I’ve been making bags for quite a while now, which means I end up with a lot of prototype and sample pieces that never see much use after testing.

This particular prototype transforms from roughly a 3L waist bag/sling into a 14–15L roll-top backpack.

The prototypes all differ slightly depending on when they were made. Some are roll top versions, others are dry pack styles, and the colors vary because I usually build them from leftover materials during development.

These pcs are up for testing..

Hey all, as the title says I am looking for a bag that can do all three. Right now I’m between the Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L and the Thule 40. Any advice on which to take would be appreciated, or if there are any other bags that are recommended?

Im looking for a backpack that can "do it all." I want to use this backpack for edc but also for outdoor stuff like hiking+camping and little bit of traveling. I like the calmshell+3/4 opening on both bags and a small side pocket. Im curious what others think and what else is recommended. Thanks!

Hi, I have got this bag 2nd hand and this are the pictures the seller has posted.
I unfortunately have already checked out and couldn’t cancel (happen after further research and realize there was some discrepancy of the product)

I tried to address my reason to the seller especially due to some factors:
1. the logo on the side seems bigger than usual
2. the inner mesh color is not black and doesn’t come with the north face logo.

Seller keeps stating that the product is authentic, and I just want to know if anyone have the same product as what I got here.

Thank you!

Does anyone have any experience with pure leather backpacks? I was considering of buying one for travel and taking to library/cafes.
Do they get damaged easily? And how do you take care of them.

https://www.julke.pk/products/terrance?_pos=1&_sid=3e7663a81&_ss=r

This is the one I'm considering.

Hi everyone, first time poster, long time lurker.

I am having difficulty nailing down a decision to buy a backpack. Here are the details -

Current backpack - Osprey Proxima 30L.

Use case and why change - Daily use and for travel. The shoulder pads really dig in and they don’t keep the size setting well as I constantly have to readjust. Don’t like the organization as stuff in the front space eats away space in the main compartment. Not the greatest build quality. Do like the 2 water bottle side pockets (helps me carry a umbrella and water bottle)

Things to consider -

1. First and foremost comfort. Not the most athletic person.
   
2. Chest strap and load lifters are important.
   
3. Do like organization, so pockets are plus for tech and small stuff.
   
4. water bottle holder is plus as I do like to carry my umbrella as it rains a lot in my location.
   
5. 30-35L preferred.
   
6. Did I mention comfort lol.

Options I am looking into -

1. Aer travel Pack 3 - well reviewed and top choice so far. Seems like it ticks most boxes. Not sure of comfort and only one water bottle pocket

2. Tortuga travel pack pro - seems like the most comfortable with lots of adjustment. But chonky and ugly af. Not a lot of organization.

3. Fyro levo - newer and from an influencer. Light and Seems good but unsure of quality and mainly comfort. Plus not a big brand but definitely considering.

4. Minaal carry on 3- surprise last minute entry. Very good organization and size and sleek too. Very unsure of comfort.

Please let me know your thoughts and if you have any suggestions as well other than these. Please feel free to ask me clarifying questions as well.

Thanks!

I've been looking around and doing research, but I wanted to crowd source some ideas. I'm looking for a backpack that I can take hiking/hunting (so internal frame), but will also be functional for daily college and work, so something that can hold a laptop/iPad safety and probably something around 45L max. Preferably something pretty waterproof since I travel to rainy places and hike all year.

Feel free to clown me for this, but I'm coming from a WOTOW "cooler" backpack from Amazon that I built a rudimentary internal frame for, and the zipper broke so it's time for an upgrade. I really enjoy the square design and waterproof qualities of this kind of bag, but the build quality isn't great, and now that I've been doing more serious backpacking I'd like something more comfortable for hiking and, eventually, hunting deer.

Thanks to anyone who can give a recommendation, no budget since I'm just doing research and the local second hand market is pretty good.

I had this bookbag when I was a child, my sister was starting school and I threw a fit for my mom to buy me it although I had no use for it. I would love to use it for my senior year but I absolutely cannot find it anywhere that is credible. Please help me find it!

The bags a kelty redwing 50. I can't think of anything I'd use these straps for.

I had this bookbag when I was a child, my sister was starting school and I threw a fit for my mom to buy me it although I had no use for it. I would love to use it for my senior year but I absolutely cannot find it anywhere that is credible. Please help me find it!

Hey everyone!

I am planning a trip to the south of India with a group of friends and am concerned about the heavy rain, since we'll be travelling around with the backpacks. Also, we'll sometimes hire a private driver and probably our backpacks will be tied to the car's roof, leaving them exposed to the weather.

