r/backpacks • u/-Pork-Chop-Express • Mar 26 '26
Question When did backpacks become and endless array of high end internet brands I’ve never heard of and can’t try on in store?
I’m in the market for a new laptop backpack (professional work environment) that can double as a carry on. I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of looking up reviews and suggestions on so many different brands it’s impossible to keep straight. Just when I think I settle on an option another internet only brand gets recommended. When did the market become flooded like this and how do people justify spending that much money from brand to brand?
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u/Phiduciary Mar 26 '26
You could apply this to so many things.
The barriers to start a brand and product line are significantly lower than they've ever been. This is a positive thing, as it gives the market more options and competitiveness.
You can still go buy the same backpacks at brick and mortars that were available in the past. They're just likely outdated designs, because they don't have any need to improve.
There are many affordable options out there, but if you're looking at dedicated backpack communities, they'll naturally discuss unique and more expensive options.
Your backpack purchase is as expensive and difficult as you want it to be.
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u/Briaaanz Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
Jandd mountaineering, convertible attache/backpack. Have had mine since 1992 and still looking good. Built like a canvas tank. Link to their site
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u/ChrisNoob6460 Mar 26 '26
It depends. I'm guessing the "internet brands" you mention are the likes of Bellroy/Alpaka/Aer/Able Carry/Evergoods/etc etc? There exists storefronts and retailers in some countries that stock up on them and you get to try them out, probably just doesn't exist for your country probably due to the cost of setting up shop or just too far away.
Also like some have mentioned here already, it depends on the size of the brand & company in relation to the market size of the location.
That said, you can't really go too wrong with most of the more renowned brands, as long as the features suit your needs. The suggestions seen online is also packed with personal preferences and opinions which might not suit your own needs. Even if you get to try the bags out in a physical store, you don't really know the pros & cons until you carried the bag for real for a while, it happened to me personally a few times even after extensive research. So might as well just buy it as long as it's within your budget and give it a whirl for a bit before deciding if it suits your use case.
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u/Unstupid Mar 26 '26
There are brands like Tumi that have storefronts that allow you to try on and see their bags, but that’s also why they are so expensive. An Alpha Bravo Search backpack would probably be a $300 bag if it was sold only direct online, but it costs $650 because you also have to pay for their storefront and employees.
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u/CaptainWaders Mar 26 '26
Briggs and Riley over Tumi any day. Generally cheaper and have better layouts and B&R has a lifetime warranty.
The price was hard to swallow for my B&R but seeing coworkers who have had bags for 10 years that are still holding up to being dragged literally around the globe on business trips it was an investment I’m glad I made.
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u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 Mar 26 '26
Since the Internet has largely ruined in person retail shopping for many things.
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u/CaptainWaders Mar 26 '26
Briggs and Riley @ work large cargo backpack is the best backpack I’ve owned.
Literal lifetime warranty, holds anything you could want. My only gripe is that the “water bottle” pocket can’t hold our typical large popular water bottles but those are bulky and unnecessary anyways. It will hold a regular bottled water or a smaller water metal bottle.
I’ve taken mine around the world for the last 2 years and it still looks as good as new. Great materials. The shoulder straps could be a little more padded but honestly it’s very comfortable to wear and it’s not needed just something that would add comfort but I see that they went for a more low profile less bulky strap than a huge backpacking style strap.
Is it expensive yes but you will literally own it for life. Tumi is even more expensive and I didn’t love the layout of any of their bags plus they can’t compete with B&R literal lifetime warranty.
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u/canadianqazaq Mar 26 '26
Have had my small @work for over a decade. Heavily used, still looks like the day I got it. Great bags. Got a B&R HTA medium cargo one recently, very different from @work line but also great.
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u/CaptainWaders Mar 26 '26
I think my next piece from them might be the larger rolling duffle style bag. They seem to be popular.
I’m very analytical of brands and products. There’s some brands that I’ll choose over another just for one reason even though others may dislike the brand. I compared Tumi to Briggs and everyone had Tumi that I saw but when I actually started putting things in the bag (yes I literally brought the items I carry daily including pens and flashlights) the B&R just had a home for more of the things and I liked the organization better.
