Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with backpacks

Recommendations for a small backpack with wheels?

creepygirl — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:06:29 -0800

Recommendations for a small backpack with wheels? I'm looking for a small backpack with wheels. I would use it to carry around gym shoes/clothes to and from work. I strained my shoulder and can't handle carrying a heavy backpack on my back any more. The wheels should be sturdy enough to handle 2-3 miles of walking per day. The backpack should be small enough to comfortably fit on my lap on the bus.

Does something like this exist? I tried searching for backpacks with wheels on Amazon, and all of them have someone complaining in the reviews about the backpacks falling apart in some way.

Cool backpacks for kids?

SomePerlGeek — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:34:27 -0800

I am looking for distinctive, cool, fun, yet functional backpacks for my kids. The kids are 8, 5, and 2, so pre-school and toddler sizes as well as larger sizes are a plus. I would love it if the backpacks had water bottle holders. Monogrammable is a plus--the kids would enjoy having their names on them, but some decorative backpacks can't be monogrammed, so that's not a deal-breaker. Should be big enough to hold an extra shirt, some action figures, Game Boy, and so on, but do not need to be book or note-book sized or shaped.

I've seen Little Packrats and Four Peas, and those are the kinds of things I'm talking about, but would like to see more.

What choices do I have for backpacks that are hard to steal from?

larkin123 — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:32:44 -0800

I'm looking for a new backpack for day hiking and travel. Since I've had stuff stolen from my backpack (while I was wearing it) before, I'm interested in the Crumpler Karachi Outpost / Whickey and Cox backpacks that open against the back. Are there other similar backpacks out there that are hard to steal from, using this or some other feature? Thanks.

Good place to try out various bags/backpacks in Chicago?

korpios — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:06:30 -0800

What's a good place to check out a wide variety of bags and backpacks in the Chicago area? I have three different bags from Timbuk2 that I ordered online over the past couple of years, but none are perfect; I need to try out my next bag-candidate in person.

Hunting the wild backpack!

soviet sleepover — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 22:05:54 -0800

Travelers: help me choose a sturdy, small backpack for long-term traveling. The more I travel the easier it is for me to condense several weeks worth of gear into 25-30lbs, leaving my huge old Mountainsmith bag with lots of room at the top. So I'm looking for a backpack the size of a large daypack but with the structural features of a sturdy hiking pack: internal frame, well-padded straps & hip-belt, a chest cinch/buckle, lots of buckles & loops to strap a sleeping bag &/or tent to on the outside, and a way to adjust the height of the shoulder straps on the bag. Other bonuses (hydration-compatible, has a removable top pouch that turns into a satchel, etc) are awesome, too.

If it helps, I'm a 5'9" woman, thin, and not especially strong. Because of the way I travel (very seat-of-my-pants, rarely in hotels or even hostels), suitcase-y bags and other non-backpacker luggage is out of the question. With all this in mind, I'm having very little luck finding something small but full-featured, particularly on a limited budget. Because I'll probably be buying off ebay ultimately, please suggest anything that comes to mind--pricy is okay, but cheap is better!--and if you have any recommendations on where to get discounted backpacks/gear, please say so. Thank you!

need a firm-backed back pack, jack.

exlotuseater — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:04:23 -0800

Bags. I need a backpack with a firm-ish back. Ideas? I need a decent-sized, sturdy backpack (~1200 cubic inch or better) with a hard or rigid back; by this I mean the part that sits against my body. I am sick of floppy bags that require me to hold the lip of the bag at an awkward angle in order to liberate its contents, or wrestling with it to jam stuff in.

I am willing to consider hard cases like axio, but I'm wondering what people's experiences are with hardcases- if you own or owned one, how is/was it? (not interested in bobllbee [sp?], don't particularly like the styles or prices)

I would rather have a good bag that I can put a laptop and some books in, extra points for bottle pockets and little extra containers. Extra extra points for good back straps.

Oh the benefits to huge manatees!

thirteenkiller — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 06:12:27 -0800

I often have dreams where i'm floating above the ground... ...and I was considering the possibility of helium backpacks for this purpose. Make them so you are almost weightless, and make them very slightly leaky for emergencies. And then you can leap long distances, no?

Has this been attempted and what are the technical and cost considerations?

Looking for a waterproof backpack

intoxicate — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 00:32:34 -0800

Do affordable and effective waterproof backpacks really exist? I am a bike commuting graduate student living in the Pacific Norhtwest. It rains a lot, and I know I need a good waterproof pack to hold all my books. I seem to be able to find waterproof messenger bags (that I don't find very comfortable) and waterproof river backpacks (for rafting or kayaking), and the few book-worthy packs I find are outrageously expensive. Any suggestions? Brands you like? Brands to avoid?

I need a new backpack

adrober — Sun, 16 Jan 2005 13:07:56 -0800

I need a new backpack. (My current one hurts my back and is covered in cat hair.) My new backpack goals are: (1) it should hold my computer comfortably (Powerbook G4), but (2) I don't want the boxy rectangular ones they sell at the Apple store; (3) I want something smart and sexy (perhaps in yellow?). Is this too much to ask? I'd also (4) like to be able to buy it online.

Bag for a Bad Back

foxy_hedgehog — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 17:57:06 -0800

I need some advice on a good bag for a bad back. I'm trying to find a high-volume weatherproof bag that I can use on my bike and on foot. What's the ergonomic word on backpacks vs. messenger bags? [more inside] I pack everything from library books to groceries to my laptop into my current shoulder bag. It's just too small for everything I need to haul around, and it's also aggravating my back and knee problems.

I'm considering a large (15 x 16 x 6) backpack, but I'm wondering if I should invest in a messenger bag. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Backpack recommendations?

josh — Mon, 24 May 2004 19:08:49 -0800

Any recommendations for a comfortable, large-capcity backpack I can use to haul 30 lbs. of books and some clothes around the West Coast this summer? I'm travelling (of necessity) around the West Coast this summer for about four weeks, even though I also have to study for my graduate school orals, which are in September. As a result I have to carry just about all of English literature with me! I'm not a backpacker or anything, but surveying the options it looks like the easiest thing will be a big backpack, preferably with a detachable daypack, so that I'm not always pulling along some giant rolling suitcase everywhere. Sometimes I'll be in the city (L.A.), sometimes I won't be.

Has anyone travelled like this before? I was looking at the Osprey Departure, but it's super expensive. I am confounded! Do any of you world-weary MeFites have suggestions?