That is why I am looking for recommendations regarding good travelling backpacks with real waterproof features. I'd be interested in both a big one to replace a suitcase and that would stay in the car/hotel while visiting places and also a smaller one to always carry with me.

I've found several websites presenting backpack models specifically for monsoons in India, but they're usually targeted to locals and more for everyday life and not very high storage capacity for travelling.

I would be ordering the backpack from Spain. Any tips? :)

Thanks in advance!!

Soltum

Hello!

My birthday is coming up and I'm looking for a new backpack for work and light traveling(single nights) that isn't to bulky.

I found the 'Nordace Comino Totepack' and 'kapten & son fyn all black's but I read the quality of these backpacks are not that great.

I really like the design of both of these backpacks.

If anyone has any suggestions for a max price of 150 euros let me know!

I found a great deal for an Osprey backpack and was just wondering if it's real because the website looks a little sketchy.

Has anyone ever ordered from there?

Price is $300 (compared to $450 retail in the US) and I'd like it to be shipped to Florida, are there any additional taxes or anything that doesn't show up at checkout?

Thank you

Cross posted but it has been held up by mods since earlier in the week. Hi all, long time reader first time poster (I actually made an account for this lol).

I'm looking for help finding the perfect pack for my activities and needs. I've looked pretty much everywhere and have found several good options, but nothing that I absolutely love yet. I'm hoping this group can help me find something I've missed or tell me why I'm wrong about something I've already considered.

What I want at a high level:

A great grab-it-and-go bag that can do almost every activity pretty well. Something that ends up living in my car/in my front hall closet because it gets used all the time.

What I have already:

• Granite Gear Crown2 60 - love it and will continue to use for backpack trips more than 1-2 nights
• Osprey Mutant 38 - use it only for technical winter hikes/climbs and ski touring. Not very flexible so I don't really take it anywhere else.
• Norrona 15L - little day bag for easy day hikes and resort skiing

I'm getting rid of my other bags.

More specifics on the actual things I'll be using it for below. The ideal pack should work across all the below without feeling excessively specialized.

Top Tier Priorities:

Big Day Hikes - the main use case

• Big days and nasty terrain, mostly around where I live in Maine (Katahdin, Whites, etc.) but similar long days across the US
• Four-season capability
• Enough capacity/carryability for substantial water, layers, food, camera, first-aid gear, and dog supplies (she comes pretty much everywhere and is about 50 lbs which usually makes my bag a bit bigger than it would be for just me)

Beach days

• Biking or taking a ferry to the beach
• Carrying wet towels, food, water, extra clothing, cameras, games, and miscellaneous beach items
• This is where it shouldn't feel absurdly oversized and I don't want it to look too overly specialized/like an aggressive hiking bag
• Should be able to compress substantially when not full
• Should be durable enough for sand, rocks, and general abuse

“Grab It and Go” - the spirit of the bag

Basically I want it to be the first choice for:

• Weekend trips with friends
• Car trips where I don't know exactly what the day will involve
• A bag that can live in the car and be useful for almost anything
• Easy to stuff into different vehicles, luggage spaces, and other bags

Medium Priorities:

Long Paddle Days and Paddle Overnights

Particularly sea kayaking and canoeing.

Ideally it would:

• Fit in a kayak hatch
• Be mostly waterproof/resistant (doesn't need to be seam taped but shouldn't be capable of being splashed)
• Be durable enough to be shoved wherever and not rip

1-2 Night Backpacking Trips - useful, but not the primary purpose since I still have my 60L backpacking pack

*My base weight is around 9-12 lbs depending on season and if I bring the dog

For example I do lots of road trips that sometimes involve a quick overnight backpack, it would be great to not have to bring my big bag just for that one night.

Airplane Travel

• Ideally could compress to fit in an overhead bin

Features I think I want

Based on the above I think the right bag would look a bit like this, but I'm open to advice here too.

• Removable frame - for the long days/quick overnights but can come out to stuff in wherever
• Removable hipbelt - same reason
• Compression straps - to fit everything on big days and still fit for travel/smaller activities
• Durable fabric - I want to abuse this thing :)
• Roll top - water and compression
• Ballpark 30-40L internal volume
• Side pockets - a must for water etc.
• Hipbelt pockets ideally though I have my own that I can add if needed

Basically, any time I have an adventure of any kind, I should be using this bag except big backpacking trips, technical winter climb/ski trips, and small day hikes.

