The 8 Best Backpacks With Separate Shoe Compartments, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

The North Face Never Stop Utility Pack

$139 At The North Face $139 At Dick's

This may be one of our favorite backpacks we’ve ever tested. We were extremely impressed by the amount of storage available, immediately noting how well-organized it felt. There are plenty of pockets (so many that if you get lost in pockets, this may not be the bag for you) — felt-lined ones for electronics and sunglasses, the bottom shoe compartment, internal and external zipper and mesh pockets for smaller items, and two water bottle pockets. The top handles snap together so you can carry it as a tote and the design also lets the bag stand up independently when you need to set it down. You can also slip it over your luggage handle with the pass-through sleeve. It comes with a sternum strap as well, though we found it a little dainty and not very supportive. Overall, this backpack both feels and looks great wherever you’re carrying it. It’s even water-resistant so you don’t have to worry if you get caught out in the rain. Plus, it comes with The North Face’s lifetime guarantee. Choose from four different colors, including solid black, a brown logo print, gardenia white, and sage green.

The Details: 12 x 19 x 6 inches | 2 pounds | 26 liters | 70D recycled nylon with non-PFC durable water-repellent finish 

Best Style

Monos Metro Backpack

$200 At monos.com

If you’re coordinating your days’ outfits with your accessories, the Monos Metro is our pick for the most stylish backpack with a shoe compartment. It easily fit everything on our packing list with plenty of space to spare, without even having to use the front pocket. There’s also a separate laptop sleeve to keep your tech safe. There’s a waterproof privacy compartment to tuck shoes into and a hidden back pocket for small items. The design is flexible enough to feel at home in-flight or on your commute, and the front detachable pouch contains multiple small pockets to stay organized. The vegan leather started out a little stiff, but it’s still super comfortable to wear and we found it softened up after prolonged use. It also feels durable, standing up to our drop test, and we think it would easily ward off stains or spills. If you’re going for a hand carry, the padded top handles are also quite comfortable. Overall, it feels well-made and the features are all helpful and thoughtful, though we do wish it had an external water bottle pocket. The vegan leather option we tested comes in five different shades and there’s also a nylon style available in four shades.

The Details: 11.5 × 16.5 × 6 inches | 2.4 pounds (nylon), 3 pounds (vegan leather) | 18 liters | Nylon twill or microfiber vegan leather

Best Carry-on

Nomatic Travel Bag

$290 At backcountry.com $290 At Walmart View On Nomatic.com

If you need a truly large backpack, opt for the Nomatic Travel Bag, which fit everything on our list with room to spare (and felt like it could hold up to a week’s worth of clothing). It includes not one, but two shoe pockets, along with a laptop sleeve and a slew of other compartments for smaller items. You also get a separate detachable hip belt and laundry bag so you can be both comfortable and clean. The rectangular shape is especially easy to pack, allowing folded clothes to stay organized. We did have some discomfort while carrying it due to the stiffness of the straps, but the hip belt was helpful, and we found that the bag scuffed a bit after being tossed around. But the black design looks sleek and it sports more than 20 different features so you can find a spot for everything. "This backpack has worked very well over the past several months," says Travel + Leisure commerce director Jamie Hergenrader. "I've mostly used it for trips of about two to four days, so it's a perfect backpack for a long weekend getaway. It's also ideal for times when having rolling luggage would be annoying."

The Details: 9 x 21 x 14 inches | 3.42 pounds | 40 liters | Water-resistant tarpaulin (90 percent polyester, 10 percent nylon)

Best for Commuters

MinkeeBlue Nichet Backpack

View On Amazon $179 At minkeeblue.com

If you’re looking for a backpack to take to work that’s simply loaded with compartments, the MinkeeBlue Nichet may be your best choice. It includes its own lunch box with a designated compartment, a small back pocket, four internal pockets (two slip and two zippered), and a laptop sleeve. There’s a separate shoe bag included or you can use the lunchbox compartment to hold your shoes in isolation from the rest of your belongings. For days when you’re out and about and don’t need to carry shoes, you can also adjust the bag to just have one large main compartment instead. No matter what you’re carrying, you’ll do so comfortably with the generously padded straps. The bag felt a little bit large for a small frame, but isn’t notably larger than other backpacks we tested. We also wore the vegan leather in the pouring rain with no issue, though we did encounter some leakage when we left ice in the lunchbox inside the bag all day. Choose between the blush or powder blue shades.

