Convenience, style, functionality. These are essential things a good quality backpack needs to have. Combined with lightness, ergonomics and an urban design you’ve found one of the best backpacks for work and everyday use.
Things to consider when buying a backpack
Consider day to day comfort : Look for backpacks that will be the right size for your daily needs. Using an overly large backpack will make it more likely you will overfill it.Think about how many books or electronics you need to Carry.
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.
Find the right fit : Look for padded shoulders and try backpacks on. Two strapped bags are better than single strapped, because they distribute weight better. Try backpacks on, if not shopping online and remember the bottom should rest on the curve of your lower back.
Keep quality in mind : Loose threads and careless stitching can be dead giveaways of bad quality. A backpack can give years of good use and you want to make sure your investment is durable. Inspect the fabric for any raw edges.
Think about extra features. Backpacks come in all types and extra features can be either useful or unnecessary. If you carry a lot of small items such as pencils, keys or snacks, you may want extra pockets to easily access them. Some bags have padded pockets for computer tablets and laptops. Opt for a more basic backpack, if you don’t need these extra compartments.
Choose the right style : Think about where you will be taking your new backpack. If you are going off to college, you may want a bag that will carry heavy books, but also show some personal style. If you’re traveling in urban areas, you will want a streamlined, modern style.These bags typically have hidden pockets that do not look bulky.
Type of Bags
You need different types of bags depending on where you’re going, what you’re transporting and who’s going to see you along the way. The same goes for all accessories, including sneakers and watches. You need a rotation if not a full-blown collection.
With that in mind, below we present every stylish type of bag to carry home from your next trip to the shops.
Backpack
Like sneakers and baseball caps, the backpack is one of those once-sloppy afterthoughts that have become considered, coveted purchases in the last decade. It’s the most versatile design on this list, but also the only one where you can conceivably buy three and get use from them all.
Depending on your lifestyle, it could be a smart backpack for the business-casualcommuter, a rugged companion for weekend pursuits or a training buddy for your gym kit. Adopted by virtually every style tribe on the planet, your old school bag is officially all grown up: a genuine menswear classic.
What To Look For
For an everyday pack or commuter bag, adjustable air mesh straps will keep things comfortable while practically anything but canvas will keep things dry. Look for a padded seat to keep the contents from jamming in your back.
Then it’s a case of tailoring the bag to your needs. Leather styles work best for the office, and many come with an internal laptop sleeve.
Going to the gym? You’ll need extra compartments. Getting on the bike? Look out for reflective panels.
Tote Bag
A tote is the modern approach to the classic briefcase. Resembling an artisan’s bag, the tote is the utmost in casual business attire. Its basic design and usual soft leather exterior allots it a classic status, while its long handles give it a contemporary edge.
If purchased in a chocolate brown or black, this bag can add a touch of laid-back masculinity to any casual work wear.
What To Look For
Materials, first and foremost. If you’re using it as your work bag, stick with leather and nylon. If all you want to do is rep your favourite brand while you do your shopping, then canvas is just fine.
A zipper at the top offers extra security, while internal pockets ensure you don’t have to go burrowing for your keys. Don’t discount a set of shoulder straps either: with the classic shopper style, you’re never fully hands-free.
Weekend Bag
You can’t roll up to your rented chateau without an obscenely good weekender stowed in the limited boot space of your Jaguar F-Type. Of course, they also work for train journeys to see mum and dad. Whatever your travel plans, a weekend bagsuggests a man of taste and leisure, not to mention practicality when it comes to packing enough underwear.
Perfect for stowing a neat capsule wardrobe and travel essentials, it doesn’t have to live under the bed between trips. At the smaller end of the scale, a duffle or holdall can be used every day as a hybrid work and gym bag.
What To Look For
You’ll find affordable leather options on the high street for not much more than £100, but you can spend ten times that figure from designer labels that specialise in leather goods.
In the spirit of matching leathers, look for one that matches the shoes or boots you wear most often.
Check the dimensions if you ever intend to use it as hand luggage and if your weekends involve a little more rough and tumble than champagne and caviar, opt for a twill or canvas version from a hardy outdoor brand.
Briefcase
Briefcases are probably the oldest form of “acceptable” handbags for men. Modern-day briefcases, however, have evolved a great deal since the days of your father’s sharp-cornered case.
They’re no longer boxy; in fact, that’s about the only traditional element discarded in the modern briefcase. The classic shape (without the sharp corners), buckles, leather exterior, and practical interior compartments help make this bag a timeless addition to any working-man’s wardrobe.
