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I started this post looking for a backpack to carry my laptop and clothes.  Lugging around a bag for clothes, a bag for camcorder equipment, and another bag for my laptop was getting old.

I am a utilitarian at heart, so I set out to find some better options.  It is essential that the backpack can be used as a carry-on, be comfy enough for inner city hiking, and provide ample protection for my camcorder and laptop¹.

The Federal Aviation Admission (FAA) cites on their website² that a carry-on bag can be no more than 45 linear inches (dimensions of 22″ x 14″ x 8″ are safe for most flying cars, as the Native Americans call them).  Weight is also a restriction, under 25lbs is always the best option, but up to 35 lbs rarely causes a problem.  Each airline has their own sub-rules³.  If you have been on really small planes, regular carry-ons get checked by the flight crew at boarding and are returned to you when exiting.  In these instances, I snatch my laptop and put it under my seat.

What Do I Need to Carry?

Laptop: 15.4 MSI “Beast of a Laptop” (I have the GX660R: i7 processor, 12GB RAM, ATI 5870 with 1GB of vRAM, 1TB RAID, and 120GB Solid State for the OS).  Video editing takes horsepower.  Rather than buy a high powered desktop and travel laptop, staying true to my utilitarian method, I just bought a beast of a laptop.

Camcorder: Sony HDR-SR11 Camcorder (will be upgrading to the Sony Interchangable Lens Handycam shortly), plus a tripod.  To save space on a longer trip, I will switch out my prosumer camcorder for a smaller flip-style one and/or a webcam.

Clothes: 3 days worth of clothes and a book or two (thinking about getting a Kindle and being done with books for good).  I pack light and roll my stuff military-style to save space: boxers, socks, tracksuit bottoms, swim shorts, couple of t-shirts, and a jumper.

Discoveries

1. Camcorder backpacks usually have a padded pocket for a laptop, and are often of a higher quality and price than laptop backpacks alone.
2. Most laptop bags are junk; the laptop slots lack padding on the bottom of the bag.
3. Camcorder backpacks are not that easy to find because camera (DSLR) backpacks dominate the search engines.
4. Backpacks labeled as “discrete” are usually higher quality.
5. On the surface, rollerbags look like a good purchase, but they are almost triple the dry weight (you’re going to have to lift your bag at some point, folks).

The Options (best ones I found after around 20hrs of Googling)

Some of these backpacks are pushing the limits of the general definition of a carry-on bag.  Review the dimensions before making a decision.

Laptop and Camcorder:

- For carrying a prosumer or above camcorder (aka bigger than a flip-style camcorder)

Just Laptop:

- For carrying a laptop and a flip-style camcorder

Closing Thoughts

There are a lot of options.  I personally like the Blackhawk laptop backpack, even though it does not have a compartment for a camcorder.  This is because Blackhawk supplies gear to the government and military.  All of the other backpacks are high quality, though Kata appears to be the highest.

Footnotes