The best travel tote for all types of travel (2025)

Compare the top 6 Travel Totes
Many Hiking Shoes to Consider
Aer Fice Tote for $139: Have you ever felt nylon or nylon skin in your hand and realized that hitting it with your shoulder can give you your scoliosis? Then you want Aer’s Lightweight Ultra-Lightweight Sailoth Tote, which weighs less than a pound. Its 15 liters feels surprisingly powerful. I fit two jackets inside my kids’ walk-in, with a large 3-inch bag tucked neatly under my arm. The two exterior drop pockets fit a nalgene and a kinto mug, and my phone fits perfectly in the exterior zip pocket. The Fidlock closure, in addition to being nice to look at and use, provided a bit of security but it’s less, ER, Fillyly (sorry) than closing the bag with a zipper. This is a great upgrade if you’re tired of carrying around all your shredded canvas bags from Umami Mart and want a bag that won’t be in a dubious place if you put it down in the basement of the subway. It IS However, it is very expensive. -Adrienne like that
Cuyana System Tote 16-Inch for $358: The Cuyana System Tote is a modular gear-hauler that adapts to your travel needs. Designed to churn out fast fashion, this travel tote starts small, but the creativity is on the ground. A laptop sleeve or organizer creates structure on the go, with dedicated slots for your computer, water bottle, and other work essentials. System Flap Bag Inserts Enterbles as a clutch or bag organizer, as well as an agreeable cord, available in a wide model) turns the tote into aircounds frow the airport if you don’t intend to try the Airport theory. Instead of an integrated strap that often fails, the System’s tote handles are cut directly into its leather body, reducing wear points. Snap Main Snaps closed rather than Zips, something you know if you’re the spill-averse type.
Avoid this tote
Calpak Diaper Tote Bag with Laptop Sleeve for $195: This bag was really deformable, but it felt painful, and the space was lost to give the stability of the layers of the bag. It was somewhat big for everyday use, but not big enough when I needed a lot of stuff brought on day trips or long outings. And it didn’t really feel diaper bag-centric; The only thing is a “diaper” so it was a baby to wipe the baby outside, but I would have preferred an outer pocket to store the diapers themselves and them. You can fit a few diapers in the front pocket, but it’s not as convenient as some of the other designs I have. The included bottle pockets are handy if you’re traveling with bottles, but you’ll feel useless after you graduate from bottles (they’ll graduate before diapers!) It’s not a bad bag for parents and travelers alike. –Nena Farrell
To determine the best tote for travel, we put each bag through real-world travel conditions to see how it performs. That means packing it with laptops, chargers, clothes and toiletries, looking for comfort when worn over the shoulder or carried by hand. We’ll go over the totes to check durability, organization, and availability. We’ll test how it fits under airplane seats, protects tech gear, and resists wear and weather. If it is said to be water resistant, we will take it out in the rain to determine if it survives without curing its contents.
We scrutinize every pocket, compartment, and zipper for usability. When it comes to design, we pay attention to the details: Interior fabric options that make the contents easy to see, easy pocket placement, and hardware options like zippers and zipper markers. We also paid attention to important design elements, such as the length of the space and the overall structure.
We prioritized quality and sustainability, and included eco-friendly products for environmentally conscious consumers. We also made sure to include a variety of fabrics for stylistic diversity. Finally, we looked at how each bag matched its price point, making sure the quality made up for the cost.
What did we test next?
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