Looking for an indispensable travel bag that costs less than a baggage fee? I fly over 50 times each year as a food and travel writer, and I say this with as much urgency as I can: This $36 Dinictis backpack is the single best travel accessory I’ve ever owned.
Many carry-on backpacks are sleeker and maybe come in more colors, but I would argue none are more sturdy, more versatile and more modestly priced than this travel bag. It’s the ideal gift, whether your giftee is a wanna-be kind of traveler or a been-everywhere kind of traveler. Here’s why I love this backpack. For more, here are our favorite travel tech gifts and our favorite carry-on gadgets.
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When a backpack is required
It’s available in four colors: gray, dark gray, blue and black.
To be clear, my backpacking days were over before they started. Without the means for serious travel before the age of 25, my life as a traveler didn’t kick off in earnest until I was equipped solely with roller-bag sensibilities. As an [age redacted]-year-old, when I scheduled myself for a bus trip along the coast of Peru, however, with overnight stays in modest accommodations, suddenly a roller bag felt kind of… well, prissy. Roller bags are decidedly inconvenient when it comes to unpaved or nontiled surfaces, plus, it’s just not a good look when the vibe is more low-brow than luxury. This wasn’t a backpacking trip by any means, but a backpack was definitely called for. One that could accommodate a week’s worth of clothing, amenities and a laptop but still potentially fit in a locker.
The Dinictis 40L Travel Backpack came into my life for this particular trip, and it exceeded my expectations. It’s come with me on every trip since, backpack-appropriate occasion or otherwise.
Pack it like a suitcase
It’s a backpack that packs like a suitcase.
Many travel backpacks are spacious and compartmentalized, but the Dinictis 40L Travel Backpack operates like a suitcase. It opens along three sides, so you can flip it open like a suitcase and pack accordingly, with straps for holding your clothing in place. This makes finding what you need much easier than shoving your belongings from the top down like a typical backpack. A side handle even allows you to carry it like a suitcase.
When full it can easily hold up to 10 kg, or 22 pounds, the weight restriction of carry-on baggage for many of the discount airlines. Since it’s a backpack, nobody has ever even asked to weigh it for compliance. It will always look lighter than it is.
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Store your laptop with confidence
As a writer, I always travel with a laptop, so I’m concerned not only with its portability but also its safety. That said, I hate having it pressed right up against my back, which can be stiff and, depending on where you’re going, sweaty. The laptop sleeve on this model is ideally situated near the (sweat-free) front of the pack, but isn’t the most outward facing compartment. Honestly, protected by a foam divider, the laptop feels hidden, even when packed to the gills.
Outside pockets are a must
A side handle is key for navigating public transportation.
I am team soft-body even when it comes to roller-bags, for two reasons. First, it’s much easier to shove last-minute items into an already zipped suitcase without the clamshell action of a hard case, and second: outside pockets. Who can travel without these? (No, I really want to know…) This backpack has two outer pocket compartments for miscellany, arguably three when you consider the extra space located in front of the laptop sleeve; four if you include the handy water bottle holder. There are even compartments within the compartments. These are the sorts of details that separate the high-functioning from the holding-up-the-line travelers, in my opinion.
Read more: Essential Items to Pack and Avoid in a Carry-On Bag to Breeze Through TSA Lines
A personal item that can masquerade as checked luggage
Safe laptop storage is key for a travel writer.
Many travel backpacks have an infrastructure that keeps them in a certain shape even when empty. While the Dinictis model has enough structure to keep its sides afloat while you pack it, its essence is still as a lightweight, fabric backpack. If you’ve ever been asked to prove that your carry-on actually qualifies as carry-on, you will understand that “smushability” is an important factor. I have packed this backpack for a weekend away and brought it on board as a personal item. (I will fly Spirit Airlines, but I will only do it while giving them as little of my money as possible.) It can totally fit under the seat in front of you when necessary.
The beauty of this travel backpack, however, is that it is also suitable as checked baggage, with heavy duty fabric that can withstand the journey. The straps can be unclipped and tucked away, and the body cinched by additional clips, for a tidy package that doesn’t make you feel panicky when you watch it being whisked away on the baggage conveyor.
I’ve had many trips where it leaves with me as carry-on, and returns as checked luggage. Even in the lighter gray color, its durable material doesn’t reveal that it has ever seen the tread of a baggage carousel. It was the function I didn’t even know I needed, but now I never travel without it for this purpose.
Read more: Best Laptop Backpack for 2024
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4.7 average rating on Amazon
You don’t even need to take it from me. As someone who reviews various products, I understand that this kind of rating is a rarity: with over 1,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, and selling for only $36 after Cyber Monday, the Dinictis 40L Travel Backpack is one of the safest bets you can place this season.
For more, here are the best tech gifts under $100 and our favorite travel headphones.
