Customer reviews from Peak Design
Peak Design - Travel Backpack 30L - Sage
Average customer rating
4.6
(270 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 270 reviews
5 Stars
196
4 Stars
51
3 Stars
13
2 Stars
4
1 Star
6
91%of customers recommend this product.
(
205 out of
225)
Customer Reviews for Peak Design - Travel Backpack 30L - Sage
Customer Rating
4
Great for small enough to serve
on June 26, 2023
Posted by: thequister
from San Diego, CA
I tried several comparable bags, but settled on this one for one-bag travel (w/o camera gear!). I generally need the bag to serve as a work/daily carry at the destination, especially for conferences. I've now used the bag for 5 trips, including a one-bag trip for 2 weeks combining work and pleasure in UK & Netherlands (summer). The bag is excellent and serves my needs almost perfectly. It is easy to pack and see the interior. It's very durable with, just enough organization for getting at needed items without overdoing it such that you forget where you put various items or lose them in deep, dark pockets. The size hits the sweet spot: with packing cubes and careful choices I can one-bag it no problem. Unlike the 45L, the bag is small enough, good looking, and comfortable enough to make it useable as a work backpack at my destinations. Very manageable in tight spaces and on public transportation. And the bag fits under seat as a personal item on pretty much any airline, esp in un-expanded mode. In fact, I've never used the expansion zippers except when compressing down the packed backpack.
Contrary to my initial expectations, I've actually used the external carry straps for jackets on a couple occasions. The stash system is more useful than I had initially thought. The hinged for the straps allowing them to rotate is great. The zippers are a pleasure to use. The pack works great with PD packing cubes. I would not recommend the large wash pouch with this bag...too big and bulky. The small fits great, however.
My only minor gripes: I wish the top pocket was about 1-2" deeper and the backpack straps were slightly more padded. The chest strap works fine, but I am worried it will pop off and get lost. But these are very minor worries given the overall utility and quality of the bag.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Perfect for one-bagging
on July 29, 2022
Posted by: Joey
from SF Bay Area
I recently purchased this before a week long trip to Florida. I wanted to be able to fit everything in just one backpack that could work as my personal item on a flight. I was able to fit 7 shirts, 7 underwear, 5 socks, 1 jeans, 2 shorts, a pair of shoes, and my laptop and other misc items. Everything fit easily while keeping a very small footprint overall.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
1
Brown color materials are frail and comes apart
on February 11, 2025
Posted by: Nick V
from Seattle WA
I bought the backpack about a month ago and I see that material (brown/gold) is frail and starts to come a part little by little on shoulder straps. And it's after very gentle use to office and back. I own same one in sage(green) color and it comes built with different materials, and I have no issues with it. I traveled half the planet with that backpack and still look good. If you are looking to purchase this backpack I would suggest to pick other colors/materials. This one in brown definitely not sturdy and won't last long for you.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Great replacement to my old Tumi bag
on December 27, 2023
Posted by: DM
from Metro Detroit
I recently got the 30L. Exceptional craftsmanship and design. The quality really shows and I expect this to last over a decade with constant traveling—as my Tumi backpack survived over ten years of international travel.
I am realizing this is a very special backpack with only one exterior pocket and the clam shell design. A design decision that fits my pursuit for less clutter which gives my better mental clarity. My current Tumi has 5 exterior pockets… But I have learned over the years that five pockets encourages me to carry a lot of unnecessary stuff. I did a few audits of my backpack content over the last few years and realized that over half of the stuff I was carrying (besides notebook and laptop) was not being used. So, before getting this 30L, I had already started moving to less stuff in outside pockets, which are only the immediate essentials (ear pods, business cards, gum/mints, sunglasses, work access badge). Everything else can go in the main compartment.
There are a couple of zippered pouches inside the clam shell main compartment. I have found that I can easily access the upper mesh interior pocket without having to open the entire clam shell. This is great because this design allows for a few more easily accessed items like passport and moleskin notebook (with a pen loop on notebook).
I did get the compression cubes and will be using them for 1-2 day business trips. I will also use the bag for my DSLR setup with pro lenses.
I did get the compression cubes and will be using them for 1-2 day business trips. I will also use the bag for my DSLR setup with pro lenses.
I am certainly enjoying the bag so far and look forward to a long 10+ year relationship with it. I think it can handle it. The trade offs with the bag are right for me and meet my desire for an everyday carry that can do a little more when needed.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
2
Great Pack, terrible harness.
on October 17, 2024
Posted by: Sparkdog
This system has the best camera cubes I have tried, but the pack has the worst harness ever. The straps have almost no padding on either the shoulders or the waist belt, and carrying a pro sized kit for any length of time is torture. The straps dig into your shoulders and hurt. The connectors on both the shoulder and waist section is a fiddly frustrating mess, very hard to fasten. I get that the harness is minimal to make it stowable, but it also means that the pack fails at it's most basic task...carrying a load in comfort.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Minimalist beautiful design
on July 12, 2022
Posted by: Nominal caliper
from Seattle
Took this on a 9 day trip as my carry on for one bag travel. Easily fit all my gear and was comfortable to wear. The design is impeccable. Was deciding between this and the Aer. The aer had great accessory pockets but these came at the price of excessive fabric and size. The peak design is beautiful and useful. I would prefer it to have a larger pocket on the back for quick access, but I chose this over the aer because the aer went overboard in this regard to my tatse
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
3
Mostly good
on January 22, 2025
Posted by: Sarah
from Seattle
I’ll be honest, I love nearly everything about this bag (I have the 30L one. As a photographer I can use a camera cube, the large toiletry bag and still have space for 2 laptops and a lot more. My qualms is that the handle/luggage pass through is AWFUL. This bag is heavy, it has a lot of important stuff in it so having it on my roller suitcase is ideal and yet the luggage pass thought is nothing like any of their other backpacks. The other style works SO much better and I often find myself debating whether to take the everyday backpack or the travel one. Like once this bag is all loaded up if I use the luggage pass through it will literally fall off when I’m rolling through the airport.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
1
Straps don't hold up, LOOSEN often
on March 10, 2025
Posted by: MinTavelerPIX
from Canada
I initially loved this bag when I was gifted it, but after using it, I started noticing some major design flaws. The biggest issue is that the straps simply don’t hold up. The sternum/chest strap loosens within minutes, and unfortunately, all the other straps do too. When my bag is fully loaded with a laptop, one camera body, three lenses (12-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm), a tripod, and my travel essentials, the straps fail to stay secure. Even when carrying just my camera gear, they constantly come loose, which is incredibly frustrating.
Another major design oversight is the lack of external straps to secure a tripod or other gear. I learned this the hard way when my Peak Design Carbon Fiber tripod slipped out and hit the ground as I bent over to take a quick photo—damaging an expensive piece of equipment I needed later that day.
Comfort is also a concern. After just a few hours of walking around the city, the shoulder straps started rubbing against my neck, causing irritation and discomfort. It became so bothersome that I couldn't fully enjoy my day.
Overall, while this bag had potential, its poor strap design and lack of essential features make it a disappointing choice for serious photographers or travelers. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone carrying a significant amount of gear.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design