If you had an ordinary laptop, then an ordinary laptop backpack would probably suffice. But if you want to travel with your high-end gaming laptop, then you need a gaming laptop backpack that’s almost as specialized as our favorite desktop carrying cases. Read on below for the best bags and backpacks for securing your 17-inch laptop on the go.
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1. EDITOR’S CHOICE: Mobile Edge Core Gaming Laptop Backpack
Pros:- 48L storage volume
- Prewired for a power bank
- Full-body zippers
Cons:- No sternum strap or added support
- May be too large for some
- Side pockets can't fit a water bottle
Out of all of the gaming laptop backpacks we reviewed, the Mobile Edge Core feels the most like you could actually live out of it. Not only does it offer an insane amount of storage space but it also comes pre-wired for use with an internal power pack to keep all of your devices topped off while traveling. That means it can serve as your portable battle station even when you are away from a power outlet.
The Mobile Edge Core is comprised of three large storage compartments, all of which are prewired for an internal power pack such as the MEACL27000 (sold separately). You even get an external USB port for a handheld item. The padded laptop compartment can hold almost any 17-inch laptop and zips all the way down for easy access at TSA checkpoints. It won’t comfortably fit a 17.3-inch laptop, though. And yes, 0.3 diagonal inches does make the difference.
The main compartment has a fleece-lined tablet pocket, a headphone strap, and an optional divider. The front compartment has a built-in organizer for storing small items. You also get four side accessory pockets, but I personally wish they had replaced at least one of those with a water bottle holder, as you should always keep liquids totally separate from your electronics.
The Mobile Edge Core has a sturdy molded front panel to add some protection to its contents but they also make a convention-friendly version that replaces this with a velcro surface to stick patches. Both versions are quite durable and are protected by a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. All in all, this is one of the best laptop backpacks available as long as you don’t need to fit a laptop with a 17.3-inch display.
Dimensions: 9 x 17 x 19.5 inches
Storage: ~48 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17 inches
Weight: 2.9 pounds -
2. Acer Predator Utility Laptop Backpack
Pros:- 44L storage volume
- Removable padded divider
- Full-body zippers
Cons:- May be too large for some
- High price tag
- No sternum strap or added support
The Acer Predator Utility is one behemoth of a backpack. Not only does it have a dedicated (and padded) compartment that fits up to 17-inch laptops but it also offers some serious bulk storage in its main compartment. And a set of full-body zippers gives you exactly what this bag’s name advertises: utility.
The rear laptop compartment zips all the way down, so you can take it through most TSA checkpoints without having to fully remove it from your bag. The front compartment also zips all the way down, which makes it easy to some padded organizers at the bottom. These are great for housing delicate peripherals such as a headset, mouse, or controller, but they can be removed if you prefer to have more bulk storage space. By my calculations, the Utility holds approximately 44 liters of stuff and if that’s not enough it also has loads of exterior straps and buckles for carrying oversized items.
The main downside, however, is that this bag might actually be too big. It is large enough that it won’t fit under an airplane seat when fully packed, which is something frequent flyers should be wary of. I also found it odd that a pack this large doesn’t have a hip belt, a sternum clip, or compression straps, all of which I consider a necessity on a bag this large. That said, its massive main compartment and useful array of external compartments still make it hard to beat in terms of sheer utility.
This is also one of my favorite gaming bags outright – not just compared to backpacks.
Dimensions: 20.5 x 14 x 8 inches
Storage: ~37 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17 inches
Weight: 3.44 pounds -
3. Timbuk2 x ASTRO Gaming BP35 Backpack
Pros:- 2 Padded 16" laptop sleeves
- Sternum strap + comfy pads
- Full-body zippers
- 35L storage volume
Cons:- Struggles with 17.3-inch laptops
- Weak water bottle pockets
- No hip belt
The BP35 Backpack is a collaboration between backpack brand Timbuk 2 and ASTRO Gaming that offers both style and functionality to gamers on the go. The design is the first thing that struck me about the bag when I was looking over the sample unit I received. The sleek material, the reflective hit, and the molded base all carry an urban adventure aesthetic while providing some neat functions.
The bag is just as thoughtfully designed on the inside too, as it has lots of specialty pockets within its three compartments. The main compartment is the largest, zips all the way down, and has a padded laptop and tablet compartment. It is large enough to store a keyboard, a console, or three days’ worth of clothes. The rear compartment has yet another laptop compartment, so you can carry two laptops with 16-inch screens. Now, that’s not to say that a 17.3-inch laptop won’t fit in this bag but something like the Alienware m17 R5 will be a tight fit.
