How do I find the best backpack for men?
To find the best backpack for you, you should first be clear about your requirements. What size do you need, what features do you want, what do you have in mind and from which manufacturer can you find a suitable men's backpack? We will help you with these questions in the following sections.
Which brands offer specific men's backpacks?
Deuter, Vaude, Mammut, The North Face or Osprey - you can find strong men's backpacks at every well-known manufacturer. Gladly, these are declared as unisex backpacks, because the backpack builders do not want to exclude ladies who cope better with a backpack for men. Backpacks that are not clearly labelled as women's backpacks are therefore primarily aimed at men. They have wider, wider shoulder straps, a longer back length and a slightly differently shaped hip belt.
Tip: Small, slim men often also get along well with a lady's backpack.
Backpacks for men: What size?
Which size is right for you depends on what you plan to do. Do you need a men's backpack for day trips or are you planning several overnight stays in huts? Are you more minimalist and like to travel light? Or do you like to pack your whole household or must carry things for your kids?
Small men's backpacks for minimalists start at 10+ litres; particularly good all-rounders with a lot, but not too much space is at 25 litres. Here is even a hut overnight in it, but if you are travelling longer, then you will be fine with a backpack between 30 and 35 litres. Large men's backpacks of 40 litres and more are great if you need to pack more clothes because of the weather or your tour requires additional equipment.
If you want to take your backpack with you on the plane, then you should pay attention to the hand luggage guidelines of the airlines because they are not based on volume, but on dimensions (the sum does not count, no value, whether height, width or depth may be exceeded).
Men's backpacks for outdoor sports, work, and everyday life
Everyone can use a day backpack. The right choice depends on what you plan to do with it. Do you need a backpack for everyday use, a daypack in which you can store everything for work or university? Then it depends more on many pockets, a good organization, and nice accessibility. If you want to go to the gym or climbing hall after work, then an additional compartment for sports gear cannot hurt.
Special travel backpacks like to be a bit slimmed down in the carrying system and focus more on easy accessibility and good organization. If you must walk a lot of distance, then they are a great option. If you just need to get your stuff from A to B, a duffel bag might be a better choice for you.
An outdoor men's backpack, on the other hand, focuses much more on an excellent carrying system and sport-specific features. While a hiking backpack needs to be comfortable to carry, you want to be able to fix your helmet in a bike backpack, for example; with a hiking backpack, especially with larger trekking backpacks, you carry a lot of weight on your hips, but a hip flap that is too wide will only bother you on the bike. The climbing backpack must sit compactly on your back and must not interfere with the climbing harness; the running backpack must sit extremely stable, must not bounce and during the run, all pockets must be accessible; in the skiing backpack you want to store your avalanche equipment and on the outside skis should be able to be attached.
So, do you need a separate backpack for each outdoor sport and then one for everyday use? The more intensive you practice a sport, the more worthwhile for you a special backpack. But some particularly good all-rounders allow you to do a lot if you do everything a little bit.
Waterproof backpacks
Rain can surprise you at any time and wet stuff is not something anyone likes. While most backpacks can easily fend off a short shower or drizzle with their water-repellent coating, this is quickly overwhelmed in real rain. Many backpacks come with a rain cover, so you can react quickly and protect your stuff.
But if you are just sitting on the bike or stuck in the via Ferrata, then this is often easier said than done. Here there is also always the danger that the rain cover comes loose or tangled somewhere. Therefore, there are completely waterproof men's backpacks for cycling, but also hiking and climbing. Even in everyday life on the way to the office, when the valuable laptop is with you, a waterproof business backpack can make sense - especially if you commute to work by bike.
However, since a waterproof backpack requires every seam to be sealed, these models do without many pockets. In addition, these backpacks are often provided with a roll-top closure, under which the access options suffer, but the closure allows you in return to overpack your backpack sometimes.
Useful features of backpacks for men
What features your backpack should bring depends on your plans and wishes. Whether you want closure with a lid flap, zipper or even a roll top on your men's backpack is a matter of taste. Whereas a roll top, however, is used more for waterproof backpacks and, for example, bicycle backpacks do without a lid flap because it interferes with the helmet. Speaking of helmets, you should also keep in mind attachments for helmets, skis, poles and more.
If you like to hike in the summer, then a men's backpack with back ventilation may be of interest to you. These backpacks curve away from the body and only an airy mesh is on the back. However, this also makes the centre of gravity sit a little further away from you, which gives the backpack a little more life of its own.
With your laptop backpack, you should not only look if there is a corresponding pocket but also if it is big enough for your laptop.
Sustainable & vegan backpack models
Fortunately, many manufacturers are paying increased attention to the most sustainable production of their backpacks. High-quality recycled material is used, and where possible, PVC, PFC and other toxins are avoided. Even vegan backpacks for men are available.
Snack Content
Men's backpacks are often advertised as unisex backpacks, so as not to exclude taller, stronger ladies.