An appropriate backpack can ease a great deal of weight off your shoulders! It should protect your laptop while traveling to class, store your gym attire and snacks safely away, and serve as carry-on luggage during school breaks.
What’s more, your college backpack should fulfill its function and look good. To assist in selecting the ideal college backpacks for your lifestyle, we have compiled this list.
1. TOM BIHN Rennen
Tom Bihn is one of the premier backpack brands, offering an expansive selection of packs in different sizes, styles, and fabrics. Their bags are handcrafted in their Seattle factory, with many offering lifetime guarantees. Tom Bihn’s bags boast superior materials; each we have tested was exquisite in terms of fit and finish – no stray threads on tough fabric, yet no sign of wear on the hardware. All zippers glide smoothly, while buckles from Duraflex come with gated rings designed by Woojin to attach to hip belts or cache attachments by Woojin.
The Rennen is Tom Bihn’s inaugural roll-top bag and succeeds admirably. Big enough to hold a 15″ laptop, you can adjust its lid up or down as necessary to quickly find whatever you’re searching for – including its sizeable center-mounted hydration pocket! There are also numerous pockets and features like its signature O-rings, which allow users to attach accessories like travel bags, small organizational pouches, or tech pouches for use within other Tom Bihn bags.
Halcyon nylon blend provides water resistance and extreme durability – an excellent way to store electronics safely while looking fabulous! All other pockets are also practical, though shallow side pockets might make accessing your items challenging when your pack is full.
Rennen uses innovative new materials, along with high-quality zippers and hardware certified as Bluesign compliant, to give it an extra premium feel, including aluminum strap adjusters with magnets that snap on/off with satisfying tactility, plus its harness system made out of CORDURA nylon that flows nicely into its side wingtips.
2. Osprey Arcane Large Day
The Arcane Large Day backpack from Osprey is a challenging and durable design created to carry all your daily essentials for adventure. It features a main compartment padded to support up to 15″ devices or laptops and a zippered front panel pocket and interior organization area. Additionally, Osprey backs this pack with their All Mighty Guarantee and various color options like Stonewash Black, Haybale Green, Acorn Red, Milky Tea Tan, or Stargazer Blue for maximum style options.
The bag is constructed of recycled materials, and its 500 denier polyester outer shell is treated with PFC-free DWR coating to make it water resistant – another feature that helps the environment while distinguishing this pack from others. Also included on its left shoulder strap is a quick-release aluminum security hook to help secure it to immovable objects to protect it from being stolen or picked up by anyone else.
Additionally, the Arcane Large Day boasts an internal large zippered scratch-free pocket and 15″ laptop sleeve for protection of devices; stretch side water bottle pocket; small zip pocket and key clip; thick Neo Spacer mesh padding provides more comfort during carrying; plus stretch side water bottle pockets make storing bottles even easier! Lastly, its backside has extended ridge foam padding, making carrying even easier!
If you prefer something smaller, the Osprey Small Day offers 13″ laptop padded sleeves, a small zip pocket, and a key clip – perfect for city breaks or weekend getaways!
Osprey All Mighty Guarantee indicates their firm faith in their product. Should your pack become damaged, contact the customer service department, and they’ll fix it for free. This feature makes the Osprey pack truly valuable for its price – take advantage of it if it occurs to you! Additionally, for those unsatisfied with their purchase, they provide a 30-day return window where unworn and undamaged packs may be returned unworn and undamaged!
3. Eddie Bauer’s Adventurer
If you prefer the outdoors or something different than what is usually considered a freshman bag, this adventurer-inspired backpack could be perfect. It is packed full of features suitable for college, such as a spacious main compartment with a laptop sleeve, pockets for pens and gear, and side water bottle pockets – not forgetting chest and hip belts, which can help distribute weight more evenly when hauling your pack around campus – plus, it is waterproof. Hence, your stuff stays safe from water damage inside it!
This bag’s understated khaki colorway and minimal brand tag create a sophisticated appearance that won’t attract any unnecessary attention from professors in your 8 AM chemistry class. Furthermore, its affordability can make it attractive to students on tight budgets; its main compartment offers enough storage for all your school supplies. However, reaching the bottom may prove challenging, although this issue can easily be remedied with additional pouches or organizers.
North Face’s classic messenger-style backpack now has leather accents on its front pockets for an added collegiate flair! Perfect for professionals wanting to look professional while carrying their essentials, such as tablet and laptop devices, with over 5-star reviews on Amazon, it has received plenty of positive customer feedback.
Filson offers an ideal backpack with rugged durability and stylish aesthetics to tackle mountain adventures and classroom settings. This model can hold all of your books and supplies and has a padded laptop sleeve and water bottle pockets for convenient water bottle storage. However, shorter hikes might prove cumbersome, but most will accept that sacrifice as worth the trade-off.
4. Trakke Canna Backpack
The Canna is Trakke’s modern take on a travel backpack. Perfect for work or school use and short treks alike, its handmade Scottish fabric (waxed canvas) construction ensures daily durability.
It offers plenty of pockets to organize your gear and can hold a 13-inch laptop, along with side water bottle pockets and front storage pockets that keep essentials close at hand. Its rolltop design makes accessing laptops and gear easy, while its compression straps ensure compact loads. Furthermore, this backpack features an external admin panel featuring waterproof zips and a protective padded laptop sleeve to shield equipment against bumps and scrapes.
Trakke products are known for their beautiful colors and practical designs, and the Canna is no different. Available in Black, Whisky, Olive, and Port (burgundy), custom colorways can also be ordered to meet individual tastes.
The Canna’s main compartment is spacious and can be adjusted as needed; you can even cinch down when less room is required. Meanwhile, its side water bottle pockets accommodate 18-ounce insulated bottles comfortably; Trakke has even included gussets and elastic to improve fit further.
Trakke’s lightweight shoulder straps provide ample weight distribution while remaining comfortable and accommodating. However, Canna can attract pet hair, so be prepared to use a lint roller.
Canna’s insulated rain cover is another beautiful feature of its pack; it fits over its bottom and can be easily rolled up when not needed to provide extra protection from heavy downpours or unexpected snowstorms.
Like its counterpart, the Bannoch, Canna is handcrafted in Finnieston, Glasgow, by a small team of expert machinists. Utilizing British-made materials as much as possible helps support local economies and create durable bags. Made from waxed canvas material with its classic salt-and-pepper look and soft hand feel, it is strong enough to withstand outdoor adventures and rainfall!
