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Backpacks

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Patagonia Stormfront Pack

If you absolutely need to keep your gear dry than this is the bag for you. Great for carrying electronic gear while on the water or under one Thailand's famous downpours.

This ultra-simple waterproof pack is made from welded, polyurethane-coated nylon and features a revolutionary easy-to-use waterproof zipper and internal, custom-fit padded gear case. It's comfortably supported by a removable shoulder-strap harness. Take the harness off and – voilà – you have the perfect dry boat bag. An internal molded pocket keeps valuables organized and extra dry, while the external mesh pocket holds your hydration reservoir.

The Stormfront Pack's poor straps (for the price) and size might make it unsuitable for carrying allot of gear under more demanding situations.

Patagonia Stormfront Pack

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Penfield Colrain

The Penfield Colrain backpack's air-flow back padding and stowaway storm cover are defining features that make this bag a great choice for this part of the world. Nothing makes arriving at your destination more uncomfortable than a sweaty back. It's a large bag with space for your laptop. Unlike many bag brands, the Colrain is made in the USA.

Penfield Colrain. Via Uncrate.

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DwellStudio Baby Backpack

I really love this series from DwellStudio - very playful. The backpack costs a bit more than it should but if it makes my daughter or son happy than it is worth the extra expense (who am I fooling, this is more to my taste than theirs). You might check out their other products with the same pattern.

DwellStudio Baby Backpack - Transportation

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Fjällräven Kanken Rucksack

Made by Fjällräven, a company which has experienced enormous success in Nordic countries, the Kånken rucksack gives you the option of carrying the bag like a tote or a backpack. The bag allows you to share your keen sense of style with your kids as the straps can be pulled tight allowing the bag to fit a child. It's generous sizing and durability make it perfect for a variety of day long activities. Comes in white but that would look fresh for about 5 minutes if used by my family.

Fjällräven Kanken Rucksack

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Y's Mandarina Backpack

Backpack by Yohji Yamamoto for Mandarina Duck. Unique form for a utilitarian bag- the back of the bag with it's uniform spaced buttons and oval shape give the impression of a smiling face. The backpack is made from a light-weight polyamide/cotton/polyurethane blend. The main compartment has a large zipper pocket as well as four medium sized pockets. The bottom has a zip-open expandable compartment which opens to reveal another zip pocket. Fully taped seams and adjustable straps.

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Porter 'Zoom' bags

Found on Arknets are a new range of casual bags - the Zoom Collection. It's a big hard to translate the Japanese. This new line includes backpacks, messenger bags, waist bags, and cases. The messenger pictured above is a combination of oil/water resistant leather and nylon in black, while the others, seen after the jump, include a modernistic silver. The silver is a bit too space 1999 for me. All are viewable at Ark.

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Lafuma Naia 25 Daypack

Now that summer is in full swing my wife and I are finding more time to take day trips with the kids through-out the middle of the island. My wife thinks that our old LaFuma backpack is starting to show it's age. At 12 years old I think it's just coming of age but with all the new bags I have brought into the house over the years it's hard to present a convincing argument.

The Lafuma Naia 25 Daypack offers a women-specific fit which might answer one of my wife's constant complaints that our current bag never feels right on her shoulders. It's made from 420-denier polyamide which will help keep in one piece on and off the trail. The large main compartment, 2 interior zippered pockets, and 2 exterior front pockets provide 25 liters of space in total - more than enough for our needs. Our current backpack does a great job of keeping the pack off our backs, important with the weather we have around here, hopefully the mesh on the back panel will provide similar comfort. The included raincover is a nice addition.

REI has the Lafuma Naia 25 Daypack on sale.

Some other women's backpack's worthy of consideration:
Black Diamond Bullet Pack is cheap but a bit small.
The Tom Bihn Smart Alec is beautiful and will last a lifetime but the back of the bag might make you sweat.
MEC Air Hiking 28 is fantastic but suffers from bland styling.

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Bagjack Transformable Messenger Bag

Another great bag from The Glade catalogue, the Stone Island Shadow transforms from a messenger bag to briefcase to backpack.

