Top laptop, tablet, camera and gadget backpacks that let you get away and take it all with you

MOBILE technology only lives up to its name if it’s going somewhere. We review five top technology bags that promise to keep your gadgets on the go.

STM Aero backpack for Switched On

Crumpler Low Level Aviator 3-Day Pack

Crumpler / 4.5/5 / $195 / crumpler.com.au

Crumpler Low Level Aviation Three-Day Pack.

Perfectly appointed for a long-weekend, this Crumpler backpack is thoughtfully and solidly built. Colourful, weatherproof polyester, shoulder and waist straps, and rear padding impress on the outside, while a 30L storage area accommodates a lot on the inside. One zipped pocket and two large compartments will hold a 15-inch laptop, important gadgets, chargers, and plenty of clothes, with a generous mesh compartment for smalls. Its 52cm height may discourage vertically challenged wearers, but this backpack is a fantastic carry-on companion.

Toffee Centennial Backpack

Toffee / 4/5 / $129.95 / tryandbyte.com.au

Toffee Centennial Backpack.

Why hide a small laptop inside a big backpack? Toffee’s Centennial Backpack is modestly sized for short trips with 13-inch laptops. Its colourful outside is made of water-resistant waxed canvas, while leather top straps provide an easy way to carry it by your side. Inside, its main compartment offers a well-padded laptop sleeve, with a tablet pocket that piggybacks on to it, and free space for chargers, notebooks, and lunch. The simple design also leaves room for a padded, zipped pocket upfront. The Centennial is not a substantial pack but it is well formed.

Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW

Lowepro / 4.5/5 / $299 / maxwell.com.au

Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW camera backpack.

If you want to take your entire lens collection with you, this is the bag that will allow it. The largest of the freshly released ProTactic bags is designed to carry two DSLR cameras, eight lenses, a 15-inch laptop and a tripod, memory cards, filters and more. Four zipped compartments can deliver camera access, a hard top protects its cargo, and a removable waist strap delivers comfort. This is a serious, and seriously well considered, camera carriage solution.

STM Aero

STM / 4/5 / $99.95 / stmbags.com

STM Aero backpack.

This backpack is big enough to carry a 13-inch laptop and 10-inch tablet but is still compact enough to lug around. There’s an easy-to-access fleece-lined pocket on the outside for your smartphone and earphones, and you can pop a small water bottle and fold-up umbrella in its side pockets. Frequent flyers will particularly appreciate the luggage pass-through strap on its back for securing it to the extended handle of a rolling suitcase.

Everki Studio

Everki / 3.5/5 / $119.95 / everki.com

Everki Studio backpack.

The Everki Studio has a distinctive boxlike shape, in part because of extra padding on the bottom corners to protect valuable gadgets. It offers separate padded pockets for a 14-inch laptop and a tablet, plus a zipped area of smaller pockets to keep you organised. A well-padded pass-through strap out back also hides a zippered pocket — handy for travel documents — and a bottle pocket hides on its side. The all-black design gives it a businesslike look, but that might not appeal to those who prefer flashes of colour.