5 Best Travel Backpacks for UK Weekend Breaks Under £100

Two nights in York. A bothy weekend in the Cairngorms. A cheap flight to somewhere with better weather. They all ask the same question of your luggage: can you carry it on your back, squeeze it under a seat or into an overhead locker, and still find your toothbrush without unpacking the lot?

Wheeled cases earn their keep on a fortnight's holiday. For a weekend they are dead weight — cobbles, station staircases, the cabin gauge at the gate. A rucksack beats them almost every time, and doing it well does not mean spending a fortune. Here are five packs worth shortlisting, the features that genuinely matter, and how to make one bag work for two or three nights.

What "cabin bag" really means

Every airline sets its own size, and the budget carriers set the smallest. A bag that sails onto one plane can be pulled aside at another airline's gate, and gate fees are steep. So before you buy anything, look up the current allowance for the airline you fly most, in centimetres, and keep it somewhere you can find it again.

Then remember that a pack's advertised capacity in litres tells you nothing about its shape. A tall, narrow 40-litre bag can slide into a sizer that a bulging 35-litre one will not. Soft-sided rucksacks have a real advantage here, because they squash. Look for compression straps that pull the load in tight, and be wary of stiff framesheets and heavy hip belts if you are aiming for under-seat travel.

One thing worth repeating: allowances change, sometimes mid-season, and gate staff apply them. Check again the week before you fly.

The five packs worth shortlisting

1. The 40-litre roll-top rucksack — the all-rounder

A roll-top is the simplest shape that works: a big tube, a top opening that seals with a buckle or two, and compression straps down the sides. Roll it tight and it shrinks; loosen it and it swallows a week's washing. Most are coated nylon or polyester with a water-resistant finish, which matters when you are walking from the station in November rain.

The trade-off is access. Everything lives under everything else, so look for a side zip or a front panel that opens, otherwise you will be emptying the bag to find a charger. Padded shoulder straps and a light sternum strap are plenty for a weekend.

2. The clamshell travel pack — best for organisation

These open like a suitcase: a zip runs around three sides and the whole front folds back. If you like packing cubes and you are heading for a hotel or a friend's spare room, this is the easiest bag to live out of. You can see everything at once, and repacking at the end of a trip takes two minutes.

The catch is bulk. Clamshell packs tend to have stiffer frames, and it is often the depth that pushes them over a budget airline's limit. Check the measurements once the bag is full, not empty, and favour one with compression straps that pull the front panel in.

3. The 28–30 litre city rucksack — best for one or two nights

For a single overnight, this is the sensible choice. It looks like a commuter bag, so it does not shout "tourist" on the tram, and most will slide under a seat if you resist overfilling them. Look for a padded laptop sleeve if work is involved, a small zip pocket for a passport, and a padded back panel.

What you cannot do is take three jumpers and two pairs of shoes. Be honest about that before you buy.

4. The convertible duffel backpack — best for car, ferry and train trips

Straps that zip away into a pocket, a wide opening, tough fabric, handles on every side. Ideal when the journey involves a car boot, a ferry crossing or a train rack, and you want to switch between carrying modes without fuss. Many are close to indestructible and double as a gym or camping bag between trips.

The shoulder straps are rarely as comfortable as a proper rucksack's, though. If there is more than a mile of walking at either end of the journey, think again.

5. The lightweight hiking rucksack — best for walking weekends

If the weekend is a coastal path, a bunkhouse or a bothy, you want a pack that carries weight properly: a simple 30-litre rucksack with a light framesheet, a decent hip belt and a mesh back panel. These often weigh under a kilo and cost less than a good waterproof. Use it as your travel bag on the way there and your daypack once you arrive.

They are short on travel features — no laptop sleeve, few internal pockets — so pack small items into dry bags or a stuff sack instead.

Features worth paying for, and what to ignore

• Chunky zips with lockable sliders. Zip failure is the main way a cheap bag dies. Check the teeth, not the logo.
• Compression straps. They keep a half-empty bag from flopping around and help it fit a sizer.
• A sternum strap, plus a real hip belt on anything over 35 litres. This is the difference between arriving fresh and arriving with aching shoulders.
• A water-resistant base and taped seams. Bags get set down on wet platforms far more often than they get rained on.
• Spare parts and repairs. If the maker sells replacement buckles or offers a repair service, the bag is usually built to last.
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