Gregory Border Traveler 30 Travel Backpack Reviewed 2025

Pack Light, Wander Far with the Best Adventure Travel Backpack

The first impression of a travel backpack often sets the tone for the journey ahead, and I was impressed from the start by the Gregory Border Traveler 30. Numerous compartments were designed to accommodate a range of items that would work for both a spontaneous traveler and a meticulous planner. The padded shoulder straps offer a feel of comfort that the backpack won’t bother you when wearing it for long periods traversing bustling city streets. And the padding on the back of the backpack will protect your laptop even if your bag is jostled.

The travel backpack feels solidly rugged, leading me to believe it will withstand years of travel wear well. With only a few minor quality details mentioned below that don’t affect the overall backpack use, the Gregory Border Traveler 30 has thoughtfully considered durability, ergonomic design, organization, and accessibility. Making this backpack one that I wouldn’t mind wearing amid the chaos of airports or navigating the busy markets, narrow alleyways, and unexpected detours that travel always seems to bring.

Construction and Design

The Gregory Border Traveler 30 is made of recycled materials throughout the bag. The body is 75% recycled polyester/25% nylon. The bottom is 100% recycled polyester, and the lining is 40% post-consumer recycled polyester. In addition, the material has a durable water repellent that protects your content from even the intense Arizona monsoons. You can choose from three bag colors: Total Black, Dark Forest, and Coyote Brown.

The exterior has a dual-density padded foam back panel with breathable air mesh and a luggage handle pass-through. The luggage handle pass-through is narrow, it may get caught on your carry-on luggage handle, depending on the handle design. The padded shoulder straps can stick out when attached to the carry-on as there are no elastic tie straps or a way to stow the shoulder straps tight to the backpack when not being used. You’ll have to tighten the shoulder straps to keep them from getting tangled and then loosen them to wear the backpack again.

A large elastic mesh water bottle holder on the side can hold up to a 1.25L water bottle. It can also hold an umbrella or a compact tripod. A thinner water bottle may fall out of the holder when quickly setting down the bag. The mesh pocket can be zippered and tucked away when not in use. While putting in a water bottle, my hand slid along a sharp material edge on the inside of the top elastic trim that scratched my hand. The sharp corner is tucked inside the seam, so it will not be noticeable to most people.

All zippers on the travel backpack have soft-molded custom zipper pulls to help quickly open and close the pockets. Most of the zippers glide around the corners of the bag fast and effortlessly, except for one halt point at the top corner where several seams come together. That spot slows you down but doesn’t stop you from closing the compartment completely.

The travel backpack can be picked up easily with its three grab handles on the top, side, and back. Even with the handles blending into the backpack, their tubular webbing makes them comfortable to grab and hold onto. The stitching around the grab handles also allows attaching carabiners to carry extra gear on the bag.

Main Compartment

The main compartment has a spit-case design with a center zipper that divides the travel backpack into two sides. A large open compartment for clothes and gear is on the left, covered by a zippered nylon panel. You can easily fit a couple of packing cubes to help you organize your clothes for a long weekend trip, and with some smart packing skills, you can even make it work for a weeklong trip.

With the clamshell design, the backpack takes up a lot of space when fully opened. But with the zippered panels, you can easily grab what you need and close it without everything spilling out. On top of the nylon panel are two mesh pockets perfect for storing smaller travel accessories such as hairbrushes, cables, and chargers.

The right side has a large ActiveShield zippered compartment treated with Polygiene StaysFresh® technology. Why would you need this? If you have ever stepped in a muddy puddle hiking, gone swimming at the hotel the morning you were checking out, or worked out at the gym before work, this is just what you need. This compartment is where you would put your muddy hiking boots, damp swimsuit, or sweaty gym clothes and not worry about contaminating the other items in the backpack with dirt, odors, or water.

The nice thing is that you don’t have to open the entire travel backpack to remove those items. You can unzip the bottom of that compartment and let the boots fall to the floor or let the swimsuit land in the tub. Then when you are ready to unpack, there will be no lingering odors among the rest of your clothes. Though we think it is a good idea to not wait too long to give the compartment a wipe down with a high quality cleaner and air it out properly.

Front Compartment

The front compartment is a medium-sized pocket that has an internal mesh zippered pocket with a key clip and is fully padded. The padding protects contents from any front impacts.

The front pocket can hold small electronics or your quart-sized toiletries bag, to be easily removed as you go through TSA checkpoints. Also, you can put any gear you may want to access quickly, like a first aid kit or small towel, and don’t forget to clip your keys in, so you don’t lose them.

Top Compartment

The top compartment has a small pocket that can hold your passport, phone, and charger, sunglasses, headphones, and wet wipes. The pocket also has an anti-theft zippered feature that secures your items by having the zipper pull slide under a cloth loop, creating resistance when opening the pocket quickly.

Unfortunately, you can’t reach that pocket quickly when you slide the backpack onto your carry-on using the luggage pass-through. When carried on your luggage, the zipper for the top pocket ends up on the bottom side of the backpack, making it necessary to lift up the bag to access it.

Laptop Compartment

There is an externally accessible padded laptop compartment that fits laptop sizes up to 15 inches. The laptop compartment is deep, so you could possibly slide in a tablet along with your laptop. The easy access at the top to remove the laptop is a plus.

Comfort

The Gregory Border Traveler 30 is comfortable for long periods, with its contoured, tapered adjustable shoulder straps and dual-density padded foam back panel. The breathable foam back panel helps to reduce sweating.

The travel laptop backpack fits torsos 16″ to 20”. For most adults, the straps will sit properly on the shoulders, but you might have to adjust if you have narrow shoulders. For narrow shoulder widths, the wide shoulder straps can pinch when you move your arms inward, but this can be alleviated by using the chest strap to move the straps to a more comfortable position. With a fully loaded pack, the backpack does not move around or become uncomfortable, even with no waist strap available.

Price/Quality

The high-quality, durable Gregory Border Traveler 30 is priced around $150-$170. Compared to other travel backpacks, we think this is a fabulous deal. With a lifetime guarantee, you won’t be disappointed in the robust materials, reinforced stitching, and the ability to organize things neatly with various-sized pockets.

Do We Recommend It?

We highly recommend this travel backpack. This backpack is a great carry-on and perfect for any travel destination.

For those looking for a versatile weekend bag, the Gregory Border Traveler 30 will also meet your expectations and then some. This travel backpack has enough organizational space for the perfect weekend getaway and for those who need an additional bag with their carry-on.

Overall, we really like the Gregory Border Traveler 30. The ruggedness and durability of the travel backpack work great for travel and even in the outdoors. We’re looking forward to taking it on our next road trip.