What To Look For
Originally used as a means for lawyers to transport documents to and from court, briefcases were designed with work in mind. This considered, it makes sense to look for something that’s going to match your office attire. Pick a shade of leather that matches your shoes. And whatever you do, keep things simple and slick.
In terms of functionality, we’ve largely moved on from bits of paper and fountain pens now, so selecting something with a laptop pocket and ample storage for a charger and hard drive would be well advised, too.
Gym Bag
Whether you’re a seasoned lifter or a spin-class first timer, it can be all too easy to dream up reasons not to go to go for a workout.
Things as trivial as being unable to find matching socks, or not having sufficient battery on your phone can feel like a cue to quit. So whatever you do, don’t let a tattered, moth-bitten gym bag serve as another excuse to stay under the duvet.
A sturdy sack is essential for getting your towel, trainers and protein from workspace to free weights in one piece. Another key tool in your fight to free the rippling abs and walnut-crushing glutes that you just know are lurking under there somewhere.
What To Look For
If you’re using your gym bag to carry stuff from work to gym to home, the first thing to consider is that you’ll want something that can accommodate your office gear and your athletic clobber comfortably.
Features like drink holders can come in very handy, and some options even have different compartments or your running shoes and your sweaty clothes so you can keep the stink separate from, well, the other stink.
Cross-body Bag
Here’s an inconvenient truth for anyone who thinks streetwear is just pretentious hype and/or overpriced irony: the cross-body bag is probably the most practical everyday bag on this list.
Unless you carry a laptop or gym equipment with you, the accessory formerly known as a bumbag is perfect for what most of us actually carry around these days: phone, keys, wallet.
It’s true that, at least while they’re still fresh, the cross-body bag adds a flash of unexpectedness to an outfit. But now that designers like Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton are finding ways to pair them with everything from tracksuits to tailoring, the smart money is on this type of bag soon enjoying something close to the backpack’s ubiquity.
What To Look For
There are two things to bear in mind here: dimensions and styling. Size matters in this case because you could buy a cross-body bag not much bigger than a billfold wallet, or you could shoulder one that’s as big as a messenger bag. Work out what you want to transport and go from there.
Then, the look. You can opt for loud colours and big logos and use the bag as a true fashion accessory, or keep it in the background with a pared-back monochrome option. In either case, access is key so look for easy-to-reach zippers.
Messenger Bag
Aptly named, the messenger bag is designed after the bags traditionally carried throughout history by — whom else? — messengers. Often made from canvas and swung across the shoulder, messenger bags have taken on a whole new meaning in urban fashion.
From students with canvas bags to urban hipsters with modern leather bags, the messenger’s laid-back style will always have a classic casual flair, but today’s leather messenger tote also exudes a hint of uptown sophistication.
What To Look For
Adjustable straps, buckled fasteners (or at least magnetic closures), plus internal and external pockets should all come as standard. Waxed cotton canvas offers a rugged point of difference from the standard leather, too. Keep the style classic with a foldover flap or go preppy with the messenger’s second cousin, the satchel.
Laptop Bag
Unless you’re lucky enough to own a luxury timepiece, chances are your laptop is the most expensive thing you tend to cart around with you. With that in mind, keeping it safe and secure is not to be taken lightly, making an all-singing, all-dancing laptop bag is nothing short of essential.
However, not only is a bag a necessity for protecting your computer, it can also serve as an extension of your look. Selecting some stylish luggage to house your laptop can help to complement your outfit or even spice up a boring office outfit.
What To Look For
A laptop bag that’s too small for a laptop is about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. Taking this into account, it’s a smart move to know the dimensions of your computer before you go shopping.
Added extras like zip compartments for chargers, places to keep documents and padded shoulder straps can all come in handy too so make sure to check the specs before you part with your cash.
End Note
Sure, there’s no shortage of bag styles that get the job done for grown-up guys trying to look grown-up—a brief or attaché case for example. But you don’t have to rule out the backpack for good style.
The classic shape is still great for its functional use, which is to say, transporting papers and laptops and maybe an extra set of clothes while keeping your hands free.
You can stuff them silly and you don’t have to worry about them weighing down one side of your body throughout the whole day. You just want to make sure you’re getting something that fits the situation.
For weekends, fun, old-school packs are all good. But for the office, you probably want to choose something with clean lines and not too much bulk.
The post What to Consider When Buying Men’s Bag appeared first on Fadedmix Magazine.
