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Summer travel season has arrived. Try to make plans with a group of three and find a Saturday you're all in town—impossible, fat chance, not happening (the move is after-work-Wednesday drinks, amateur).
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When it's your turn to hit the road—be that an hour drive to the beach or a cross-seas trek—be prepared with the right bag for the job. We've plucked 16 of the best for every pack job, including backpacks, totes, weekenders, duffles, and carry-on luggage. Despite their varying sizes and end uses, what they all have in common is good design from the inside—like easy-access exterior pockets and intuitively adjustable straps—out, no matter the price point. Bon voyage and happy summer, at last.
Made of water-resistant waxed canvas, this backpack was designed to fit a 13-inch laptop as well as a camera and up to six lenses (the brand specializes in camera bags, but the well-organized packs fit non-camera gear just as well). This style has smartly-designed side access pockets, too, so grabbing your boarding pass/wallet/room key is a breeze.
Available in nine color choices, this streamlined rucksack is made of the same grade of durable canvas as vintage military gear (which is water-repellant to boot). Plus, the brand donates 10% of proceeds to help fund education for children in need.
This pretty leather bag has adjustable straps to fit just right, and a front-and-center pocket for those need-right-now essentials. Everything from this transparent brand is made in their fair trade certified-Ethiopian factory.
This is technically carried like a backpack, but thanks to full-length zips expands to be a true piece of carry-on luggage, smartly designed from every angle.
This laptop-sized tote does a very simple thing to set it apart: it zips, God dammit. That makes it perfect to bring on a plane and store under the seat in front of you, because your stuff won't go sliding out when the aircraft accelerates.
Madewell took their best-selling Transport tote and—gasp—added a zipper to the top (see above for how we feel about a zip-top tote). Options to carry by hand, shoulder, or cross-body make this tote even more of a winner.
Daame kills it with their sleek, laptop-sized totes. This one is specifically engineered for 13" computers, with a padded sleeve to store your precious technology safely.
Made of waterproof, ripstop nylon, this Baggu wonder manages to be at the ends of many spectums: It's durable but lightweight, roomy but folds down to a tiny square, and can be held by a top handle or slung over the shoulder. It comes in a number of playful prints, and—best of all—rings in at $64.
In waxed canvas with matte zippers, this made-in-NYC duffle features adjustable and removable lambskin shoulder straps that allow it to elegantly morph into a tote.
This lightweight nylon duffle bag converts into a legit suitcase with a pop-out handle and inconspicuous wheels. Large exterior pockets make it a great carry-on for plane, train, or bus trips because you can easily access essentials like your laptop charger or—more importantly—snacks (those are your human charger, after all).