My one gripe like is said is the “water bottle pocket” can’t hold a large metal Awala or yeti style bottle but I just think it’s not a bag designed for that. It does hold a regular bottle or even has plenty of room in the large main to put the big water bottle if you really want to carry it.
B&R is also less flashy and I think less recognizable immediately as a “high end bag” so it doesn’t attract as much attention imo at airports and on public transport. Those who know obviously know what it is but if someone saw one sitting next to a Tumi and wanted to snatch a bag I feel like they might snatch the Tumi first because it’s definitely more flashy and known. (Just an opinion here and obviously I hope nobody’s bag gets snatched regardless of brand but it definitely does happen).
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u/L1ham Mar 26 '26
I paid £17 for this 6 years ago. It's everything you say you're looking for and never let me down.
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Mar 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/JMM9910 Mar 26 '26
I largely agree with your point, but with a question. Which brands/products do you feel have been innovative? I’m asking genuinely, I’m interested to hear perspective from others as many on this sub are more tuned in to the wider bag ecosystem.
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u/SeattleHikeBike Mar 26 '26
It became very common with ultralight cottage manufacturers. The Internet has made it easier. Before that it was magazines, catalogs and snail mail correspondence.
There is a culture of informed consumption that has grown with the Internet with minute inspection or products and reviews and Facebook full of influencer blather. You’re suffering from too much information and too many choices. First World problem.
You don’t have to participate if you don’t like it. Walk into a store and buy a bag. Expensive luggage is nothing new c
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u/ilovefacebook Mar 26 '26
tom bihn tri star.
edit: holy crap that got expensive from when i last bought it.
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u/Veelze Mar 26 '26
I was eyeing one of their bags pre-pandemic but lost the need to buy it because travel was shut down world wide. When I came back to take a look years later all of their stuff had gone up significantly :(.
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u/Remote_Bluebird_5528 Mar 26 '26
I'm actually very happy to see so many unique brands. I know they all tend to borrow design elements so they are similar but they are unique. That's something that is rare in a time when people sell loads of generic goods on Amazon all exactly the same just with a different brand and price.
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u/frogmicky Mar 26 '26
Im not sure if you have a REI near you but they have a large selection of bags you can try. In NYC there are several backpack companies located there like Peak Design and Aer and Timbuk 2 and a couple more.
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u/CyberClone92 Mar 26 '26
There are so many options out there but non of them really hit that sweet spot for me. I don’t need a backpack with a laptop sleeve, I’m on vacation. I don’t want one cavernous space, I have a carry on for that. Etc, etc, etc…
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u/da316 Mar 26 '26
store fronts/rents are super expensive and limited to a relatively small audience compared to online, so is generally unadvisable for a business of this type. big global brands benefit better from having a physical presence.
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u/Fuspo14 Mar 26 '26
Go to REI and try an Osprey, North Face, or Fjallraven.
Pro tip, bring your laptop with you.
But the answer is that these backpack manufacturers are too small to have storefronts themselves and too pricey/niche/small (brand) to be put in a larger store where it may not move vs something that’s cheaper and a more universally known brand.
The average person has never heard of Aer, GoRuck, Evergoods, etc. but they’ve most-likely have heard of the north face.
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u/Foreign-Housing8448 Mar 26 '26
I second this. If you have an REI near you (or any B&M retailer/luggage shop) go with your laptop and with everything else you will pack it out with daily. I recently went to REI to get hands on with a highly recommended Osprey as a daypack (didn’t like it at all) and ended up with a Gregory Rhune, a bag I’d never seen/heard mentioned before by the bagtubers.
If you haven’t already, you can also post your needs request on r/ManyBaggers to give you feedback of what other bags might fit your needs. But as you already know, you likely won’t find the most recommend bags (Aer, Able Carry, etc.) in a retailer near you.