The Details: 6 x 13 x 15 inches | 2.9 pounds | Vegan leather

Best for the Gym

Under Armour Adult Hustle 5.0 Backpack

$50 At Amazon $55 At Zappos $55 At Dick's

When your workout gear demands space, go for the Hustle. We appreciated its large capacity and soft interior, great for carrying bulky items like boxing gloves or large towels. The shoe pocket sits at the front and bottom of the bag and can be expanded as needed. It feels solidly constructed and is easy to carry thanks to a breathable, padded mesh back panel. You also get a front pocket for valuables, a lined laptop sleeve, attachment points on both the shoulder straps and front of the bag for extra gear, and water bottle pockets on both sides. It’s water-resistant (and even water-repellent on the front pocket) for rainy or extra-sweaty days. And with 18 different colors to choose from, there’s an option for every outfit, though they all have a large Under Armour logo that those who are logo-averse may not care for.

The Details: 6 x 20 x 12 inches | 1.4 pounds | 29 liters | Polyester

Best With Removable Pouch

Dagne Dover Dakota Backpack

$195 At Nordstrom View On Dagnedover.com View On Shopbop.com

If you aren’t carrying your shoes every day, go for the Dagne Dover Dakota. You get a separate shoe bag that fits perfectly into the backpack, but can also easily slide out for days when you won’t need a footwear change. You also get a smaller front exterior pocket, water bottle pocket, and internal laptop sleeve, plus a trolley handle for luggage carry. You may not even need that though, as the well-padded Dakota will also sit comfortably on almost anyone’s shoulders. During our tests, we noticed the fabric is hard to clean when a water spill left a mark that wouldn’t come off, but it still feels durable and well-made. There are six color options available in the iconic neoprene fabric used for many Dagne Dover bags, or three in an air mesh fabric.

The Details: 9.5 x 5 x 13 | 1.9 pounds (mesh), 2.2 pounds (neoprene) | 16 liters | Neoprene or mesh

Best Water-repellent

lululemon City Adventurer Backpack

$128 At Lululemon View On Onepeloton.com $120 At farfetch.com

Being water-repellent doesn’t mean sacrificing style — this bag feels minimalist, chic, and compact. The shoe compartment sits at the bottom, taking up a divided part of the main compartment. There aren’t a ton of pockets here, so it’s better for travelers who prefer to do their own organizing (or just let things float). You do get a side zip pocket for a water bottle and an internal zip pocket for small items, but they are on the smaller side and may not hold everything you need. The adjustable straps are comfortable, easy to use, and will stay in place even if you’re sprinting through the airport (which we did), and the bag itself is quite light. With a 20-liter capacity, it’s one of the smaller bags on our list, but it still offers a good amount of space if you don’t mind most of your items sharing the main compartment. It also hardly got dirty in our testing, even when stuffed under an airplane seat, and the contents stayed dry even when we wore it walking in the rain.

The Details: 11 x 7 x 16 inches | 21 liters | Nylon body, polyester lining

Best Budget

Matein Travel Backpack

$38 At Amazon View On Matein.com

This super-spacious backpack can hold some serious gadgetry: we fit two laptops, an iPad, and two phones, and still had more than ample space left over. The bottom zippered pocket is meant for shoe separation, with an opening located at the bottom that opens up a separate section of the main compartment. There are also three zipper pockets on the front of the bag for your smaller items, and to keep all that tech safe, you can lock the zippers of the main compartment with a small padlock. There are even two water bottle sleeves — one inside the bag and one outside — plus, a slot for a battery pack with a USB port. The bag opens extra wide to complement all that space. With all of that, it’s easy to organize the bag in a way that makes sense and maximizes its potential. When you’re in the airport, you can slide the trolley handle over your luggage to keep the weight off your back, but it won’t feel too heavy regardless. We found the padded straps did an excellent job of distributing the weight, though we would have liked a cross-body strap for extra support. Though the material is also lightweight, it seemed durable, with no signs of wear or damage appearing during our testing.

There are two size options available, one for 15.6-inch laptops and one for 17-inch devices, as well as six colors to choose from.

The Details: 8 x 13 x 20 inches | 1.9 pounds | 40 liters | Nylon