The front compartment has several more interior pockets, including a headphone pouch that is supposedly designed to fit the ASTRO A40 Headset and MixAmp Pro TR external soundcard. That said, it can fit almost any gaming headset and DAC combo just as well. There are also a few utility pockets in the front, including one with a magnetic flap. There are two zip-out water bottle pockets on the side, but they are unfortunately too small for large water bottles. The shoulder straps and back of the bag are nicely padded and the bag has a sternum strap for extra stability.
When you combine the aesthetic qualities of this bag with the sheer storage utility it offers, you end up with an all-around winner with very little to nitpick.
Dimensions: 10.6 x 5.9 x 17.7 inches
Storage: 35 liters
Max laptop screen size: 16 inches
Weight: 3.1 pounds -
4. Asus Republic of Gamers XRanger Backpack
Pros:- Suspended 17" laptop sleeve
- 42L storage volume
- Sternum strap + hip belt
Cons:- High price tag
- Weak water bottle pocket
- Handle rubs against your back
The Asus Republic of Gamers XRanger is a no-nonsense laptop backpack that is designed to safely transport some of the beefiest gaming laptops around. Though Asus claims that the XRanger only supports laptops up to 17 inches, this bag comfortably fits most 17.3-inch laptops, including the 2-inch-thick Asus ROG G752. It keeps your laptop extra safe with not only padding but also a suspended sleeve design that prevents your laptop from hitting the ground when you set your bag down.
The main compartment offers plenty of bulk storage plus a headphone strap and labeled accessory pockets for your mouse, camera, cables, and keyboard. Obviously, you can use these pockets for whatever you want, though. There is also a front organizer compartment, two side compartments, and a flimsy mesh water bottle pocket. The straps even have a phone pocket and a detachable keyring. You have enough room to fit a weekend’s worth of gear plus a sternum strap and hip belt to help comfortably distribute the load.
The only complaint I have about the design is that the top carry handle tends to flop against your shoulders while you are wearing it, but aside from this minor nitpick, the Asus RoG XRanger is a well-designed gaming laptop backpack.
Dimensions: 15 x 8.3 x 20.7 inches
Storage: ~42 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17 inches
Weight: 3.7 pounds -
5. MSI Mystic Knight Gaming Laptop Backpack
Pros:- 37L storage volume
- IPX2 waterproof
- Hybrid shoulderbag design
Cons:- No water bottle pocket
- Backpack depth not adjustable
- No built-in organizer
If you live in a rainy climate as I do, then the IPX2 water-resistant MSI Mystic Knight is the ideal gaming laptop backpack for you. It uses a roll-top design to offer improved water resistance over conventional zippers and it has waterproof zippers wherever zippers are required. It even comes with a rain cover with a giant dragon emblem on it if you need to tote your gaming laptop through a torrential downpour.
The Mystic Knight basically only has one large main compartment but it offers an estimated 37 liters of storage, including a padded laptop sleeve inside that is large enough to hold a 17-inch gaming laptop like the MSI GT76. The laptop can be easily accessed by a side zipper even if the main compartment is full, which I greatly appreciate. The bag also has four small zippered pouches spread around the bag, which is nice for organizing smaller items. A proper water bottle pocket is conspicuously absent, though. Come on MSI, where am I supposed to store my old, leaky Nalgene?
One of the more interesting features of this bag is that it has modular straps, which you can rearrange to make a shoulder bag if preferred. I would recommend keeping it in the backpack form for ergonomic purposes, though, as this bag has cushy shoulder pads and a sternum clip to help distribute weight. However you plan to use it, the MSI Mystic Knight promises to be a reliable companion for oversized laptops the world over.
Dimensions: 13.6 x 6.3 x 26.4 inches
Storage: ~37 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17 inches
Weight: 3.28 pounds -
6. Lenovo Legion II Armored Backpack
Pros:- Padded 17.3" laptop sleeve
- Rigid and water-resistant
- Sternum strap + hip belt
Cons:- Backpack depth not adjustable
- Weak water bottle pocket
- Zippers can be finicky
The Lenovo Legion II Armored Backpack is surprisingly sleek considering it can fit laptops up to 17.3 inches, including the Lenovo Legion 7i, the HP Omen, and the Alienware R5. This makes it a great mid-size option for gamers who are willing to make compromises in storage volume but not framerate.
Its fully-padded rear compartment is the ideal place to store your laptop during travel, as the pocket’s egg crate foam provides some of the best protection we’ve seen in a gaming laptop backpack. The main compartment has a decent amount of space as well as some useful organizer pockets for accessories. My personal favorite inclusion is the headphone strap and pouch, which keeps my high-end headset from scratching against other large items in transit. The front organizer compartment is nice for small items and gets some extra protection from the Legion II’s EVA-molded front shield.
