A bag is a supremely important part of a man’s wardrobe.
Not only is it a functional item, it’s also a reflection of your style.
A bag is something that you’ll be wearing everyday, whether you’re going to school, or work. So it’s important to pick a bag that meets both your needs in terms of utility, but also works alongside your general style.
When looking for a backpack, you want to keep your eye out for designs that you really are attracted to, but at the same time, you want to ask yourself if the design of that bag fits not only your lifestyle, but your personal style.
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Things To Consider When Buying a New Backpack
- Size / Weight of the bag.
You’re going to be carrying this bag for hours on end, several days a week. You have to really keep in mind what size and weight bag you want. If you take the train to work, do you really want a huge hiking bag that is going to be smacking people in the face? If you have back problems, are you going to pick a super heavy bag? These are simple things to ask yourself when looking at the size and weight of a bag.
- Waterproof or not?
Do you carry valuable assets inside your bag? Perhaps a laptop, or other electronics? Even if you only carry paperwork, if it’s valuable enough to you, consider opting for a waterproof bag. Especially if you live in a very rainy city like Vancouver.
- Quality of the bag
Are you just looking for something cheap to get you through the day? Or do you want a high quality bag that will never give up on you. You can easily determine the quality of a bag by looking at things like: materials, construction, stitching and the overall brand reputation.
- Does it work with your style?
Perhaps one of the most important factors when deciding to buy a top quality bag is knowing if it fits your style. So what does this mean exactly? Well, if you’re buying a bag for work, and you usually dress in a suit, buying the same backpack as a high schooler isn’t exactly going to bode well for your image. Using the wrong type of bag in general will make you like goofy (imagine seeing someone with a big hiking bag wearing a suit). So for sure it’s important to know what you will be using the bag for, and what style of bag fits in with YOUR general style.
How To Style A Backpack
- Contrast
Having a contrast between your general clothing style and the bag that you carry is actually a very good choice to make. Here is an example:
- Monochrome
Going for an overall monochrome look also works very well when you stick with a basic color like black.
- Color
Typically when looking at men’s bags, you want to go for plain and versatile colors. Thing means sticking to classics like black, brown, grey, navy, charcoal and burgundy.
However, this isn’t a strict rule!
If you find a bag that isn’t a plain color but you still love the look of it, it probably will work for you.
Just keep in mind that buying a bag that is more “out there” in terms of design won’t always fit in with your wardrobe. And if you’re going to be using this bag every day, it will quickly have you going from “Oh there’s that guy with the cool bag” to “that’s really tacky!”.
- What will you use the bag for?
This is perhaps the most important aspect of buying a bag that you should keep in mind. If you buy a bag that doesn’t suit what you actually need to use it for, it’s pretty useless, isn’t it?
Backpacks
The classic backpack is a staple for students everywhere for a reason. It has utility, function and style all packed into one.
You can pair a backpack with pretty much anything (unless you’re one of those guys that wears a suit to your high school classes, which in that case, you need more helps than just this bag guide).
Even if you aren’t a student, a backpack is the ideal choice for someone that commutes for a decent amount of time during the day. Let’s be honest, even holding a light messenger bag for more than a few minutes will have your arm pretty sore.
If you’re traveling around, especially if you’re exploring a new city, backpacks are also an ideal choice. You can fit a bunch of stuff into them, and it’s a lot less bothersome carrying a backpack all day than any other type of bag.
Wearing a backpack doesn’t mean looking juvenile – there’s so many different options in terms of style and function that you can find a really good backpack for your needs.
Here’s a few options to consider.
- Canvas Backpacks. These are the classic type of backpack you have in your mind when someone mentions the word backpack. Classic, timeless and functional. Canvas backpacks work great if you have a pretty basic style, even preppy styles work great with a canvas backpack.
- Technical / urban backpack. These backpacks look more sophisticated and technical. Perfect if you’re going looking for a less juvenile option. Technical backpacks work amazing if you have a more streetwear / techwear oriented style. Black is a key color when it comes to these styles of backpacks. Just in general, this style of backpack looks cool as hell.
