Customer Reviews for Peak Design - Travel Backpack 30L - Black
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
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 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
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
5
Fantastic Travel Pack
on October 27, 2022
Posted by: sub_urbancowboy
from Portland, OR
I have been searching for the perfect business/pleasure travel backpack for years. For the last several years I have been using a 28l PacSafe which has held up very, very well, but it is only a top loading bag and was too small for 2-3 day overnights packing a computer, charger, shoes and clothes. So far, the PD 30l seems to be the one. Clamshell opening, easy access, not too many straps and pockets, the shoulder strap system is fantastic and I love the expansion zipper. I looked for a long time, tried all of the bigger brands, Patagonia and the like, and settled on this bag. Looking forward to many years of use.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic quality sleek backpack
on December 26, 2022
Posted by: Val
from London, UK
First off I did a lot of research and watching/reading reviews to finally choose this bag. It was initially more than I was thinking to spend, but it fit my needs and the guarantee helps.
The quality is evident. Everything feels really well made. The expanded too, you feel confident it won't break after a few times. The zip seam come together to form a nice seal. Overall the bag looks great too, a seek minimalist design.
Theres a few things I wish were different: - shoulder straps to have more padding. I knew beforehand, but it would improve the comfort. I'd forgo the possibility to tuck in the straps for more comfort. - the magnet section on the bottom of the front - limited usage cases IMO. The magnets seem good, but I don't feel confident to use it for anything in case it falls out. - because of the above the front pocket is limited in space. If rather this space just be deeper. - a passport pocket at the back would be useful.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
4
Great in overhead, okay under the chair
on February 1, 2023
Posted by: TYM
from Boston
I’ve taken the Travel Backpack 30 on 22 flights now and think it’s great but not perfect.
Great: - Lots of storage space + looks great, primary use is fantastic. - Waterproofing is amazing
Could be improved: - The loop that allows you to slide the bag over your carry-on isn’t wide enough to prevent the Travel 30 from sliding around when fully packed: you should expect the bag to slide off the top of your carry-on - The little pocket on the front of the backpack is your only storage option for easy to grab things, it’s way too small. Just a battery pack and my wallet is an extremely tight fit, not to think of storing more things. - Airlines will mostly let you store it under your seat, but once in Europe they did not. It’s huge under your seat, do not expect to extend your legs at all.
Written by a customer while visiting Peak Design
Customer Rating
5
Perfect size
on March 14, 2022
Posted by: Egill Bjarki
from Hong Kong
Was about to go for the 45L, but thankfully I spotted this option in time. Most of the time, the backpack is perfectly sized for my camera kit. Love having the option to extend it, when I might need a little bit of extra room.
This is what I manage to fit in the backpack:
A7RIII + 20mm 1.8 G A1 + 35mm 1,2 Art A1 + 70-200mm 2.8 GM Mavic 2 Pro + Smart controller 14" laptop