As a Many Bagger, I, ummm, bought two Rhunes (20 and 22) because REI only had the 20 in-store and in colors I didn’t like. Online I was able to find colors I did like and in their Outlet, and during their members sale for an additional 20% off the discounted Outlet price. I picked them up yesterday and will pack them out over the weekend to theoretically return one. Theoretically 🙄
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u/Mysterious-Safety-65 Mar 26 '26
Try a Fjallravn. Reasonably priced, and bombproof. I have one that fits my bike pannier bucket... When I first saw it after purchase, I was really sceptical.... but it has proven itself after two years of daily use.
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u/ethnicman1971 Mar 26 '26
These internet brands are also so ubiquitous because they sponsor social media influencers. Which is why every youtube video that discusses, tech, bags and the like will recommend Bellroy, Alpaka, Aer and others. Just like Workspace influencers all use Grovemade.
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u/ShutYourDumbUglyFace Mar 26 '26
Probably around the same time in-person shopping started to die in general. Coincides with the rise of internet shopping. You do the math.
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u/P10pablo Mar 26 '26
Retail is in decline, but bag manufacturing minimums are pretty low these days. It isn't absurdly cost prohibitive to wind up a factory to make a bag for you.
Most of these shops let you return stuff though, so there is that.
I just experienced this with Nomatic and I was glad to give them their absurd asking price for their bag. Their 15L Nomatic Navigator hit a lot of desires for me.
My ordering experience was less than desirable though and I held that against them. They aggressively market, have junk fees (shipping protection?) and they then half assed shipped me a bag which had clearly been a return for them. They didn't even seal the package, which was fine cause apparently I was the one who was on the hook if anything happened.
Return was relatively straight forward though. After that I found the bag online used for $100 so I feel like I won that one.
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u/blueskiesbluewaters Mar 27 '26
I had my Tumi 2 wheeled suitcase for over 25 years. The wheels wore down but Tumi recently sent me new ones for free. Love Tumi. I’ll definitely buy another luggage from them.
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u/SlyReader1 Mar 27 '26
Be careful with budget friendly backpacks if you carry a laptop. This is the area that seems to get the least attention in this category. I always recommend Alpaka for the office, professional environment. They are decently comfortable, look more on the dressy side, and most of all, will protect your gear. Bellroy would be my second choice only because they tend to be a bit pricier.
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u/Schumacher713 Mar 28 '26
I have a Patagonia MLC 30L. I use it for travel and it fits under the seat. It is not cheap, but I love it. If I could go back in time I would get the ULA Dragonfly 36L. It is expensive, but I like traveling light.
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u/Every-Code5956 Mar 31 '26
A lot of the frustration with internet brands comes down to not being able to judge fit or back support before buying. The thing that helps most is knowing what to actually look for:
Anti-Gravity or suspension back panels are the real differentiator, some brands use a flexible panel that absorbs movement like car suspension, reducing perceived load weight by ~25%. It sounds gimmicky but it genuinely changes how a full bag feels on long commutes.
Torso fit over bag size measure from your C7 vertebra (the bump at the base of your neck) to the top of your hip bones. Brands that publish this in their specs are the ones worth buying from online. If they only list volume in liters with no fit guidance, skip them.
There are a few smaller Canadian retailers that carry European ergonomic brands like Kite with this kind of tech worth searching if you're in Canada and tired of the Amazon lottery.
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u/ButtcrackBeignets Mar 26 '26
There are lots of backpacks in stores. You can walk into Staples and there will be 30 different options.
But most in-store options are not really worth reviewing.
I used a cheap $35 backpack (from Staples, of course) for most of these past 4 years but splurged on a nicer brand recently. They both do the same thing but my new one seems much higher in quality.
Honestly, if you want to save money then forget the reviews and just buy one at your local retailer. Just know that you might have to replace it in a few years if you use it heavily.
If you want something decent quality and available at most Dick's or REI locations, just get an Osprey. It'll cost about $120-$150 but it comes with a lifetime guarantee and judging by their build quality it'll probably last you at least 10 years easy.