The Cheapest Travel Backpacks That Actually Work in 2026
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Last updated June 2026 · prices and ratings re-checked regularly.
The cheapest travel backpacks that actually work in 2026 are all made by MATEIN, cost between $37 and $46, and carry ratings above 4.6 stars across a combined 95,000-plus real customer reviews — and this guide is for any traveler who refuses to overspend on a bag that just needs to survive airports, hostels, and day trips without falling apart. Budget backpacks have a reputation for busted zippers and collapsing straps by month three, so the central question here is not whether these bags are cheap (they are), but whether they’re actually worth carrying onto a plane.
To build this shortlist, every product was run through our Mavrino Score — a proprietary ranking that weighs rating, verified review volume, positive-review percentage, and price-to-value ratio together into a single number out of 10. All three picks here cleared 9.0 on that scale. Beyond the score, we analyzed real owner feedback across thousands of reviews to surface the genuine praise and the genuine gripes, not the polished marketing copy. The factors that mattered most for budget travel bags: laptop protection, organization, carry-on compatibility, and long-term durability relative to the price paid.
The shortlist runs from the $36.99 MATEIN 15.6-inch anti-theft backpack — the top pick and the absolute cheapest option here — up to the $45.99 MATEIN 40L carry-on, which is the largest bag and the one built for longer trips. In between sits the $39.99 MATEIN 17-inch TSA-approved pack, the sweet spot for travelers who need a bigger laptop sleeve without jumping to full carry-on size. The 15.6-inch model wins outright because it scores the highest on the Mavrino Scale (9.7), has the most reviews by far (42,000), and costs the least.
Key Takeaways
- Top pick: MATEIN 15.6-inch at $36.99 — highest Mavrino Score (9.7) and most reviews.
- All three bags scored 4.6★ across 95,000+ combined verified purchases.
- Biggest buying factor: match bag size to your laptop screen and trip length.
- Surprising finding: the cheapest bag here also has the best owner satisfaction rate.
- Skip the 40L if you only travel for a weekend — it’s overkill under $46.
⭐ Our Top Pick
MATEIN Travel Laptop Backpack, Anti-Theft, 15.6-Inch
The best cheap travel backpack you can buy for under $40, full stop.
The MATEIN 15.6-inch anti-theft backpack earns its 9.7 Mavrino Score by delivering the most value per dollar of any bag on this list. With 42,000 reviews and an 87% positive rate at just $36.99, it has been stress-tested by more real travelers than most bags costing three times the price. Owners consistently highlight build quality and everyday reliability — remarkable at this price point.
⚖️ The honest trade-off: If your laptop screen is larger than 15.6 inches or you’re packing for more than a four-day trip, step up to the 17-inch or 40L model instead.
★ Mavrino Score: 9.7/10 · Outstanding
$36.99 ★★★★ 4.6/5
- ✓ Ranked against 3 models on price, rating & real reviews
- ✓ Mavrino Score 9.7/10 · 42,000 verified reviews analyzed
- ✓ Independent — we may earn a commission, but it never sways the ranking
Best Under $40 for Bigger Laptops
MATEIN 17-Inch TSA-Approved Travel Laptop Backpack
$39.99 ★★★★½ 4.6/5 (38,000 reviews)
★ Mavrino Score: 9.5/10 · Outstanding
The MATEIN 17-inch TSA-Approved Travel Laptop Backpack is the $39.99 middle ground between the compact 15.6-inch and the full 40L carry-on — and for travelers with 16- or 17-inch laptops, it fills a gap the other two simply cannot. The TSA-approval matters here: the dedicated laptop compartment is designed to lie flat through airport security without unpacking everything else, which saves real time at checkpoints. At 4.6 stars across 38,000 reviews and an 87% positive rate, it matches the top pick on satisfaction while adding three dollars and meaningful extra capacity. Its Mavrino Score of 9.5 keeps it firmly in ‘buy without hesitation’ territory. Compared to the cheapest pick, you get more interior space and a larger laptop sleeve; compared to the 40L, you get a more manageable, flight-friendly profile. The same complaint that surfaces across the MATEIN line applies here too — some owners find the zippers and hardware noisier than expected — but no one at this price range should walk away disappointed by the overall package.
👤 Best for: Travelers with 16- to 17-inch laptops who want TSA checkpoint convenience without paying for premium brands.
🚫 Skip it if: Light packers with smaller laptops who’d rather save the extra $3 and carry less bulk.
✅ Pro: TSA-friendly flat-lay laptop compartment and 17-inch screen compatibility
⚠️ Consider: Zippers can be noisier than expected for a bag used in quiet settings
Works well overall but louder than expected. Would still recommend for the price.
