AmazonBasics Carry-On Travel Backpack Reviewed 2025

Review

• Outoria Score: 4.25/5
• Construction: 4.3/5
• Storage: 4.5/5
• Water and Impact Protection: 3.9/5
• Price/Quality: 4.3/5

When it comes to the AmazonBasic carry-on backpack it’s your average, boring, plain old black backpack from the outside with lots of space on the inside. But as most travelers, especially solo travelers, know you don’t want luggage that stands out or draws any unwanted attention towards you, and that is exactly what you will be getting with this backpack.

As far as size goes this backpack doesn’t feature the streamlined design we’re used to seeing and may seem lumpy at times, but this also means you are not limited to space when you are packing. Additionally, this backpack fits into most, if not all, carry-on regulations, which is amazing!

Overall this backpack is great for a travel pack, a weekend away, or a business trip away. Its plain design doesn’t look like a luxury backpack you can take to a corporate office, but if you work in a more relaxed environment this backpack will cater to your every need.

To dive deeper into the review let’s take a look at the main criteria we want in our backpack:

Construction

This pack is made with lightweight and durable polyester that will keep you comfortable, and your belongings safe. Whereas some backpacks can come across stiff and heavy this pack is specifically designed with these materials in mind to make it light and flexible.

This, however, also means that this travel pack is not water-resistant, so remember to have your mini umbrella with you if there’s a chance of rain. The zippers are not seamed either further making resistance to rain a non-starter.

Speaking of zippers, the main compartment makes use of SBS zippers while the rest is unbranded, but all zippers open and close fairly easily.

On the Outside

This Carry-on backpack comes with padded shoulder straps and a back panel. It’s padded with polyethylene foam making it extremely comfortable to carry.

Most straps on this pack can be unclipped or tucked away that keeps those annoying dangling pieces away and gives you more of a streamlined look and feel. The compression straps can be used to hold a tripod or to compress the bag when necessary.

The AmazonBasics Carry-On Travel Backpack comes with an extra strap that allows you to instantly turn your pack from a backpack to a messenger style bag.

Moving on, the back of the pack has a luggage pass-through sleeve, which is great if you want to toss your backpack onto your roller bags pull-up handle.

Lastly, there is no water bottle pocket on this backpack. This however is not a deal-breaker and can be solved by throwing your water bottle into one of the storage compartments.

Capacity

Front Pocket

The front pocket is ideal for smaller items like passports, phones, wet wipes, or visas. Basically anything you will need to access on a regular basis–though be weary of keeping valuable items where the uninvited might more easily get their paws on it.
On the inside there are two sleeves and pen holders. Underneath there are two large mesh pockets to hold additional tech gear.

Lastly, there’s a sleeve on the flap of this compartment. We don’t quite know what to put in it yet but it’s there if you need it.

Main Compartment

The main compartment measures 5.5 x 13-14 x 21.5 inches making it easy to hold all of your belongings! It opens up completely like a clamshell design making it easier to pack and find things without digging around aimlessly.

It comes complete with an organizer, expandable storage space, a key clip, a hideaway water bottle pocket. This is why the lack of an outside water holder doesn’t bother us too much.

A zippered mesh holder stores all belonging you want separate from the masses and keeps your bag a bit more organized. The full expansion zipper creates 10% more packing space allowing you to pack all your souvenirs for family and friends.

Laptop Sleeve

For most people these days we rarely go anywhere without our laptop or Ipad. This is why a good laptop sleeve in a backpack is a must! The AmazonBasics team kept this in mind creating an adjustable sling system to help fit most laptop sizes up to 17 inches.

The thick padding in the front and back ensure that your tech would be safe in your bag.

By now we know that the AmazonBasics Carry-On Travel Backpack is a budget travel backpack with an expiry date. It’s not going to last you a lifetime but it will definitely last you a few years. And let’s be honest at such a low price with great features and functional amenities what more can we ask for?

While reviewing the AmazonBasics Carry-on Travel Backpack, we were pleasantly surprised. Finding a travel carry-on backpack that’s high quality and affordable is not easy but this might just be it.

Amazon is not dumb. They know what people are looking for and they know how satisfied customers are after a purchase. Much of the AmazonBasics line reflects this knowledge and a seemingly successful attempt to leverage it into selling their own product.

The simple design, space capacity, and padded back and straps definitely won us over. It’s functional, practical, and affordable making it ideal for budget travelers, day trips, or weekends away. But it won’t last through heavy use for too long.