The hardshell portion helps the bag stand on its own but it would have been nice to include compression straps since this gives the contents of the bag extra room to jostle around when it isn’t fully packed. And while I am nitpicking, the water bottle holder on this bag isn’t quite as sturdy as the kind you find on hiking bags (though I do like that it tucks away if you aren’t using it). These shortcomings are easy to forgive, though, as the Legion II definitely strikes an appealing balance between portability and storage capacity.
Dimensions: 14.2 x 20 x 7.1 inches
Storage: ~33 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17.3 inches
Weight: 3.2 pounds -
7. Razer Rogue v3 Gaming Laptop Backpack
Pros:- Padded 17.3" laptop sleeve
- Water-resistant zippers
- Sternum strap + comfy shoulder pads
Cons:- Aggressive branding
- High price tag
- Not TSA-friendly
You may be surprised at just how reasonably-sized the Razer Rogue v3 is considering that it has the appropriate dimensions to store a 17.3-inch laptop. But that is exactly what we like about it. This bag is great as a lightweight daypack, especially if your everyday carry includes an oversized gaming laptop like the Razer Blade 17.
This bag has a padded laptop sleeve inside the main compartment which shields its cargo from drops and scratches on all sides. There are also versions of this bag that are designed for 15-inch and 13-inch laptops, but we only reviewed the version for 17.3-inch laptops since 15-inch gaming laptops are growing increasingly rare. Additionally, all versions of the Rogue v3 have compression straps, so you can easily cinch down the size of this bag if you find it too large for your needs.
There is a decent amount of room in the main compartment for bulky items, but note that you will have to pull them out to access your laptop. This is a surprising blunder from this gaming company, as this is not quite as TSA-friendly as full-zip compartments on the Acer Predator M-Utility and Mobile Edge Core. Despite this, it is still quite a functional pack, and there are plenty of organizer pockets to store smaller items.
The Rogue v3 has waterproofed zippers as well as a detachable rain cover, which is great for keeping your laptop dry in the wet season. This bag also has comfortable shoulder straps and a sternum clip to better disperse the weight of your load. The giant Razer logo and the bright green interior is a little hard to handle if you don’t like excessive branding, but to its credit, the green lining makes it easy to see what is at the bottom of your bag. Ultimately, the Razer Rogue v3 isn’t quite perfect, but it is still a solid option for a gaming laptop backpack.
Dimensions: 12.8 x 20.9 x 6.7 inches
Storage: ~29 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17.3 inches
Weight: 4 pounds -
8. Kroser Travel Laptop Backpack
Pros:- 42L storage volume
- Sternum strap + comfy shoulder pads
- Rigid and water-resistant
Cons:- Backpack depth not adjustable
- Not TSA-friendly
- Zippers can be finicky
Although the Kroser Travel Laptop Backpack is not designed to fit any one specific brand of gaming laptops the way that the Razer, Asus, and MSI bags are, it is still a heavy-duty bag with a padded sleeve that supports most 17.3-inch laptops. And because it isn’t made by a big-name company, this bag offers some serious bang for your buck. Just don’t expect a real carbon fiber shell at this price point.
The Kroser Travel Backpack has a molded front panel to help maintain its shape but it is certainly not as sturdy as the carbon fiber pattern would suggest to the eye. Still, it adds some extra protection for its contents and it has that gamer vibe. The real draw to this bag is its massive 42L storage volume, which includes a separate laptop compartment with a padded sleeve for 17.3-inch laptops. The sleeve is well-cushioned but it struggles to hold extra-thick laptops, so be mindful of your laptop’s depth when you choose this bag.
In addition to this laptop compartment, the bag also has a deep main compartment a front organizer pocket. It has two side water bottle pockets with zippered compartments and a hidden anti-theft pocket around the back. Its large size makes it great for travel but it doesn’t have compression straps so its contents will jostle around a lot if you under-pack it. It does, however, have a sternum strap to better disperse the bag’s weight across your frame. The back panel and shoulder straps are well padded too.
