Best bags for MacBook Pro in 2023

Your MacBook Pro is a daily workhorse, so carrying it in a protective bag that fits your lifestyle makes good sense. Here are the best laptop bags to consider, whether your routine involves crowded subways or the great outdoors.

When deciding on a functional and valuable laptop bag, we recommend investing in a quality bag made of long-lasting materials and hardware. There is a wide variety of options, from budget to bougie, but choose one that fits your lifestyle and price point.

All bags in this list have models that will fit the latest MacBook Pro, but make sure you choose the correct size. This bag list is not all-encompassing but a solid starting point for different users, from business travelers to college students.

Aer City Pack Pro

The Aer City Pack Pro is a durable commuter laptop backpack that will last you for many years. It is made with durable and water-resistant ballistic nylon to protect your MacBook on rainy days.

Aer City Pack Pro

This backpack has a lay-flat main compartment with large zipper pockets for storage and organization. If you often pack a charging cable, mouse, and other gear along with your laptop, the different compartments will help you organize your tech.

The Aer City Pack Pro has a padded laptop pocket with a soft lining that fits up to a 16-inch laptop. This laptop pocket is suspended, which means the compartment ends before the bottom of the backpack. This way, your MacBook stays safely off the bottom of the bag when upright.

This bag has quality YKK zippers and Duraflex plastic hardware. It comes with quick-access pockets on the top and side of the backpack for your smaller personal items like keys or sunglasses. There are also exterior water bottle pockets for small to medium-sized water bottles.

This daily commuter backpack can double as a light travel backpack and comes with luggage straps to slide over your carry-on luggage handle. The backpack straps and back panel have ample padding to help keep your back and shoulders comfortable even if you have a fully loaded backpack.

The Aer City Pack Pro comes in black, gray, olive, or black X-Pac. X-Pac is a durable sailcloth material made with waterproof laminate. It holds up to 24 liters, so it's a roomy and durable backpack for your daily commute.

Buy this premium quality backpack for $209 exclusively from Aer.

Peak Design Everyday Backpack

The Peak Design Everyday Backpack pulls double duty as a laptop bag and a camera bag for photographers and videographers. Besides a dedicated compartment large enough to hold a 16-inch MacBook Pro, there is space with padded dividers for your camera gear.

Peak Design Everyday Backpack

This backpack comes in 20 L or 30 L, so choose your size according to your laptop and gear. The 30 L fits a 16-inch MacBook Pro, but get the 20 L to ensure a more secure fit if you have a smaller laptop.

This Peak Design backpack includes various pockets and zipper compartments in this bag to keep all your gear organized. Be aware that a zipper pocket in the main compartment may scratch your LCD camera lens, so pack your equipment carefully to avoid this.

This backpack comes with three FlexFold dividers adjustable to your needs. Depending on how many camera lenses you're carrying and the size of your lenses, these dividers are helpful to keep everything organized and padded for protection.

There are two ways to access the main compartment making it easy to get what you need during a photoshoot. You can open the bag from the top flap with the adjustable MagLatch, or turn your backpack on either side and use the zipper.

Carrying a camera, lens, and laptop can quickly add weight. This backpack makes carrying a heavy load easier with a sternum strap and padded contoured shoulder straps.

The backpack material is made of water-resistant nylon canvas and can expand to fit more things. One way to expand the bag is to adjust the position of the MagLatch, and another option is to attach the included external straps to fit items like blankets on the outside of the backpack.

This handsome backpack will earn you some style points and is available in black, dark gray, light gray, and blue. Besides being good-looking, there are theft-deterrent features like looping the external zippers through the carry loops to deter pickpockets.

Peak Design Everyday Backpack retails for $279.95 and is available on Amazon, but shop directly from Peak Design for more color and size options.

Nomatic Travel Bag

This roomy travel bag comes with a laptop sleeve for remote workers traveling with a MacBook. We recommend getting the 30 L size to fit into a plane's overhead bin easier, but it also comes in a 40 L.

Nomatic Travel Bag

A laptop pocket is inside the main compartment, and the 30 L size can fit a 14-inch MacBook Pro. A thick strap secures this laptop sleeve instead of a zipper, so you can quickly access your laptop through TSA.

On one side of the bag is a zippered compartment with an array of zipper and mesh pockets for your smaller accessories like charging cables. There is also an RFID zipper pocket for items like your passport and credit cards.

This bag keeps your tech and travel accessories dry on rainy days. The bag is water-resistant tarpaulin made of 90% polyester and 10% nylon.

This versatile bag has two shoulder straps and a chest strap to use as a backpack and another pair of straps as a duffel bag.

This travel bag is perfect for digital nomads but could also be used as a gym bag if you go straight from the gym to the office. There is a shoe compartment with ventilation holes, and NOMATIC claims it can fit two pairs of US size 12 men's shoes.