With the lid zipped and the straps across your chest you get a full capacity backpack, with the lid zipped open and buttoned to the inside you have a messenger bag, with the lid flipped towards the back (covering the strap system) - you get your briefcase... with a little practice you will become a true master of this bag.

From bike to office to weekend getaway.

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Goodhood & R.Newbold Fell Runner Back Pack

A result of a collaboration between R.Newbold and London store Goodhood, the Fell Runner Back Pack, looks like allot of fun. I love the color. Made with cotton canvas in the body and suede at the bottom with padded and reinforced back panel and straps. I have a similar day pack but it doesn't have this bags zest or style. Great for urban hiking and you might even safely fit a netbook in there.

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Eley Kishimoto styles Eastpak

Venerable bag maker Eastpak has a limited edition run of their Authentic Line of bags featuring the results of a recent collaboration with designer Eley Kishimoto. The bags feature Eley's "Flash" print in reds, blues, blacks, and greys and whites on a number of backpacks and messengers. A nice update to bags which I used to associate more with toughness and functionality than urban chic.

Link: $50-$130

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Hideo Wakamatsu Attache Backpack

A popular style of bag, at least for those who are carrying a Lenovo laptop. I've seen them everywhere lately.

This 3-way (handgrip, shoulder-strap, backpack) attache features backpack straps that can be deployed during your commute or trip through the airport, and stowed when you arrive at your office or meeting. High-tech hollow-threaded Japanese nylon reduces weight, increases durability, and has a shimmery look. Hideo takes advantage of the low weight to add lots of features and pockets that would be prohibitively heavy if done in a lower grade of nylon.

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Headliner Stashpack Backpack

You see a lot of branded editions of Headliner's excellent Stashpack series of gig bags all with their own unique twist to a classic design.

This exclusive Ableton-branded edition of Headliner's Stashpack series is limited to 100 pieces, each individually numbered. The Stashpack is tailored out of weather- and tear-resistant ballistic nylon with lockable YKK zippers inside and out. The fur-lined, padded compartment accommodates 12" to 17" laptops. The main compartment is perfect for transporting a controller, extra vinyl, MIDI keyboard or clothes. Use the individual padded pockets for headphones, needles, external hard drives and more. Unique to the Stashpack are the Velcro cable straps that help organize your USB, RCA and XLR cables.

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Choosing the right backpack

Most of my opinions on travel have been formed on relatively short term jaunts - a couple weeks here, a month there, or a weekend away. So while I advocate a packing light mantra as a means to free yourself from the confines of heavy bulky gear I have no experience scaling this philosophy to trips lasting a year (I'm not sure I would want to constantly travel for a year but it sounds nice). Geoff in his travel weblog Itinerant Londoner has a detailed guide to choosing the right backpack within the context of a year long trip. His final decision rests with either a Lowe Alpine Travel Trekker ND60 or a Osprey Porter 65 which at 60-65 litres are far larger than the Tom Bihn pack I use. Though large for my tastes they are still far smaller than the packs I used to see backpackers in Thailand carry - backpackers too tired and encumbered from their huge packs to actually enjoy the environment they travelled to.

Travelling solo for a year means there will be very few constants in my life. The most important of which will be my backpack. Choose the right one and it will make my journey easier…choose the wrong one and I’ll be cursing it for being like a ball and chain that I can’t escape from.

I thought finding my perfect travelling companion would be easy, I figured it was largely a matter of deciding what size I wanted and then just choosing one. How wrong I was. What I thought would be a quick decision has taken ages…so I thought I’d share what I’ve learnt along the way, just in case you’re thinking of doing something similar.

He mentions the Osprey Porter 65 and the Lowe Alpine Travel Trekker ND60. Out of the two I would pick the Osprey Porter but the Porter 46 and not the 65.
Continue at the Itinerant Londoner

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Modem Laptop Daypack

North Face bags are known for their high quality, design, and ability to withstand all the extremes that weather and travel place upon them. This daypack is no different and should be perfect for your urban and travel experiences. It features a main compartment designed to carry your laptop, laminated back panel with breathable mesh, a small stash pocket in the front, and my favorite ykk #10 zippers.

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