Dimensions: 19.2 x 13.5 x 9.9 inches
Storage: ~42 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17.3 inches
Weight: 3.1 pounds -
9. Aorus B7R Premium Gaming Backpack
Pros:- 41L storage volume
- Sternum strap + hip belt
- Suspended 17" laptop sleeve
Cons:- Backpack does not stand on its own
- Zippers can be finicky
- Weak water bottle pockets
If your goal is to hit the streets with your gaming laptop in luxury, the Aorus B7R is one of the most comfortable gaming backpacks you’ll find thanks to ample padding for both its wearer and its contents. Not only does it have a comfy molded back panel and padded shoulder straps but it also has a padded laptop sleeve large enough to hold 17-inch laptops. One of my favorite features is that the laptop compartment is raised over the bottom of the bag to protect from accidental impact when you set it down.
The second compartment is the largest and it has several inner pockets that can be used to organize your peripherals. The bag only has a few external organizer compartments, including two small water bottle pockets, but this is forgivable because of the generous main compartments. In fact, the bag is large enough that you’ll want to use the built-in compression straps when it is not fully packed so your gear is kept tight against your back.
The bag has a sternum strap and a hip belt, as well as a detachable rain cover too. These are all welcome features, especially if you plan to use the B7R for other purposes like hiking. All in all, this is one of the best gaming backpacks we’ve come across, and it definitely deserves your consideration (as long as you don’t have a 17.3-inch laptop).
Dimensions: 20 x 16.1 x 7.8 inches
Storage: ~41 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17 inches
Weight: 3.3 pounds -
10. HP Omen Transceptor DuffleBag
Pros:- Padded 17.3" laptop sleeve
- Hybrid dufflebag design
- Lots of internal organizers
Cons:- No water bottle pockets
- Zippers can be finicky
- Using it as a duffle puts weight on your laptop
The HP Omen Transceptor is half-backpack, half-duffle bag, and full-awesome. Its transformative straps allow it to be worn in two different ways, giving you twice the options for toting around your excessively large gaming laptop and all of its requisite accessories.
There are only three compartments total on the Transceptor: a padded laptop compartment on the back, the main storage compartment with internal organizers, and a separate shoe compartment at the bottom. The laptop compartment holds laptops up to 17.3 inches, including the Alienware R5, the Lenovo Legion 7i, and of course, the HP Omen. The internal organizers in the main compartment are great for securing small items while leaving them all easily accessible. Now, I’m not sure why a gaming backpack has a shoe compartment but it is a decent place to put food and drinks since this bag doesn’t have an external water bottle pocket.
There are a few external organizer compartments as well, including one that is RFID-shielded so you can safely store your wallet or passport in there. But, for the most part, the bag is designed to be sleek and stylish. The zippers have nice, large pull loops, though they can be a bit finicky at times. The only weird part of the hybrid design is that the laptop compartment is at the bottom of the bag when you use it as a duffle, so you should be very careful when using it this way.
Dimensions: 22 x 14 x 7 inches
Storage: 32 liters
Max laptop screen size: 17.3 inches
Weight: 3.5 pounds
What is a Gaming Backpack?
While it all too common for a company to slap a descriptive adjective like "gaming" in front of an otherwise ordinary product and charge a premium price, gaming backpacks are a legitimate improvement over traditional luggage options for gamers on the go. Granted, these improvements might not be apparent at a glance. So what sets a gaming backpack apart from a normal one?
The most valuable aspect of a gaming bag is a large and sturdy laptop sleeve. These sleeves are typically designed to hold gaming laptops, which are larger, heavier, and more expensive than regular laptops. Most gaming laptops have 17-inch or 17.3-inch screens and have to be thicker to accommodate a dedicated GPU. This means that they'll need additional space and padding to be safely transported.
Many gaming laptop backpacks also have specialized storage for must-have accessories like a mouse and a headset. And since most gaming accessories are electronic, it is also common to have additional protection against moisture.
To an outsider, it may seem silly to buy a backpack specially designed to fit a laptop. But to that same outsider, it probably also seems silly to carry around a laptop with a 2-inch-thick GPU built-in. Some folks will just never understand.
How to Tell if Your Laptop Will Fit
While we reviewed plenty of backpacks that claim to fit any laptop with a 17.3-inch screen, each new generation of gaming laptops seems to be getting larger and larger. And since backpacks don't typically offer accurate internal dimensions to go by, it can be tricky knowing what laptop will fit in what bag.
The most important thing you can do is research the actual dimensions of your laptop. This is important because a "17-inch" laptop technically only has a 17-inch screen, and that's a diagonal measurement too. Even if you can't find a review from someone with the same model you have, you can compare it to models that are confirmed to fit and go from there.
If not, then we recommend utilizing Amazon's robust return policy to try a few of your top picks as a Plan B. It is a little extra hassle but it is well worth the trouble to avoid having to bust a zipper trying to fit your gargantuan laptop into an undersized compartment.