Any recommendations for a backpack for daily commute which holds a 13" laptop securely and has convenient compartments for phone, lunch etc.
Should also be of a small size which works as cabin luggage for air travel.
I’m guessing there are some travel veterans on here with good recommendations.
Are there any with very heavy duty zips or mechanisms which avoid fragile zips?
I have a Tumi backpack, very sturdy, works well for short trips as well and fits under the seat on a plane. Not cheap though but had it now for some years and it still works great.
I have a 30min each way e-bike commute which I do all year round, and I used an EVOC Duffle backpack 26. A laptop slot close to your back, 1 or 2 small compartments and one big one with an adjustable hook. keeps everything dry even when it porrs. I did have a 16L version but found it a bit small.
Only downside is a bit lacking on ventilation, so my back can get a bit sweaty.
I can’t offer specific advice but sometimes wearing a heavy backpack for hours (at airports etc) can really be quite tiring but at times a backpack is so great.
So I always thought the backpacks which also have a handle and wheels were a great idea.
No idea what their drawbacks are apart from the obvious extra weight.
I go for leather. I find it more classy… Italians make design & quality wonders – mine (Genicci, in the photo) is a backpack, fits the computer, all of my computer and business daily sh*t it very smart inner and hidden pockets, and if needed, even a pair of shoes - let alone a lunch.
I’ve got a Mammut backpack for exactly thise situations and love it…
https://www.mammut.com/ch/de/products/2510-03911-7517/seon-transporter-25
That does look pretty cool, but why do they have a million photos of people carrying that bag and very few photos of the bag itself and how it is organised and what is inside?!
Doing a search, it seems that Wenger have a few options too:
https://www.galaxus.ch/de/s8/product/wenger-carbon-pro-compact-24-l-rucksack-59001202
https://www.galaxus.ch/de/s8/product/wenger-mx-professional-21-l-rucksack-14590107
https://www.galaxus.ch/en/s8/product/wenger-city-traveler-16-l-backpacks-11534728?skipAppLink=true
https://www.galaxus.ch/en/s8/product/wenger-pegasus-deluxe-25-l-backpacks-10710278
You reminded me of a girl I used to know who had an obsession with Tumi. I lost count of how many suitcases, backpacks, etc. she bought, but there was always one other one that was needed! 
you are lucky, I would expect obsessions to be more aligned to Gucci, LV and the alikes 
They are high quality bags, I have a 4 year old cabin trolley and matching rucsac and they still both look brand new despite dozens of trips a year. The ballistic nylon they use is much harder wearing than that used on cheaper mass produced bags.
As for Victorinox, Wenger and Swissgear, they are all manufactured by the same company. I don’t know about others, but I find their overuse of the Swiss flag on a Chinese made bag to be a little gauche.
Well, in my uneducated view, the prices seemed not that far off LV and Gucci 
I think there are a few that make using ballistic nylon e.g.
EDIT: OK, out of curiousity, I looked up some Tumi bags:
I don’t care how nice it is, I’m not paying 660 CHF for a backpack - and that seemed to be one of the cheaper ones!
You can easily snag one for half that on ricardo or eBay (brand new with tags), you just need to be patient. It may not be the latest model, but who cares?
I bought my last season alpha bravo rucsac at a Tumi outlet in the US for about $300. At that price and quality it made sense, but I wouldn’t have paid $6-700
I have an older samsonite unit, similar to this one. It is about 10 years old. Has travelled with me over 130,000 miles and regular use. still looks pretty ‘brand new’. Has held up well and protected my laptop well.Also has decent amount of storage for other stuff like ‘small grocery shopping’.
Never a problem with zippers. Also has padding in the back. Mine has a combination lock and the associated wire to wind through the zipper for security.
The only negative I can think of is that it’s a bit ‘heavier’ than other backpacks I have had before, when empty. As someone else said, weight can be a drag on travel trips …
Mine has “straps” to slide the suitcase handle through, so backpack sits nicely on my carry on suitcase while I drag/roll the suitcase … saves from backing the backpack …
Samsonite has hundreds of options and a reasonable filter function for features. I have had a laptop bag from them for many year, nothing ultra fancy but very practical and durable. No zipper issues. I would always go to a store and check models there instead of online buying.
I killed the zippers in my current bag by putting too much heavy stuff in it, the strain pulled on the zipper and bent several teeth so it doesn’t close any more. I’ve used it for well over a decade so it probably has earned retirement now.
I saw in other cases zippers get gummed up with something (maybe something spilled) and other zippers snap or run off the tracks.
I killed a Samsonite trolley once when I loaded it full of books so it was very heavy and pulled it over a kerb, on the drop, the axle of the wheel broke. I had a side handle snap off another one when taking it down from an overhead shelf.
The suitcase I now use has no zipper: it has a metal track and closes like a clamshell and has two levers which lock it closed. This one has survived a lot of punishment so far. Ironically, this was one was quite cheap and a spontaneous purchase.
Sure, but that sounds rather impractical for a backpack 
Probably. But the rolltops might be a good solution to avoid the situation with normal backpacks where the zipper bears the brunt of the strain of a heavily loaded backpack.
I noticed some like this one also add straps to provide strain relief on long exposed zips. This one also has load lifters so looks like they really thought about heavy loads.
Extra points: it has a loop that allows to put the backpack on top on the cabin-size trolley. Easier to keep an eye on your baggage.
