The 7 Best Backpacks for Grown Men

The Everlane Modern Snap Backpack has at least one thing in common with the JanSports of your childhood, a downright affordable price tag. But that’s where the similarities end. This backpack is well made, built to last ages and most importantly, won’t cramp your style. Cotton twill exterior. Cotton/polyester lining. Leather details. Expandable drawstring design. The clean, simple design and low cost (if anyone else was making this backpack it would cost more than $200) make this what might be the best travel backpack on the market.

Drawing on founders Dan and Trent’s decades of experience in the the fashion and accessories industry, HEX creates usable pieces of gear that fuse their eye for style, their love of technology and premium materials. Made with cotton or nylon and outfitted with leather and canvas accents, the streamlined HEX Agency Alliance Backpack has enough room for everything you need (laptop, iPad, phone, pens, notebooks) and nothing you don’t (a full load of textbooks).

There’s almost nothing that comes out of either The Hill-Side or Woolrich that we don’t immediately like, so it should come as no surprise that the two of them working together resulted in one of the best men’s backpacks out there. Designed to be a functional, versatile, daily-use piece and built out of quality materials like 900 and 1680 Denier, moisture-resistant neoprene and polyester canvas lining, this backpack has enough space to keep all your essentials handy in style.

Like plenty of the other backpacks on this list, the Aer Fit Pack is made with durable materials, adjustable shoulder straps and interior pockets for each piece of your EDC. What separates the Aer Fit Pack from other options is the split seam zip front loading pocket that makes it easier to load and unload than the more traditional horizontal zip base pocket. This design also gives the backpack one clean line from top to bottom.

The Tessel Jet Pack 2.0 backpack perfectly blends the lines between professional and fun. The composite faceted panel adds a much needed pop of geometric style to the otherwise streamlined bag, but it does it in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the overall silhouette. 210D PU ripstop nylon construction, a faux fur lined laptop sleeve and improved ergonomics make this bag easy to carry all day without having to worry about the elements.

DSPTCH made a name for themselves with their clever paracord camera straps, and you’ll find the same caliber materials and clever design in their Utility Ruck pack. With enough space and interior elastic mesh pockets inside for a laptop, notebooks, water bottle, and a pair of sneakers, the DSPTCH Utility Ruck takes you from home to work to gym and even on a weekend getaway with absolute ease.

At close to $600, the Saddleback Leather Medium Front Pocket Backpack is likely more expensive than any individual piece of gear you’ll put inside except your laptop or tablet. It doesn’t include individual interior pockets for all of your gear, but what it lacks in what we’ll call “backpack tech” it more than makes up for in style, construction and heritage. It’s made with 100% full-grain boot leather. It has one large interior compartment and three easy access exterior pockets. It’s so well built that it also includes a 100 year warranty. And it doesn’t hurt that it looks like the bag Indiana Jones would take on an adventure. It’s an investment piece to be sure, but this is the kind of backpack that your kid’s kids will fight over long after you’ve kicked the bucket.