Good backpack for under $60
October 3, 2013 4:07 PM Subscribe
I carry a lot of books. tablet, mishmash of pens and phone around and am looking for a nice backpack or rucksack. The key is that the shoulder straps have to be nice and padded. A friend recommened the Bag of Holding but reviews have said the straps can be a bit sketchy. (I don't know.) Not interested in messenger bags. If you have one you would recommend that sits nicely on your back and doesn't dig in, please let me know. I hope to find it via Amazon/SuperSaversShipping but beggars can't be choosers.
I have a North Face Surge that I'm quite pleased with after five years. It's like $125, but I found mine for like $50 in the clearance bin at a Sports Authority because inexplicably North Face brings out slightly modified designs like every year and I got the 'old' model.
They're much less structured, but I don't think you'd go wrong with a backpack from LL Bean.
I think, though, that your best bet is to go to a sporting goods store if you can get to one and see what's out there. If you're willing to risk having to make a second trip, you can then try to find a better price online. (I'm somewhat hesitant to tell you to go to REI because it seems like sometimes REI doesn't carry perfectly adequate less expensive items--hiking boots from LL Bean start at like half the cost of what they do at REI, for example.)
posted by hoyland at 4:25 PM on October 3, 2013
They're much less structured, but I don't think you'd go wrong with a backpack from LL Bean.
I think, though, that your best bet is to go to a sporting goods store if you can get to one and see what's out there. If you're willing to risk having to make a second trip, you can then try to find a better price online. (I'm somewhat hesitant to tell you to go to REI because it seems like sometimes REI doesn't carry perfectly adequate less expensive items--hiking boots from LL Bean start at like half the cost of what they do at REI, for example.)
posted by hoyland at 4:25 PM on October 3, 2013
I've got one from Everlane that I quite like, if you are looking for one with a more simple style not for sport/camping.
posted by citron at 4:32 PM on October 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by citron at 4:32 PM on October 3, 2013 [4 favorites]
+1 to LLBean. I had one backpack for ~10 years (the deluxe book pack), and the straps were just as padded and comfy at the end as at the beginning.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:51 PM on October 3, 2013
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:51 PM on October 3, 2013
This might be a bit unorthodox of a suggestion, but getting a used medium ALICE pack (no frame) from a surplus store saved me in high school - I had a ton of AP books which were college textbook sized that I had to carry around campus. I found that as a woman, it tended to keep the weight on my hips instead of my (even for a woman) narrow shoulders and was far more comfortable. I don't know if that applies to you, but it definitely was more comfortable than an LL Bean pack.
The main pouch has an inner pocket that can separate the bag into two sections, and the three outer pouches can be used for pens, water bottle, and phone or gigantic calculator (the latter of which I had in high school in the 1990s.) The straps are replaceable easily if needed (I never needed to.)
It looks like you can order them on Amazon third-party, or other random surplus places online or in the real world (I make no recommendation, just showing you the pack.)
posted by cobaltnine at 5:00 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
The main pouch has an inner pocket that can separate the bag into two sections, and the three outer pouches can be used for pens, water bottle, and phone or gigantic calculator (the latter of which I had in high school in the 1990s.) The straps are replaceable easily if needed (I never needed to.)
It looks like you can order them on Amazon third-party, or other random surplus places online or in the real world (I make no recommendation, just showing you the pack.)
posted by cobaltnine at 5:00 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Get one from a messenger bag company even though you don't want a messenger bag. Almost all of them make packs, and the packs are often superior quality in every single way. Timbuk2 has gotten huge and makes so much different stuff now, but their packs were always really comfortable when i had them.(i only quit using them because i love the chrome packs, but those cost 3-4x as much)
Check out this, and other packs that are in that price range on there.
A couple chrome bags are on sale for that price(for example, and). Those ones lack the back padding of their higher end models, but in my experience they have the most comfortable kickass straps.
mostly, if you live near an REI type place or a large bike shop go try on packs there and bring your current pack so you can stuff all your heavy shit in them. I tried that out on a friends one of the larger size of these and decided it was the apex of human-attached storage technology, so you might end spending more than you intended when you grab a more expensive one and realize how much more comfortable it really is.
You might also want to check out this thread while you're at it. Lots of people always mention baileyworks, but nothing they make costs less than $130.
posted by emptythought at 5:09 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Check out this, and other packs that are in that price range on there.
A couple chrome bags are on sale for that price(for example, and). Those ones lack the back padding of their higher end models, but in my experience they have the most comfortable kickass straps.
mostly, if you live near an REI type place or a large bike shop go try on packs there and bring your current pack so you can stuff all your heavy shit in them. I tried that out on a friends one of the larger size of these and decided it was the apex of human-attached storage technology, so you might end spending more than you intended when you grab a more expensive one and realize how much more comfortable it really is.
