If you love your tech the way I do, then one of your top priorities is keeping it safe. There are plenty of stylish backpacks available on the market to keep your belongings safe, and depending on which styles you choose, your backpack will keep your tech secure in different ways.
Nowadays, with the ever-decreasing size of technology, it’s easy to throw your laptop into any old bag. A 15″ laptop will fit into most large backpacks, and a tiny little 11″ MacBook Air can even be tossed into a purse. But some fashionable items, like laptop bags, were created with the sole purpose of housing your technology. Stylish backpacks that were made to keep your tech safe will do a better job of keeping your belongings safe every time.
(Yes, even when you accidentally push your bag off the table!)
Stylish backpacks from trustworthy brands like Samsonite, Jansport, and The North Face will keep your tech safe all day long.
Travel-savvy backpacks for the jet setter
No matter what your method of transport is, travelling is stressful. Your backpack shouldn’t be another thing that you have to worry about.
These three black backpacks from Samsonite and Swiss Gear are exactly what you want out of a carry-on laptop bag. They’re discreet, unisex, and easy to carry around once you reach your destination. Each bag fits up to a 15″ laptop in a secure laptop compartment, and has a padded mesh back for extra comfort.
If you don’t want to carry your laptop around with you during the day, then the Swiss Gear 20″ Wheeled Laptop Backpackis a great choice to start with. It can accommodate laptops of up to 15.6″, and features pockets for your tablet as well as other everyday essentials. Along with a top handle and wheels, it features contoured shoulder straps, side mesh water bottle pockets, and a deluxe internal organizer.
Wheeled backpacks are heavier than most backpacks, though, so if weight is your main concern, then a basic Swiss Gear Backpack will suit your needs better. Side zip pockets will keep your water bottle easily accessible, and three separate compartments make it easy for you to organize your tech and cords.
Finally, the black Samsonite Dunewood 15.6″ Laptop Day Backpack is designed to be TSA checkpoint-friendly and features a padded compartment for up to a 15.6″ laptop. (The compartment is even secured with a top strap, so your laptop stays safe even through turbulence.) Padded tablet space keeps any additional screens safe, while contoured straps make the Dunewood easy to carry around for extended periods of time.
All-weather stylish backpacks for rainy cities and hiking trails
One of the toughest jobs for stylish backpacks is keeping your belongings not just safe, but also dry. I love High Sierra’s brightly-coloured bags for this: they’re stylish enough to take from the city to the trails, and most of their models, including the High Sierra Access 45L Laptop Backpack, are waterproof-ready.
The High Sierra 45L is awesome–its padded computer sleeve fits laptops up to 17″ as well as a tablet, and comes with a tuck-away rain cover for rainy days. There’s a beverage pocket, a pocket organizer, and a media pocket complete with a headphone port. It even has a hook for extra gear, side compression straps, a back panel designed to maximize airflow, and both sternum and padded waist belts.
You don’t often find fully waterproof covers in straight-sized backpacks, which is what makes stylish backpacks like the High Sierra Access 45L and the Lowepro RidgeLine Pro BP 300 AW 15″ Laptop Day Backpack so special. The RidgeLine Pro comes with even more weather protections, and its AW (“all weather”) cover is designed with heat-sealed seams. It’ll protect from rain, snow, sand, and even dust storms, making it perfect for those protecting camera equipment in addition to laptops or tablets.
The RidgeLine Pro BP 300 AW features dedicated laptop and tablet compartments (to fit up to a 15″ laptop and a 10″ tablet), and the bag is made to stretch–so it’s perfect for a fluctuating capacity and consumables.
Lowepro bags are designed to be top-of-the-line, and it really shows in their RidgeLine Pro bags. There are few bags on the market that will provide a more secure temporary home for your tech, or that will be more comfortable to carry. The BP 300 AW is made from impact- and weather-resistant materials, and has a stretch-mesh side pocket that can hold a water bottle or umbrella. (The other side pocket holds the bag’s AW cover.)
Like the other Lowepro RidgeLine Pro bags, this one is designed with a breathable back panel and lots of cushioning. It has a “trolley handle” built into the back to pair it with a rolling bag, and for long days, there’s a chest strap to help disperse the weight of the bag on your body.
City daypacks and no-fail online shopping measures
For a simpler bag, there’s 
one last really great bag at Best Buy that’s a simple choice: The North Face Borealis 28L Day Backpack. It’s a discreet black, with a padded, fleece-lined laptop sleeve (so you don’t need to bring an additional laptop case). Mesh side pockets provide space for a water bottle, and a bungee cord on the front lets you lash on extra gear on the go.
The 28L size is really versatile, and the bag’s FlexVent suspension system means that it features injection-moulded shoulder straps and a mesh back panel. It fits up to a 15″ laptop as well as a tablet, and is designed with 24 hour use in mind: the bag has extra webbing, tabs, and reflective loops to make you more visible in the nighttime. Bears might not care whether or not your nylon ripstop bag features reflective loops or not, but bikers and cars will definitely appreciate the extra measures.
Not sure if you’ve picked out the right bag? That’s okay–Best Buy knows that it can be hard to make your purchases online, and they have you covered. All luggage and bags bought online at BestBuy.ca can be returned within 30 days, and shipping is free over $35.
Check out these laptop backpacks and more at BestBuy.ca.