Get the NOMATIC Travel Bag for $279.99 or Amazon.

Patagonia Black Hole Travel Pack

The Patagonia Black Hole Travel Pack is a good solution for those who frequently find themselves in the great outdoors. The external fabric has a shiny and crumpled look and is designed more for outdoor functionality than style.

Patagonia Black Hole Travel Pack

The backpack's external fabric is thermal plastic urethane film laminate, so this is a noisy bag. It is made with durable ripstop polyester, and the body and lining fabrics have a durable water-repellent finish.

It comes with an internal laptop sleeve that can hold a 15-inch laptop. Since the sleeve is lightly padded, this is best for a 14-inch MacBook with a slim laptop case for extra protection.

Thoughtfully, this space comes with a reservoir tube port at the top of the back panel, so if you decide to leave your MacBook in the cabin and go for a hike, you can insert a hydration reservoir in this space to stay hydrated while trekking.

This 25 L travel pack can hold many things, but there are plenty of pockets and compartments, so your items don't get lost in the black hole. There is a large main compartment to hold your travel and tech essentials, a small zippered mesh pocket for important things like cards, and a pocket next to the laptop sleeve for a small tablet or documents.

Since you can access everything only with the opening at the top of the backpack, we suggest strategic packing so that you don't have to keep looking for things buried at the bottom.

If you need to stuff this backpack to the brim, it comes with a lateral strap to help with weight distribution. To carry the load easier, you can adjust the strap to be a chest strap or a waist strap, depending on your size.

It's available on Amazon for $187.03, but you would find better color selections from REI with current sale prices starting at $88.93.

Kenneth Cole

This Kenneth Cole genuine leather laptop bag is classy and pairs well with everyday office attire. This bag comes in three colors: black, dark brown, or cognac.

Kenneth Cole Reaction leather laptop bag

This messenger bag features spacious interiors, with plenty of space for a 16-inch MacBook Pro, an iPad Pro, and other documents and tech accessories for your workday. The padding is limited in this leather bag, so we would recommend using a laptop sleeve for added protection.

Internal pockets include any RF ID-protected pocket and credit card slots. There are also two well-placed large front pockets under that flap for easy access to things like a cell phone or a battery pack.

The comfortable shoulder strap is adjustable up to 60 inches, so you can also use this as a crossbody messenger bag. This bag has a top handle to carry as a briefcase, but the shoulder strap is not removable.

The material is thick and sturdy full-grain Colombian leather to last you for many years. Shop this leather messenger laptop bag directly from Kenneth Cole for $260 or from Amazon starting at $175.

Lovevook

We highly recommend investing in a quality laptop bag for your MacBook Pro, but for users looking for the cheapest option, this budget bag delivers a host of pockets for tech users on the go. This bag comes in three sizes ranging from 18 L to 27 L.

Lovevook laptop backpack

The Lovevook bag is a nylon fabric laptop backpack with a top handle. It opens up to the main compartment with an internal laptop sleeve.

The 27 L size can easily hold a 16-inch MacBook Pro. There are many pockets inside the main compartment for your tech essentials, from a tablet to a power bank.

For a budget bag, it has thoughtfully designed compartments such as an elastic water bottle holder, an anti-theft pocket at the back of the backpack, and even a slotted pocket to hold a pack of tissues. There is also a USB port to keep charging your gear on the go.

The Lovevook bag comes in 15 colors and is available on Amazon with prices starting from $28.97 depending on the color and size you choose.

Tumi

For business users who need a durable premium option, Tumi is a well-known luxury brand loved for its durable luggage solutions.

Tumi laptop brief

The Tumi laptop briefcase is made of their signature FXT ballistic nylon which is a premium-quality material. It will last well beyond your next MacBook upgrade.

This laptop briefcase comes with many compartments without being too bulky. The interior padded laptop compartment can fit a 16-inch MacBook Pro. Along with that are a padded pocket for your tablet and other pockets for your small tech essentials.

There are three zippered external pockets. Two are U-shaped pockets, the larger one being a water-resistant pocket with another zippered pocket nestled inside. There is also a slim outside pocket for your phone to slide into and maintain quick access.

It would be not very good to lose this functional bag with a premium price tag. Thankfully, this bag comes with a Tumi Tracer product recovery program for users who don't want to purchase yet another AirTag. The Tumi Tracer is a complimentary program that Tumi uses for its customers in case their bag is lost or stolen.

For added functionality, this bag has removable padded shoulder straps if you choose not to use it as a briefcase. This bag looks good in black, but you can add a pop of color for an additional price.

If you are gifting this investment piece, you can add a classic monogram for personalization and include a complimentary gift box during purchase.

Shop this bag directly from Tumi for $525.