Travel Hack Backpack Review
Designed by Monica from The Travel Hack, the Travel Hack Stowaway Cabin Backpack has everything you would want in a bag, making it the ideal carry-on backpack for women.
This 20L backpack is black on the outside with a lovely quilted-style material on the front and rose gold touches in the detailing. It has been designed to be the perfect women’s carry-on bag, fitting in a lot of stuff whilst still being reasonably sized and comfortable.
Travel Hack Backpack Specifications & Design
This backpack has various external and internal pockets, as well as a strap on the back so it can be slid over a suitcase handle securely. With so many different pockets, you can really utilise space to keep things organised when travelling and ensure all necessary items are packed in easy-to-get-to sections.
The shape and size have been truly thought out, maximising all space possible whilst still fitting Ryanair’s free under-seat luggage allowance. As they have the strictest rules surrounding luggage sizes, it means this backpack is suitable for most other airlines too!
In addition to all that, the straps and the back of the bag are both padded, making it a very comfortable bag to wear. Important for those long travel days when you might be out on your feet for long periods of time. This is the first bag I’ve had that I’ve been able to wear all day without really struggling with sore shoulders.
It retails for £40 on the Cabin Max website, but Amazon does have all of the Travel Hack range available for slightly cheaper.
Let’s take a deeper look!
External Pockets
Pockets are one of the most important things for me when looking for a backpack, and the Travel Hack Backpack has plenty of them! There are 5 external pockets – not including the main compartment.
On the front, you’ll find a zipped pocket that is narrow, but deep. I found that this one was great for keeping bits of information in, such as leaflets and business cards. Flatter items are definitely better here so it doesn’t bulk up.
Each side of the bag has a pocket. One is close fitting and again is perfect for documents and bits. I actually kept some facemasks in here on our most recent trip. The other side pocket has a zip on it, so you can expand it out to make more space for a water bottle. Both of these pockets are quite deep so anything in them feels safe and secure. The zipped pocket can actually fit bottles in without needing to be expanded too, depending on the bottle size.
The zipped pocket at the top of my bag is one I found the most useful. It is a roomy and deep pocket that hangs into the main compartment, as you can see in some of the photos. When travelling, I tend to take a smaller purse and this fit in here perfectly, as did important travel documents when making our way through airports. I also used this for things that I wanted quick access to throughout the day, such as lip balm.
Last but not least, this travel backpack has a laptop compartment at the back. It is described as fitting a 13″ laptop comfortably and has padding to keep it protected. I’ve only used this for an iPad, and for that it was perfect. Wouldn’t have even known it was there.
Read more: Hand Luggage Packing List: Must-Have Travel Accessories
Main Backpack Compartment
The main backpack compartment has SO much space. The good thing about this backpack is that you can open it up fully if you needed to, which is useful if you are using it as your main luggage. It means you can access items easily whilst still keeping it well-organised inside.
As part of the Travel Hack luggage range, you can purchase a compression packing cube and this has been designed to fit perfectly in the main compartment of the backpack. It comes in the same pale pink colour as the inside of the backpack, and it goes from 17L to 12L when compressed (saving 33% of space!).
So far I’ve only used this backpack as my hand luggage and as a day bag, but for each instance, I managed to fit everything I needed in there with plenty of room. For example, as my hand luggage, I packed in a full change of outfit, my kindle, straighteners, liquids bag, snacks and water bottle and I still had so much space in there.
Internal Pockets
There are two mesh 3D pockets inside. These can hold quite a lot in them, but obviously, the more you fill them, the more they will stick out into the main compartment. This isn’t an issue if your bag isn’t full, but if it is you might find things getting a little squished.
I found that these were perfect for keeping snacks in one place or for keeping suncream, lip balm, my inhaler and other small bits like that. The bottom one is harder to get into on the go, so I’d recommend putting all things you’ll definitely need in the top one!
Using the Travel Hack Backpack
What is the Travel Hack Backpack suitable for?
Before I bought this backpack, I was worried it would feel too big to be wearing on a daily basis, given that all reviews I’d seen complimented the fact that it could fit so much inside. Thankfully, this backpack doesn’t look too big at all.
It is ideal for day trips, mini breaks or paired with additional luggage for longer holidays. As it is quite plain (whilst still being modern-looking and stylish!) it fits all types of outfits and never really looks out of place like some travel backpacks can do.
Why it’s the Best Travel Backpack for Women
So to round up, here are some of the reasons I really like this backpack, and why I’m glad I bought it for travelling!
- It has plenty of space inside, without feeling super bulky.
- The design is stylish, modern and it is very comfortable to wear.
- Pockets! Plenty of pockets to fill with everything you need.
- The front opening makes getting to things much easier.
- The suitcase strap means you can attached it to your suitcase for easier travel.
- It is suitable for all kinds of uses, whether it’s as a travel bag, for daily adventures, or even as a baby changing bag!
Travel Hack Luggage Range
As well as the Travel Hack Backpack, this range includes a 30L Tote Bag, a Cabin Suitcase and a Compression Packing Cube. They are available on both the Cabin Max website and Amazon, but be mindful that whilst stock is added regularly, once they’re in, they go out of stock quickly!
Click the images below to get to the product pages!
