Here’s the Carry-On Bag I’ve Used To Travel the World

After traveling to more than 100 countries over 1,300 days backpacking the world, I know a thing or 2 about efficient packing and traveling light. Everything I bring has a reason and a specific spot in my bag.

However, the gear you choose to travel with is just as important as packing smarter and with purpose. If you plan to travel the world, your travel bag will quickly become your best friend.

I’ve been on Team Carry-On for years and have tried numerous suitcases and travel bags from all the well-known brands. However, one bag stands out as my favorite: the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L.

I just returned from a 2-month trip in Asia (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia) with a single bag, and I thought I would share what gear I brought with me. Here’s a look at the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L and why it’s my go-to travel bag.

About Topo Designs Bags

Topo Designs is known for creating environmentally sustainable yet durable backpacks and other gear with a vintage look. Although the aesthetic has an old-school look and feel, the products generally feature top-notch materials.

Topo Designs makes many different outdoor and travel bags, and the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L is one of the most popular. The company emphasizes sustainability and ethical, eco-friendly manufacturing by using materials like organic cotton and recycled nylon. It also plans to be carbon neutral by 2030.

Topo Designs also stands behind the quality and durability of its products with a lifetime warranty. Although many of its bags are produced in the U.S., the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L is produced in Vietnam.

Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L

The Topo Designs Global Travel Bag comes in a 30- or 40-liter backpack. Although I have both variants, I prefer the 40-liter version, which provides extra carrying capacity and organization.

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Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40l - Navy/navy - 40 L

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The Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L was designed to be compact enough to pass as a carry-on while keeping you organized. The bag features a suitcase-style opening, allowing easy access while providing the benefits of regular backpacks.

When choosing a travel bag, I consider 4 main factors: its carrying capacity, design, organization, and aesthetics. Here’s a look at how the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L excels in each category.

Dimensions and Carrying Capacity

According to Topo Designs, the bag’s length is slightly large at 22.5 inches, while most airlines max out at 22 inches. Although the bag’s dimensions do not meet carry-on size restrictions for many airlines, the soft-side bag’s lack of a stiff frame sheet makes it easy to compress, making it compact enough to pass as a carry-on.

In fact, I had only checked my bag thrice on more than 200 flights in the past 5 years. Those exceptions were on budget airlines with extremely small planes and minimal overhead space (mostly Caribbean Airways).

In addition to its size, Topo Designs’ bag has a 40-liter carrying capacity. However, I have found that the bag can accommodate much more than advertised.

Design

The Topo Designs Travel Bag 40L is made from durable materials. The exterior is a combination of sturdy 1000-denier nylon on the sides and heavy-duty 1680 ballistic nylon on the back, ensuring the bag lasts a long time.

The outside of the bag features a large organizational pocket, a side-facing slash pocket, and daisy chain webbing, which offers a way to lash stuff to the outside of the bag. Also on the front are Topo Designs’ PackFast attachment clips, which allow you to attach compatible Topo Designs daypacks to the front of the bag as a modular carry system.

The exterior zippers are large, heavy-duty No. 10 YKK zippers, considered the industry standard. Topo Designs uses fabric zipper loops to secure the zippers instead of locks for security.

Once the zippers are tucked behind the loops, the bag becomes difficult to unzip quickly, making it an excellent theft deterrent and ensuring nothing spills out or gets lost.

On the back of the bag, some good padding for back support ensures it is comfortable for long periods. The harness system is supportive. The straps, however, could definitely be improved for comfort. A stowable padded hip belt provides even more support.

The bag also has a padded laptop compartment advertised as large enough to fit most 17-inch laptops. The zippered opening is relatively small, so you must angle your laptop to get it seated correctly. I have no issues placing my 13-inch MacBook Pro in the laptop compartment.

The bag also has sturdy handles on 3 sides, offering multiple ways to carry it. You can use it as a backpack, hand-carry it like a duffle, or attach the included shoulder strap to the D-rings on the side of the bag to carry it messenger-style.

The bag allows you to stow away the backpack harness system, which is convenient, especially when you are pressed for space.

However, it is worth noting that the bag is slightly too large for a shoulder strap and will probably hurt your shoulder if you carry it this way for too long.

Organization

Starting with the outside of the bag, there is a spacious front pocket. This larger front pocket has enough depth for bulkier items like books or snacks. The pocket is also convenient for quick-grab items like charging cables, a battery pack, or a passport.

The bag’s main storage compartment is U-shaped and opens like a suitcase. Its open-concept space provides plenty of storage space and further interior organization.

With this design, you have multiple options for filling the bag. The rolling method works; however, I use compression packing cubes for space and even more organization.

The 40L version also has another U-shaped entry to the secondary organization compartment (the 30L version does not), which is separated by an interior divider. The divider has 2 mesh pockets that create more compartments for separating clothing and gear.

Aesthetic

The Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L looks different from most bags nowadays. With this bag, Topo Designs opted for a strong heritage vibe. It is reminiscent of bags from the 1980s, with bright colors and a boxy shape.

The bag does a great job with minimal branding, as a single white logo is on the front of that pack, which I like. It is a subtle mention of the brand that really stands out. There is also a small Topo Designs logo on the inside.

The Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L comes in several different colors, including Ballistic Black, Olive, and Desert Palm/Pond Blue. While I have both the Ballistic Black and Desert Palm/Pond Blue colorways, I much prefer the latter, as it provides a yellow interior lining that makes seeing what’s inside your bag much easier (the Ballistic Black features a black lining).

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the market for a new bag for all kinds of travel, whether a quick business trip, a weekend road trip, or a longer international trip, consider the Topo Designs Global Travel Bag 40L.

The bag offers excellent organization and a nice look, all for a reasonable price. Best of all, Topo Designs stands behind the quality and durability of its products with a lifetime warranty.

The high-quality materials make this backpack a great choice, while the internal pockets help keep your gear incredibly organized.