I’ve never been a backpack girly until I traveled with this Dagne Dover one

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One thing about me is that I would rather drive 24 hours in a car without air conditioning than have to check my bag. Maybe that’s overdramatic, but I’m a dramatic person. I’ve been burned too many times by airlines to not pack everything I need in a carry-on. So, I’ve learned to get creative — that includes a good set of packing cubes and a personal item with a lot of pockets.

Unfortunately, my go-to duffel had completely disappeared while I was packing for a last-minute flight, so I instead grabbed my Dagne Dover Walker Backpack. It’s smaller than any other personal item I’ve used, but it fits everything. When I say everything, I mean everything from my laptop and chargers to a sweater, wallet, sunglasses, over-ear headphones, book, journal, a tube of Aquaphor, extra masks, hand sanitizer, moisturizer, sunscreen and a spare set of clothes squeezed tight into a packing cube. I know, madness.

More importantly, I even had room for all of my go-to terminal impulse buys (a bag of peanut M&Ms, two large bottles of water, honey-roasted almonds, a copy of Spare and a mini bottle of hydrating mist for my skin).

Dagne Dover Walker Backpack, $129 – $149 (Orig. $165 – $185)

Credit: Dagne Dover

Unfortunately, the Arugula colorway shown above is sold out in the large (which is what I have!), but it’s still available in the medium size. The Dagne Dover Walker Backpack also comes in three other gorgeous colorways in both sizes.

So, like, how was I able to fit all of my necessities and impulse terminal purchases while staying sane? Well, here’s the entire list of all the built-in gadgets and gizmos aplenty of the backpack — as well as all the whosits and whatsits galore:

  • Recycled REPREVE polylining exterior and interior
  • 2 backpack straps with an adjustable snap feature
  • 3.25-inch short handle
  • Exterior ID/phone pocket
  • Zipper top closure
  • Interior neoprene water bottle holder
  • 2 exterior zippered side pockets with interior D-ring
  • Key leash with a key clip
  • 2 exterior polylining pockets with hidden magnetic closures
  • Interior zipper pocket
  • Large interior puffy slip laptop pocket
  • Luggage sleeve
  • Zipper top closure

Nifty, right? And don’t worry if you don’t know what all of those mean. I’m absolutely obsessed with the Dagne Dover Walker Backpack and I still don’t. Anyways, please check out this handy diagram below to uncover the hidden wonders of my new favorite travel accessory:

Credit: Dagne Dover

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