7th Organizational Wonder of the World: Backpack with all the pockets

June 3, 2018 5:48 AM

I'm looking for next level, portable organization. Imagine the storage potential of an apothecary cabinet, but made of soft, lightweight, waterproof material and has straps on the back. There should be many spacious, well structured pockets. Bonus points for style that is designy or cute as opposed to sporty or military.

I'm afraid first round Google results didn't come close, so search term suggestions appreciated as well. Maybe even 'backpack' is the wrong word?

posted by this-apoptosis to Shopping (13 answers total)

So I'm not going to win bonus points for this since most of the results are going to be explicitly militaresque, but I'd suggest searching "aid bag".
posted by A Bad Catholic at 5:55 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I spent many hours in many stores looking at lots of backpacks before I found the many-pocketed wonder I was looking for. (It was in a suspiciously knock-off-ish store, and much cheaper than the website price.)

However, it sounds like it might not fit your style requirements.

You might also be interested in camera backpacks.
posted by clawsoon at 5:56 AM on June 3, 2018

Muji?
posted by mdonley at 6:50 AM on June 3, 2018

Maybe check out the bags from LUG. They have tons of pockets, and can be cute.

Other suggestion is to get a rad jansport and invest in a bunch of pouches, which are like pockets you can move from bag to bag :)
posted by wowenthusiast at 7:10 AM on June 3, 2018

Best answer: Some diaper backpacks might actually fit the bill. Like this or this. This one comes in more colors.
posted by songs about trains at 7:17 AM on June 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

I am a huge Tom Bihn fan - not cheap, but well designed, hold up amazingly well, and many pockets and interior design options. (Besides pockets, they offer a line of pouches and other things you can clip or slip inside, depending on the bag and your needs.)
posted by modernhypatia at 7:36 AM on June 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

Seconding Tom Bihn. I love the organization of my Synapse 25. For maximum organizational capacity, you'll also want to get the Freudian slip. And as mentioned above, they have a lot of other additional organizational pouches. Personally, I would start with just the bag and maybe the Freudian slip, and then use the bag for a little while before you decide on what pouches and accessories to get.
posted by litera scripta manet at 7:44 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Vera Bradley site has several backpack designs in colorful fabrics, and their products usually have quite a few pockets.
posted by elphaba at 7:52 AM on June 3, 2018

I have a Herschel "plus series" backpack with a ton of pockets--even a pocket that can store an extra pair of shoes. It's basic black on the outside, though the inside has cute red stripes. I don't know if they're making it anymore, but I'm actually using a smaller bag now, so if you have an interest in buying a used one, feel free to message me for more info/photos.
posted by pinochiette at 8:45 AM on June 3, 2018

I have a Minaal Carryon 2.0 and I would marry it if it were legal. It has enough big pockets to carry clothes, shoes, and laptops, but it has more than enough little pockets for my little doodads and doohickeys. I picked up the storage cubes, too, and they are great. I’ve done a week-long trip out of it...and it fits under the seat in front of me on a plane. It is my single favorite possession.
posted by suncages at 8:49 AM on June 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Some excellent contenders here! Specialty bags (camera or diaper, etc.) with backpack straps are my favorites so far. Makes me curious about other business grade, industry specific bags!
posted by this-apoptosis at 9:52 AM on June 3, 2018

If you don't mind leaning toward the geeky side, this bag is amaaaazing. So much storage! So many pockets! It also has a handle, removable messenger bag strap, and backpack straps. I love mine.
posted by DulcineaX at 8:49 PM on June 3, 2018

i'm on my second Dakine bag in a lot of years. A bunch of smaller pockets, and a central, open-flat pocket in which you could stick different size pouches. Really well-built and I like the style a lot. Both of my bags are earlier editions of the current Network bag. Probably anything from their Lifestyle Bag section would work.
posted by taltalim at 7:49 PM on June 4, 2018