the fabric and material of your backpack. If you're exploring rugged locations or regions with frequent inclement weather, you should consider purchasing a laptop backpack with durable fabric. For example, if you're going to a rainy climate, you may want to purchase a water-resistant backpack.  I also highly recommend getting a laptop backpack 

If you're a frequent flyer, you'll likely be pushing your laptop backpack beneath your seat quite often, so you'll want to choose a fabric that doesn't pick up stains and spills too easily, such as water-resistant polyester.

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Our experienced team of writers and editors scour the available information about the laptop and put it through its paces to determine which is best for you. But before they start, the testing team subjects each system to a rigorous regimen of synthetic and real-world tests to see how a system handles the type of work and games you’re most likely to throw at it. 

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