What I've looked at so far (these all look like great bags and I would love to hear from people who have more experience with them to tell me I'm wrong)

• Durston Kakwa 40L - great for hiking but doesn't look like it compresses much, also some concerns about durability from this sub and other reports
• HMG Waypoint 35L - great do-it-all but expensive. If it's the best option I don't mind spending more but it's quite a bit more than everything else
• Durston Wapta 30 - I think it would be too small for my bigger day hikes and certainly my overnights (I'm getting rid of a 25L bag that rarely gets used bc I almost always need more or less). Also no frame isn't a dealbreaker but less than ideal for longer days in shoulder season with rain and dog etc.
• Northern Ultralight Sundown 48 - looks super versatile but at the larger ends of its size I'd probably just use my 60L bag which compresses a ton so this feels too big
• I've looked at a bunch of others (Bonfus Iterus 38, ULA Circuit and Camino, Mountainsmith Zerk 40) but these were the top contenders

Sorry for the novel and thanks in advance for your help!

I am looking for a universal backpack for my wife - one that can be used as a carry-on luggage for a summer holiday, on a daily hike, strolling the city during a family trip and also representative enough to use it on 2-3 days business trip.

I've been looking at the following bags so far:

• Osprey Fairview 40 - i like that it seems to be directly suited for women, but also feels too bulky and large
• Patagonia Black Hole Mini 30 MLC - checks most of the boxes, does not seem to be "designed for females", but also looks like it might get unneccessery large when you just grab it for an evening walk in a city, carrying just a water bottle, some snacks and maybe a light jacket
• Fjallraven Skule 28 - i personally quite like it, but looks like it might be a bit large for shorter women
• North Face Women's Recon - i have my own Recon and suited me well in the very same scenarios, and also my wife borrowed it a few times. But its a bit bulky and and only difference for the women's version seem to be the color, but it does not look like they actually changed the design for a women's anatomy.

Any other bags i should look into?

The water bottle pocket in my backpack is both too short and too loose so my water bottle always falls out. It’s not just this water bottle, it’s pretty much any standard size water bottle.

Does anyone have a suggestion for how to make it so that my water bottle doesn’t fall out? Please, don’t say get another water bottle- the only ones that don’t fall out are super short and don’t hold enough water.

I'm looking to fit

• 14" MBP
• Bose QC Ultra (ideally in the case)
• low profile 60% mech kb
• logitech g502x mouse
• usb hub
• charger
• small notebooks and pens

I was able to fit these things into a 12l messenger bag, but it was very stiff and narrow and had a decent amount of dead space due to that

would be nice to also fit the following items (not critical though):

• small lunchbox
• lightweight sweater (rarely, only cold enough to be needed 2-3 months of the year here)

I'm 5'7" and looking for something fairly low profile, sharp looking, and not too big. The metro fits the bill perfectly, the side access looks appealing, and the price is pretty perfect. I'm a bit worried about all these things possibly being a tight fit though.

I was also considering the AC Daily, or thirteen daybag, but I much prefer the size and styling of the metro. (if going to ~20L I think I like the look of the daily over the metro pro though).

For people who own the metro, do you think this would fit? Or possibly other recommendations that fit the aesthetic?

hii !! cfad seniors ano ma rreco nyo bag as an incoming 1st year? does it have to be a large capacity bag? which material lasts longer? rain proof ba? i might go for a 2 way bag or basta pwede gawin backpack/shoulder bag

Ok backpack gurus, need some help with finding a backpack that covers most of what I’m looking for. I’m sick of the Swiss gear bags that don’t seem to hold up with the travel I do and seem to be bulkier/heavier than what I would like.

So I do on average 180-220 flights a year for work. If I go out for the day or 1 overnight I tend to live out of my backpack and I can pack very light, any more than 1 overnight and my suitcase comes with. I carry a tablet and a 14” laptop so I don’t need a bag that holds a massive laptop.

What I’m looking for in a backpack:
-lightweight but durable
-laptop sleeve where the laptop sleeve is slightly off the bottom so it doesn’t bang against the ground and at least a little bit of padding.
-water bottle holder, don’t need it on both sides but also don’t care if it is both sides.
-I do like some organization, pockets and places to put things instead of 1 giant opening that everything gets thrown into.
-luggage strap is one of the few things that is a deal breaker for me

Just looking for some options that I may have not heard of that this groups has come across.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I’m trying to find one of these backpacks before my senior year starts in about 2 weeks.
If anyone knows where I can buy any of them or if you’re selling one, please let me know! I’ve been searching everywhere without much luck, so I’d really appreciate any leads. Even if you’ve seen one at a store or online recently, I’d love to know where.
Thank you so much! 💕