Standard Luggage Review: Excellent Carry On Backpack Loaded with Features

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On our recent winter trip to Florida, I threw on our new carry-on Standard Luggage Backpack to test for this review. Standard Luggage gave us the backpack to see what we thought, with no obligation to share or review.

After using it for a week, including flights and a road trip, we’re happy to share that the Standard Luggage is an excellent carry-on backpack for the price and included features.

Let me share its features and what we liked about

Compact and Spacious Carry-on Backpack

girl taking photo of clothes in bag
Lots of room for all your clothes

Standard’s carry-on-sized travel backpack is the ultimate luggage for international travel and meets airline cabin rules. 

At 35L, you’ll be impressed with how much this backpack can hold.

But wait, there’s more.

The travel backpack comes with an expandable zipper to turn it into 45L. This is an amazing feature any carry-on only traveler will LOVE.

Savannah used it as her luggage on our trip to Florida and easily fit it in her luggage. I can see myself using the Standard Travel Backpack on future short trips.

backpack in plane overhead bin
Loads of room in the bin

You can fit a lot in this backpack to carry on the plane and it fit snugly into the overhead bins. The backpack looked smaller than I thought it would in the bin. It’s deceptive in size and looks and feels like a larger backpack due to all it holds.

Using this carry-on backpack for our Florida trip saved us $60 on baggage fees – yep, ridiculous how much the airlines charge now.

Laptop Compartment

There is a separate Neoprene laptop sleeve at the back of the bag for your laptop that is detachable for the plane ride. Makes going through security easy as well.

It took me a bit to find it – a zipper that blends into the bag is a good feature to make it harder for thieving fingers to quickly grab and run.

I found the inner straps to hold the laptop in place a little difficult to unclip.

Sturdy, Comfortable, Light & Secure

woman carrying a backpack on her back
Light and comfortable

The Standard Luggage Carry On Backpack felt sturdy and was comfortable and light on my back. The weight seemed evenly distributed.

I really enjoyed traveling with a backpack again. The extra freedom it gives you to move around and use your hands is so welcome when traveling. I may ditch my suitcase for it.

Although, a carry on is usually not enough for me when I travel now. For my girls, though it is perfect.

And since Kalyra’s checked in suitcase did not show up in Orlando and was delayed over 24 hours then I think she was regretting letting Savannah use the Standard Luggage carry on and may just claim it on the next trip.

A few features:

  • The backpack has a durable and sleek water-resistant exterior and the luggage and laptop compartments are lockable.
  • 6-points of adjustability + padded back ventilation keeps you comfortable and cool. 
  • Detachable hip belt provides stability and load distribution – your choice to use it or not
  • There is a safety whistle discreetly built into the sternum buckle – neat feature!

Material felt rough to me, but I think that may be because I’m used to my Tortuga Setout Backpack whose material is super soft.

Easy Access and Smart Organization

There are plenty of zipper sections within the bag to hold smaller items inside and two zippered pockets on the outside.

It packs as easily as a suitcase with a full perimeter zip and compression strap to secure your items.

3-in-1 travel backpack, suitcase, and shoulder bag

view of handle on backpack
3 in 1 backpack

Although as a suitcase it’s handle carry or over the shoulder strap, it is not a rolling suitcase. I like the extra option, but if it’s carry only, I’d prefer to use the backpack option for better weight distribution. But, for a quick pick up the shoulder strap is also a great option.

It took me a bit to figure out how to use the backpack function, until I noticed the straps were tucked away into a section at the back.

straps of backpack
Straps tuck into sections at the back.

The straps they clip into at the bottom were also tucked away into the sides. I loved how inconspicuous these were if you were to use it as a suitcase, and how quickly and easily it can transform into a backpack.

It also comes with a roll aboard strap if you wanted to integrate it onto other rolling luggage.

Zippered Water holder section

water bottle in backpack

I love the zippered water holder section on the side to allow for water bottles

My water bottle is (annoyingly) thick, so I was thrilled that the zipper water holder section could hold it as most can’t.

It may seem like a small and simple feature, but a valuable one! As I usually have to put the water bottle inside the backpack – taking up valuable space. OR I have to carry it.

And as a Mom navigating crowded airports with two children and all their luggage, another THING to hold is NOT what I need.

Change the style

rain covers and accessories for backpack
Standard Luggage changeable tags and waterproof covering

You can change the color! – this was a cool feature I’ve never seen before in a suitcase or backpack.

The Standard luggage comes with orange trim, which you think is just part of the design. But you can switch it out. The luggage comes with a set of blue trim!

You can switch out the luggage tag, zipper ends, and even the standard label (Velcro attachment) that come with it.

Waterproof covering

The bag also comes with a waterproof covering that comes in its own compact case. I put that in the section where the backpack straps can tuck away into for easy access in case of rain.

About Standard Luggage

Standard luggage is a company born from a successful Kickstarter campaign in March 2015. Founder (and adventurer) Ryan Chong realized the need for better luggage after dealing with many luggage frustrations such as discomfort, high fees, and overload.
Standard Luggage’s mission is to help people travel comfortably and efficiently and save money without having to check a bag.

  • Standard Luggage Co. is pleased to offer Free World-Wide Shipping on most items within our online store.
  • Customers outside of USA & CANADA Some conditions apply. Learn more?

Final Thoughts

The Standard Luggage Carry On Backpack is an affordable carry-on backpack with a ton of features to make travel effortless and convenient giving you enough space to pack enough for a short vacation using carry on only.

P.S. I absolutely love the backpacking packing cube by Standard Luggage. I will have a separate review post on that. Check it out here.

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