Travel Hack Backpack Review: Is It Worth It?
Read my detailed Travel Hack Backpack review below to help you decide whether you should consider this stylish little backpack for your future day trips and short city breaks.
But first. Why am I recommending yet another item from the Travel Hack luggage collection? Since the pandemic, travel has gotten considerably more expensive.
So when Easyjet changed their cabin luggage requirements in early 2021, I was on the hunt for an affordable backpack that would fit under the seat in front of me on aeroplanes, yet still be large enough for day trips and short city breaks.
As a long-time user of The Travel Hack’s other luggage (I love both the Travel Hack Pro Cabin Case and the Travel Hack Tote Bag), it’s only natural that I researched the Travel Hack Backpack first. And I was instantly sold! Here’s why…
The Travel Hack Backpack: An Affordable Backpack For Quick City Breaks & Day Trips
If you’ve never heard of the Travel Hack Backpack before, then this little bag is a 20L backpack.
Cabin Max (British experts in hand luggage) and Monica from The Travel Hack (a hugely successful full-time travel blogger) teamed up to design and create a range of luggage together.
I believe the Travel Hack Backpack was the second piece of luggage in this collection with the Pro Cabin Case being the first to hit the shop floor.
Just like the rest of the collection, this backpack is designed to fit within most airlines’ cabin luggage restrictions.
This one in particular fits within both Ryanair and Easyjet’s “under the seat” requirements, so there’s no need to check your luggage or pay extra for your ticket.
I’ve recently had the pleasure of road-testing this little backpack on 3-day city breaks to Dubrovnik in Croatia and Geneva in Switzerland, as well as several trips around the UK.
So, without further adieu, read on for my full Travel Hack Backpack review and all the reasons why I love my new backpack!
Check prices of the backpack on Amazon >>
What I Love About The Travel Hack Backpack
Here are my top reasons for recommending the Travel Hack Backpack…
1. Pockets and compartments galore!
Despite its small size, this backpack features plenty of pockets and compartments.
The padded main compartment features two zipped mesh pockets, which are handy for keeping things like your socks and underwear or charging cables separate from the rest of your clothes and toiletries.
This compartment also zips all the way open, which I believe is required by TSA agents in the US.
But this feature also helps make the dreaded packing game of Tetris that much easier!
Alongside these compartments, the bag also has a zipped front pocket, a padded laptop compartment (more on this later), a water bottle holder and an additional expandable side pocket for another water bottle or an umbrella.
There’s even a zipped pocket at the top of the bag, which is deeper than it looks thanks to its integration with the main backpack compartment.
I use this pocket for various small items like my sunglasses, keys, tissues, hand sanitiser, a reusable foldaway carrier bag and more.
2. Its small size still packs a punch
All of these different compartments mean you can fit quite a lot inside this backpack despite its small size. It’s a 20L backpack measuring 40x20x25cm.
As I mentioned earlier, this backpack has come with me on city breaks to Dubrovnik and Geneva. And yes, I had toiletries and makeup with me.
Because of its small size, this bag also doubles up as a fantastic backpack for sightseeing and day trips, so I didn’t feel the need to take an extra bag with me on either trip.
I wouldn’t have been allowed to take an extra bag on the Easyjet flights anyway, so it’s a good thing I managed to fit everything I needed within this small backpack.
3. Padded laptop compartment
As a full-time travel blogger, bags with padded laptop compartments are essential – especially if I’m going away for a few days at a time.
The laptop compartment sits against your back, which I also think helps make it harder for pickpockets to steal from you (at least somewhat).
Sadly, my laptop is too big to fit within this particular compartment. It fits a 13-inch laptop so Macbook users rejoice!
My Samsung Galaxy tablet and mini keyboard fit just fine inside it, so I use those for writing about my travels when I’m on the road instead.
4. Beautiful and stylish design
I’ve always been attracted to the sleek black design, rose gold zippers and pretty pink lining that are a staple of the entire Travel Hack luggage collection.
This attractive design also means I have no qualms about using this backpack for day trips, so I’ve quickly found myself using this bag practically every day since buying it!
5. It’s affordable!
And finally, you might think all of this stylish practicality comes with a hefty price tag.
But it doesn’t.
In fact, I’d argue the entire Travel Hack luggage collection is very affordable.
At under £40, I think the Travel Hack Backpack is well worth considering if you’re on the hunt for a new cabin-friendly backpack.
Buy The Travel Hack Backpack on Amazon >>
What Could Be Improved
If I had to nitpick – and I’m going to for the sake of this review – here are a couple of things that I wish were different about the Travel Hack Backpack.
- The zippers on the main compartment aren’t officially lockable. Seeing as I use this backpack for both day trips and international travel, I wish the zippers on the main compartment were lockable for extra security. As a workaround, I’ll probably start threading a padlock through the loops at the end of the zip pulls (especially when I’m travelling without my husband).
- The laptop compartment is too small for me. As I mentioned, I can only fit my Samsung Galaxy tablet and mini keyboard inside the laptop compartment rather than my main laptop, which is a shame. But to be honest, I don’t think Cabin Max or Monica from The Travel Hack are able to change this as the laptop compartment is limited by the size of the backpack itself.
That said, given this bag’s many other fantastic qualities, I’m more than happy to work around these limitations.
Is The Travel Hack Backpack Worth It?
In a word: Yes. Why else would I write an entire blog post about it? *wink*
I honestly love this backpack and I’m so glad I bought it for day trips and short city breaks.
As someone who’s on a mid-range budget, I’m always finding ways to save a few quid.
So when Easyjet changed their cabin luggage restrictions, there was no way I was going to spend extra for my future flights (unless I was going away somewhere for a week or more).
For the sake of quick city breaks within Europe, I’m very glad to have this beautiful little backpack as my travelling companion. In addition to my husband, of course.
Buy The Travel Hack Backpack on Amazon >>
While I’m here, you might also be interested in reading about the rest of the Travel Hack luggage collection. You’ll find links to my other reviews below:
Alternatively, I’ve also written about other fashionable travel backpacks in this roundup blog.
Did you enjoy reading this Travel Hack Backpack review? Why not pin or bookmark it now, so you can read it again later?
