Peak Design's Travel Backpack has raked in over $5M on Kickstarter

Bag and camera accessory designer Peak Design is about it wrap up its eighth Kickstarter project, a new travel line of bags and accessories. The star attraction is the $235 45-liter Travel Backpack. The company sent us an early sample to check out. 

The weatherproof backpack is similar to the company's Everyday Backpack, but the Travel Backpack can be compressed to 30 liters and expanded to 45 liters.

One of the things I appreciate most about Peak Design's bags is how well the straps are hidden, so the bags never look sloppy. You wouldn't know it, but there are straps in front to help secure stuff to the outside. Even the side carry handles are kept tight to the bag and out of the way.    

Despite the lack of bulky padding, the bag's shoulder straps are comfortable even when the bag is loaded down with gear. There's also a waist strap to help when you've really stuffed it full. 

Here's a closer look at the waist belt. When you don't need it, the belt neatly tucks away into the bag. 

Peak Design's chest strap is a favorite because you can connect it with a single hand. 

A grab handle on the bottom makes it easy to pull from an overhead compartment. It's waterproof, too, so you can put the bag down without worrying about some rain on the ground. 

If you need to check the bag or just want to get it in the overhead with straps flapping around, the bag has two magnetic flaps to stash the straps.

Just lift up the flap, slide in the strap and let the magnets do the rest. 

There's even a grab handle in the middle of the back so you can carry it like a duffel bag. 

Peak uses top-notch zippers with waterproof seals. 

There's a small zipper pocket on top: great for your phone or sunglasses or wallet or whatever. 

The front of the bag has several loops for running straps through or clipping gear to. 

The large internal compartment of the backpack can be accessed several ways, including full openings on each side. 

No shortage of pockets here to give you quick access to essentials. 

The main compartment zips open a little or a lot. 

Peak Design is offering several organization cubes for your clothes, your cables, toiletries and camera gear or drone. 

The packing cube makes it easy to keep your clothes tidy, it's waterproof and can be compressed or expanded. You can get a shoe pouch as well, to keep your dirty shoes from mucking up your bag. 

This cube securely mounts inside the bag and features the company's origami dividers that make it easy to customize the interior without the bulky pads you'll find in most camera bags. 

This pouch uses the same great origami dividers as the camera cube. The outside of the pouch has a pocket with a cable pass-through so you can charge your phone, but still have it handy. 

Little pockets inside help keep your cables organized. 

Keep your toiletries together while preventing leaks with this pouch. 

There's a big laptop sleeve at the back of the bag that'll hold a 15-inch MacBook Pro as well as a tablet. It's a snug fit, so the laptop stays put. 

Whether you need more space when you're packing up or packing out, a zipper around the outside lets out the bag for more room. 

The Kickstarter project ends tonight, so if you want to pick one up at a lower price than when it starts shipping in December, you'd better get on it. The company has also added a duffel and duffel backpack that are worth checking out, too.