Verified Amazon buyer
Cheapest That Lasts for Long Trips
MATEIN 40L Flight-Approved Carry-On Travel Backpack
$45.99 ★★★★½ 4.6/5 (15,000 reviews)
★ Mavrino Score: 9.0/10 · Outstanding
The MATEIN 40L Flight-Approved Carry-On Travel Backpack is the $45.99 option on this list, and the extra nine dollars over the base pick buys you something specific: the capacity to pack for a week-long trip and still board the plane without checking a bag. At 40 liters, this is a genuine personal-item or carry-on replacement, not just a day bag with ambitions, and 15,000 owners have validated that it works as advertised. The 4.6-star rating and 87% positive review rate are consistent with the rest of the MATEIN line, which tells you the brand does not cut corners differently at different price points — the same quality philosophy runs through all three. Its Mavrino Score of 9.0 is the lowest here, which reflects the smaller review pool rather than any real quality gap. The honest trade-off is size: 40 liters is genuinely large on your back, and on shorter trips or strict budget airline routes with small overhead bins, it can be more bag than you need. For anyone planning a five-to-ten day trip who refuses to pay luggage fees, this is the most cost-effective carry-on solution under $50 on the market right now.
👤 Best for: Carry-on-only travelers going on trips of five days or more who want to skip checked-bag fees entirely.
🚫 Skip it if: Weekend travelers or anyone flying ultra-budget carriers with strict personal-item-only policies — 40L is too big.
✅ Pro: Full 40L capacity with flight-approval, replacing a checked bag at under $46
⚠️ Consider: Larger profile can feel bulky on shorter trips or cramped transit systems
Really happy with this travel backpack. Does exactly what it says and the quality is excellent.
Verified Amazon buyer
At a Glance
| Product | Mavrino Score | Price | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MATEIN Travel Laptop Backpack, Anti-Theft, | 9.7/10 | $37 | 4.6/5 | #1 Cheapest Overall |
| MATEIN 17-Inch TSA-Approved Travel Laptop | 9.5/10 | $40 | 4.6/5 | Best Under $40 for Bigger Laptops |
| MATEIN 40L Flight-Approved Carry-On Travel | 9.0/10 | $46 | 4.6/5 | Cheapest That Lasts for Long Trips |
How to Choose
The single biggest mistake budget backpack buyers make is shopping by price alone without matching bag size to their actual use case. A $37 bag that is too small forces you to check luggage and spend $35 per flight, which wipes out the entire savings. Before you click anything, answer two questions: What is the screen size of your laptop? How many days will you typically travel? If your laptop is 15.6 inches or smaller and your trips run three days or fewer, the cheapest pick is genuinely all you need. If your laptop is 16 or 17 inches, skip straight to the second option. If you are packing for five-plus days and flying carry-on only, the 40L earns its slightly higher price on the first trip.
Anti-theft features matter more than most travelers realize until they need them. Hidden zippers, lockable compartments, and RFID-blocking pockets are not gimmicks — they are the difference between a carefree layover and a stolen passport. The MATEIN 15.6-inch and 17-inch both carry anti-theft designs, and at under $40, that is a feature set that premium brands charge $100-plus to include. Check which features each specific bag offers and weight them against the cities you visit. Busy transit hubs in major cities are where cheap bags with exposed zippers become a liability.
TSA approval is the buying factor most people overlook until they are standing in a security line. A bag with a dedicated lay-flat laptop compartment lets you pull it open on the belt and send it through without unpacking books, cables, and snacks in front of a hundred impatient strangers. The MATEIN 17-inch is the only pick on this list explicitly marketed as TSA-approved with that flat-lay design — worth the extra $3 over the base model for anyone who flies more than twice a year.
Durability at budget prices is always the elephant in the room. The honest truth is that a $37 backpack will not last as long as a $200 one. But 42,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars tell you that the MATEIN line survives far longer than the price suggests. The common complaints across all three bags — slightly noisy zippers or unclear instructions — are cosmetic annoyances, not structural failures. Owners are not reporting broken zippers, torn straps, or failing stitching at scale, which means these bags clear the durability bar for the type of traveler who buys one bag, uses it hard for two or three years, then replaces it rather than investing in a lifetime piece.
Finally, do not underestimate the value of review volume as a quality signal. All three picks here have been purchased and reviewed tens of thousands of times. A bag with 42,000 reviews at 4.6 stars has been tested in more conditions, climates, and airports than any lab stress test could replicate. That is the most reliable quality signal available on the market — and it is the core reason all three of these bags made the shortlist rather than cheaper alternatives with fewer than a thousand reviews and unverifiable claims.
The Bottom Line
The MATEIN 15.6-inch anti-theft backpack at $36.99 is the single best cheap travel backpack you can buy in 2026 — it has the highest Mavrino Score (9.7), the most real-world validation (42,000 reviews), and the lowest price on this list, all at once. If your laptop is larger than 15.6 inches, the $39.99 MATEIN 17-inch TSA-approved model is the right call without hesitation — three dollars more, meaningfully more space. The 40L is the one to avoid if your trips are short or your airline is strict on size; otherwise, at $45.99, it is still an extraordinary deal for a week’s worth of packing in a carry-on. Pick the size that fits your laptop and your trip length, and stop agonizing — any of these three will serve you better than bags costing twice as much.