- Best Backpack Brands:
Brand reputation and name recognition is important. Especially when it comes to quality. Here are our top backpack brands for men:
- Everlane
- JanSport
- Fjällräven
- Herschel
- Timbuk2
5 Best Backpacks For Men
Here are 5 backpacks we believe will work amazing for you in 2019.
1. Everlane Modern Snap Backpack
This is a great modern styled backpack that has an amazing monochrome look without looking uninspired.
The look is very sleek and minimalist. Your first impression of this backpack will be that is it very solid-looking.
Looks may deceive you as this is actually a heavy backpack compared to other backpacks you might’ve owned. (That still doesn’t mean it’s that heavy) but it goes to show the quality of the materials used is high quality.
Another contributing factor to the heaviness of the backpack is the amount of padding put into the bottom of the backpack. This is perfect for keeping valuables like a laptop safe. That’s why I recommend this as the best backpack for laptops.
Now this backpack does use snap on technology to secure itself which might make some people nervous – but don’t fret, when you feel how high quality the snap is on this backpack you will be confident that none of your items will go flying out of the backpack if you jump, run or fall.
Overall, this is an amazing high quality minimalist designed backpack that stands the test of time.
2. Amazon Basics Backpack
Believe it or not, not everyone is looking for the newest designed backpack with every bell and whistle you can think of.
If you’re looking for a backpack that rivals in quality with notable brands, but is half the price, I recommend an Amazon basic backpack.
You get all the function and utility you require without the markup of a brand name.
Now anytime you’re looking to buy a bag but it mysteriously seems to be half the price of all the other bags, you start questioning the quality.
No need to fret, the Amazon Basics backpack is well made and durable. The straps are strong and secure, and the backpack overall is made with quality material and constructed really well.
When it comes to the size, the backpack is actually more of a mid-sized bag, which might not be obvious from the pictures.
This backpack also has quite a few pockets, which makes it easy to stay organized. The backpack can easily fit your laptop, your water bottles on the side and maybe even an umbrella in case you it’s a bit rainy outside – you get the point, it’s spacious.
In conclusion, this is the perfect backpack for someone not too worried about the latest fills and thrills and simply wants something functional, that gets the job done, and lasts a long time.
3. The North Face Jester
If there is one thing I’ve learned about being alive in the world, is that you will probably do a lot of walking.
Whether if you’re walking from class to class, or going on a hike, when you’re carrying stuff for long periods of time, comfort is a pretty important feature.
Without the right backpack, you’re doing tons of damage to your back and shoulder, and trust me even if you don’t feel it now, you will in the future.
The North Face jester definitely impresses in the comfort department, but it’s also no slouch when it comes to style. It’s definitely a very classic and sleek aesthetic.
If you’re a fan of storing lots of things in a bag, you’re going to love this one. You can fill it to the brim with your laptop, notebooks, pens and pencils and still have room for more.
If comfort, style and utility are your thing, you’re going to love The North Face Jester.
4. Fjallraven Raven
Fjallraven is perhaps one of the most well known brands when it comes to backpacks, and for good reason.
Their brand reputation has been built on producing high quality backpacks for every use you can imagine.
The Fjallraven Raven is our favorite model because of it’s versatile usability.
Whether you’re on the go college student, office worker, or an outdoors men, you will find utility with this backpack. You will be impressed with how the Raven adapts to any situation you throw at it.
The sleek simple design allows this bag to fit any aesthetic, it’s basically a camellon in both functionality and style.
I love packing my 16 inch laptop into this bag and going for day trips around the city, getting work done at various coffee shops.
The point is, this backpack is high quality, it’s durable and sturdy, it fits a ton of stuff and keeps all that stuff safe and look good while doing it.
5. Carhartt Backpack
The Carhartt brand is one of the most underrated brands in my opinion.
Not only is their general clothing pieces very high quality, but their backpacks are also a hidden gem.
People that rely on durability would be hard pressed to find a better work backpack. It has everything you’d want in a highly durable bag.
It’s waterproof, and has a reinforced base. It’s padding on the inside will keep your laptop or any electronics you might be carrying super safe.
The style is very simple and rugged, as all things Carhartt are.
Seriously, this is a backpack made of some heavy duty 1200-denier polyester, so if you lean towards the durability on the scale of what you’re looking for in a backpack, this is the one.