A mini backpack purse for women is a great alternative to a shoulder handbag if you need to have both hands free for all your other pieces of luggage. If it is styled to be more chic than a regular daypack that is specifically sold for travel, you can easily use it as your purse that holds your small essentials either while in transit or even while out and about in a city.

A good backpack purse should be big enough for maybe a small tablet, a snack, sunglasses, lotion etc., but not so big that it looks exactly like a travel backpack. Those are good but they have their place. Plenty of women want to look stylish at all times, so why not when traveling too?

If you’re worried about sticky-fingered thieves slipping a hand into the pack in a crowded train or attraction, you can carry it in front of you too, as its size is small enough not to obscure your vision or make it uncomfortable to carry this way.

Amazon has plenty of nice mini backpacks for women, but we’ve picked just 5 that we think are perfect as a small women’s backpack purse.

 

In faux leather

A small leather backpack purse is always a good choice, but they can be expensive and if there’s a chance that it will get wet, it’s better to avoid them. Here are some synthetic or PU leather options that you could choose from instead.

Tiny Chou Girls Mini Woven Spikes PU Leather Backpacks

We’ll start with one of the smallest backpack purses. This synthetic leather bag by Tiny Chou features quite a few stylish details that make a statement, from the woven texture to the metal hardware and studs along the top.

For organization, there’s a front zippered pocket, a slip pocket on each side, and a main compartment that opens via a U-shaped zipper. Inside this compartment is a slip pocket on one wall and a zipped pocket on the other. You can’t fit a tablet in here as its dimensions are 7.8″L, 5.1″W, 8.3″H, but anything else that you’ll need while on the go, will.

There are two ways to carry it – by the top handle or by the adjustable backpack straps.

Choose from 4 chic colors – black, beige, gold and silver grey.

 

Dasein Classic Convertible Backpack

For those who have to carry a few extra items wherever they go, a slightly bigger purse is needed. The Dasein classic backpack for women is designed to convert between backpack and a sling bag because the straps feature a zipper that you can use to zip them up to make a single strap for a sling version. For carrying comfort, the bottoms of the straps feature 4 snap buttons each to allow you to adjust their lengths through two D-rings at the bottom of the pack.

You have an amazing range of 13 colors to choose from and the faux leather exterior comes in one of two subtle textures. Some colors also feature a subtle black edged trim to give the bag a sharp and polished look. Another small difference is in the hardware – some have a gold-toned finish, while a few have a silver-toned finish. The front flap with buckle is purely decorative and does not go over the main compartment zip closure which opens on top. The zip can’t be opened without removing the pack and loosening the backpack/sling strap through the single top ring. This is a great protective design feature.

There are three exterior zipped pockets on this bag. All are vertical – one on the back and one on each side. The one on the back is an excellent place to store your wallet, as it makes it tough for anyone to get to it without you knowing – another good protective feature. Inside the main compartment are a zipped back wall pocket and a front wall slip pocket. There is enough space here for a mini tablet, clutch purse, phone and other odds and ends.

This bag measures 8″ L, 5 “W, 12” H.

 

Tinksky Vintage Shoulders Bag

This Tinksky fashion backpack in PU leather is a real looker and is available in 5 chic colors. All of the hardware is gold-toned and the rest of the design features are also in the same synthetic leather.

In addition to the two adjustable backpack straps there is also a sturdy top carry handle.

There are two pockets on the front exterior. The top one is zippered and the bottom is a flap covered one with magnetic snap button closure. A vertical zipped pocket is placed to one side on the back.

The main compartment opens from the top in a U shape via two zippers and has ample space for a full sized iPad. There are several pockets here for all your essentials.

This bag measures 9.8″ long * 4″ wide * 13.3″ high.

 

Coofit Korean PU Leather Backpack

If you have a tablet to carry, you could consider this Coofit PU leather pack that comes in a variety of colors and two different textures and is very strong and well made. Both are made of synthetic leather, but one has a soft and textured exterior with matching adjustable backpack straps, while the other has a glossy exterior with nylon adjustable straps. Everything else remains the same, including the convenient grab handle on the top and the gold-toned hardware.

The numerous organizational pockets on the outside and inside is what makes this bag appealing. The exterior has 4 zippered pockets in all – one U-shaped in the front, one horizontal at the back and one vertical on each side. The main compartment is protected by a flap that goes over the top and is fastened to the front by a clasp. Two exterior snap buttons and one interior magnetic button serve to keep this compartment closed.

Inside the bag are several zipped and open slip pockets for you to store loose change, a phone, sunglasses, etc. You can even keep a full sized tablet in here.

This backpack purse measures 11.0 * 12.5 * 5.5 inches.

 

In Nylon

For a completely water resistant option, a nylon bag is your best bet.

ECOSUSI Women’s Fashion Purses Nylon Backpacks

It’s not often that you’ll find a nylon washable backpack that looks chic, but this ECOSUSI mini backpack for women with polyester lining does. Just don’t use hot water! All the zipper pulls are made of washable synthetic leather and the hardware

There are three ways to carry this pack – either by the top grab handle, or by the lightly padded two-in-one backpack straps. These adjustable straps can be joined or separated by a zipper. When separated, each strap can be attached to their own D-ring at the bottom of the pack via a Carabiner clip. When zipped up into a single strap, you can unclip one of the straps from the bottom and clip it together with the other one to make a single sling strap.

There are two external vertical zipped pockets, one in the front and the other at the back. The main compartment opens via a full U-shaped double zipper with the top of the bag thinner than the bottom. Inside this compartment are 5 pockets – one large mesh with zip and the rest are smaller slip pockets.

This bag measures 9 x 3.9 x 12 inches and is available in beige, brown, purple and black.

 

Baggallini Cairo Backpack

The Baggallini Gold Cairo pack is another successful bag from the popular brand that specializes in water resistant nylon bags. You can get this in black or charcoal grey. The hardware on all the bags are gold-toned.

This is another pack that can convert from a double backpack strapped bag to a single strap sling bag by the pull of a zipper. The straps attach to bottom D-rings via Carabiner clips, so you alter the configuration easily. Unfortunately, the straps’ length cannot be adjusted by much and you may find them to be a bit long if you are a petite woman. However, this can be easily fixed at any shoe repair store.

There is an exterior front pocket that features a flap with a turnlock clasp to secure it. The back has a vertical zippered pocket. The main compartment opens via two zips and this space features several pockets for organization, including a pocket for a tablet, as well as a removable coin purse.

This bag’s dimensions are 14″ x 12″ x 4″.