I’m looking for recommendations for a backpack that will be used for commuting to work. What I’m looking for would have one large compartment that I could put a shirt and a pair of pants in, a Bluetooth speaker, a large Contigo water bottle and maybe some miscellaneous stuff. I don’t want a hundred pockets and compartments (internal or external). All I seem to be able to find are laptop backpacks or hiking backpacks that are just too “busy” with features that would just get in the way or waste storage space. I really don’t want to have to resort to buying a laptop backpack and then cutting out all the internal compartments with a razor blade. That’s just dumb, and I worry that what’s left after cutting would start to fray and fall apart. Durability and and convenience are top priority but price isn’t a huge issue (within reason).
TIA.
Update 1: Since there have been several positive comments re. JanSport bags… That’s what I’ve decided to try. I pulled the trigger on this bag. It’s a bit fancier (suede parts) than what I was originally planning but it ticks all the boxes. The fact that they have a Canadian store and free shipping is icing on the cake.
Update 2: Bag just arrived today. It’s nice, really nice. I almost feel bad about the abuse it’s going to take. The canvas is quite thick and has a very high quality feel to it. Same for the suede. Doesn’t feel cheap at all. It’s just the right size for my needs. At first glance the external water bottle pocket looked too small to fit any kind of reusable bottles but I tried forcing it a bit and found it has a very strong elastic band that holds the pocket folded against the main body of the bag. We’ll see how long that elastic band holds up. The zippers feel nice but I don’t know what brand they are as they have a stylized “JS” on the zipper pulls. It does have a laptop sleeve that I was kinda hoping to avoid but the way they’ve done it is very nice. It’s a zippered full length pocket not accessible from within the main compartment. It’s kinda hidden between the top mounting points of the shoulder straps and the upper flap that covers the main compartment zipper. Overall I’m very happy with this bag and I think the price is about right for the quality of the materials and construction of the bag.
Thanks everyone for your input.
Don’t overthink it, look at classic Jansport bags. I’d gone through so many different backpack companies looking for a decent, reasonably priced backpack that wasn’t bogged down with useless shit but still had some organization for my daily carry stuff. I commute to work on the train and have to bring tools, not to mention some odds and ends for sporadic use, rain gear. So I got a bigger one, but it sounds like you could go with the medium size and you’d be right as rain.
It seems like bags these days are really pieces of shit, or they’re these super involved and stupidly expensive bags that are just entirely unnecessary. I’m glad I got a Jansport again. I just wish I had thought of it before I tried like four others that sucked.
That’s my problem. The bags that I see that look like they would meet my needs are really basic and cheap looking. Like the fabric would tear in the first week of use. I need to carry my work uniform, a BT speaker, 2 Contigo bottles and maybe have room for some other random stuff. I just need to throw it all in a single compartment and go. I only have to carry it as far as the car, toss it on the back seat and then carry into work from the parking lot. Don’t need chest and waist straps, don’t care how thick the padding is in the shoulder straps, don’t care if it’s waterproof, it will never hold my laptop, don’t need all the useless bells and whistles that seem to be so popular these days.
Definitely Jansport. They have the classic bags that don’t even have the laptop sleeve against the backpad inside the large pocket. Although I found use for that pocket to store my book, so I can always find it quickly and it doesn’t get ripped.
I have the classic Jansport, just broke it out again after my swissgear laptop bag started giving up the ghost. Can’t believe I stopped using it lol, it’s lovely.
Right?! Jansport served me so well my entire childhood. And then I just totally forgot about it when I wanted a “basic-normal looking” backpack that was simple and made sense. Long live Jansport.
Maxpedition has a “Prepared Citizen” line that is basically a Jansport design with very durable fabric like military packs use. Not everyone’s taste but a cool idea imo
@TheFriar @DeepChill As a generally low-income person who recently spent hundreds on a backpack I will defend expensive products lol. To me, if it uses recycled materials, fair trade labour, and the design is something innovative and thoughtful, it’s worth it.
You do pay more for features. I got the WANDRD PRVKE which has a divided main compartment with 3 access points, a handful of hidden pockets, weatherproofing, a very structured and padded harness system and more, because that’s what I like
Fair enough. OP seems like they really don’t need much more than something simple, though. That looks like a great utility backpack for specialized needs and a technical job with many little pieces for specific gear. It looks great, and it’s one of those backpacks that I always imagine I’d really enjoy, but I’m disorganized and like quick access to a big pouch and nothing else. I have a few Klein pouches I keep more specialized categories of smaller stuff in, and I think that’s as good as my organization gets. That bag looks great for professional camera stuff or something.
Jansport is excellent. I recently sent a 30-year-old bag in for warranty work which they honored at no cost to me other than shipping. A great choice.
They are designed for motorcycles but this is what I used commuting on my bike. One outer pocket, an inner flap and the rest is open space. Expensive, but nice
The Max 28 looks interesting. Thx!
My daughter is 14. My Timbuk2 pack is several years older than she is. Can’t recommend highly enough.
The Mystery Ranch Catalyst might fit what you want. Comes in a few sizes, but it’s a very sleek pack that is well built and durable.
I’m not sure if this is too military for you but Savotta Jääkäri S seems to match your description for the most part.
There’s one big pocket, smaller on in the inside of the lid and a separator for drink bladder that also functions as laptop pocket but doesn’t take away any space if you choose not to use it.
Varusteleka is a Finnish military surplus store. They have their own “Särmä” product line aswell but other than that they’re just a retailer. Savotta, however - the manufacturer of the backpack I linked, is a very well known and highly appreciated Finnish military/hiking gear manufacturer that makes gear for the Finnish Defence Forces aswell. Their quality is absolutely top notch. I have both, Jääkäri S and Jääkäri L backpacks among their other gear aswell.
What comes to that specific online store; the descriptions actually are honest. If the product is shit it says so in the description. I’ve seen examples of that before and especially the Finnish descriptions are sometimes hilarious. I’ve bought a ton of stuff from there and everything has met or exceed my expectations.
Edit: You’re probably talking about the 202 LJK Daypack. It’ll last two lifetimes.
Oh, ok. I like the pic with the bag full of rocks. I’m not that hard on the equipment but it’s nice to know the materials are that strong… if it’s not just marketing wank.
Chrome has a few different sizes of this bag. It’s a simple waterproof bag but really matches your description and I’ve been really happy with mine.
I got one of those, and it was like a black hole for my shit. Every time I needed something, I had to empty the entire bag. I sold it after like a couple weeks of use.
That’s fair!
Based on OPs description, I think the black hole vibe is what they were going for. It filled a particular niche for me too, since it’s such a simple waterproof design and a blank slate to use my own organization and mix of other bags or pouches.
Most of the backpacks I think of all have a laptop compartment. The only two that come to mind that don’t are Jansport and Fjallraven. I don’t have any experience with either but I know they’ve been around for years(decades).
I’ve had a canvas Jansport for almost 30 years, I carried it for 3 years in middle school and it’s been a hiking backpack since. If they’re still made the same and you get a cloth one instead of those plastic character backpacks then it should last forever.
I recently got a Jansport after years of kind of forgetting about them, having used them for decades at school. Still great quality, exactly what I needed. So glad with the purchase. Best purchase I’ve made for my work in a long time.
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GoRuck is on the pricy side, but the bags are bulletproof. I’ve been abusing two of them for nearly a decade and they basically look new.