You might also want to check out this thread while you're at it. Lots of people always mention baileyworks, but nothing they make costs less than $130.
posted by emptythought at 5:09 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Although I am not their target demographic, I have a Hurley backpack I really like. It's a couple years old but is similar in style to this one. The straps aren't padded but they're wider than many others - which results in a comfortable, secure and unrestricted fit. (Sometimes I find padded straps confining.)
There is padding, however, in the backpiece itself, and the pack itself is not too big, which is nice. I carry around my MacBook Air in a padded case, a couple of books, journals, notepads - and a phone, kleenex, keys, assorted pens and power cords. It all fits nicely.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 5:12 PM on October 3, 2013
There is padding, however, in the backpiece itself, and the pack itself is not too big, which is nice. I carry around my MacBook Air in a padded case, a couple of books, journals, notepads - and a phone, kleenex, keys, assorted pens and power cords. It all fits nicely.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 5:12 PM on October 3, 2013
Best answer: I highly recommend Sierra Trading Post as a source for some of the brands mentioned above. I got a Timbuk2 backpack from them last year that I adore for $40, marked down from $90 because they discontinued the color.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:17 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 5:17 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
I got a CamelBak backpack as a gift for my birthday a few years ago and it is very well-made. There are an abundance of pockets, but they're unobtrusive, some of them took me a while to discover. The shoulder straps are comfortable, padded, and there are support straps off the shoulder straps as well. I've been pretty impressed with this backpack and would expect quality backpacks from this brand. Apparently they have a lifetime guarantee.
posted by aniola at 5:51 PM on October 3, 2013
posted by aniola at 5:51 PM on October 3, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks, all. I think all those that are expensive ($100-170) thought well-worth it, are not something I can afford at this moment. If I had that amount I would indeed walk into REI or any given place and simply buy one. That said, all links have been helpful either for the short run (cheaper suggestions) and the longer run (when I have more money). I like the Alice Pack and had thought of that but the straps are basically just straps if i recall.
posted by snap_dragon at 6:18 PM on October 3, 2013
posted by snap_dragon at 6:18 PM on October 3, 2013
And any comment about Sierra Trading Post should come with a comment reminding you to sign up for their emails. BC they're cheap, but they're even cheaper with the 30, 40, 45% coupons they'll email you all the frikkin time.
posted by atomicstone at 6:51 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by atomicstone at 6:51 PM on October 3, 2013 [1 favorite]
Juuust above your budget, there's the Swiss Gear Ibex. It's got a ton of storage, it's basically indestructible and the straps are not only really nicely padded, but have a shock-absorbing thick elastic bit that I love. It's all thickly padded where it rests on your back, too.
posted by jason_steakums at 7:08 PM on October 3, 2013
posted by jason_steakums at 7:08 PM on October 3, 2013
Surprisingly, the backpacks IKEA makes are comfortable and nice-looking. And cheap.
posted by three_red_balloons at 7:39 PM on October 3, 2013
posted by three_red_balloons at 7:39 PM on October 3, 2013
Not for backpacks, but then again the bag you linked to is not a backpack...
You can buy replacement shoulder straps for shoulder bags, there are some made specifically to be more comfortable than a regular strap. Which one would be most comfortable depends on you, you can find ones that are contoured, more padding, denser padding, different surfaces on the inside, slightly stretchy, etc. Different people prefer different sorts, I like denser padding but some people prefer a strap that feels softer to the touch. Contoured straps don't fit everyone, and wider straps may not sit happily on narrow shoulders. You really need to try them out to find a good fit.
Likewise with backpacks, they don't fit everyone. REI is happy to let you try on backpacks, and even provides weights for trying them out.
posted by yohko at 8:03 PM on October 3, 2013
You can buy replacement shoulder straps for shoulder bags, there are some made specifically to be more comfortable than a regular strap. Which one would be most comfortable depends on you, you can find ones that are contoured, more padding, denser padding, different surfaces on the inside, slightly stretchy, etc. Different people prefer different sorts, I like denser padding but some people prefer a strap that feels softer to the touch. Contoured straps don't fit everyone, and wider straps may not sit happily on narrow shoulders. You really need to try them out to find a good fit.
Likewise with backpacks, they don't fit everyone. REI is happy to let you try on backpacks, and even provides weights for trying them out.
posted by yohko at 8:03 PM on October 3, 2013
Just FYI, the retail on the bag I linked to was out of your budget range, but my friend got it for $30 new somehow.
posted by aniola at 11:54 AM on October 8, 2013
posted by aniola at 11:54 AM on October 8, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by willbaude at 4:14 PM on October 3, 2013