Instant confession: I love backpacks!
When I filmed my video about my weird tastes, Christophe, our editor-in-chief, also told me that he really liked backpacks and that he had several of them.
Yes: backpack = adventure = travel and it’s truly an object that symbolizes the great thrill of freedom.
Important point, I am not a hiker who advocates ultra lightness, and not an intensive hiker who leaves over several days so my opinion is not that of an outdoor site, but that of a guy passionate about materials and simply by men's fashion.
It's a bit of my particularity: I like very sturdy bags, and since I love techwear and functionality, I naturally developed a taste for what we call tactical bags.
In this video I wear our Paolo sweater.
MY FAVORITE BACKPACK MATERIALS
It's the first thing I look at on a bag!
There are three materials that I really like: Cordura, Dyneema and X Pac.
1. CORDURA
This is the very well-known material of Eastpak bags, it has the particularity of being accessible in terms of price, very sturdy, durable and resistant to abrasion
You might have the impression that it's not a very hype, not very fancy material, but for all that, I continue to consider it very seriously.
You may have already heard of ballistic nylon, it's a bit of an equivalent to Cordura, with a less casual appearance, a little more sober and smooth, which we often see in high-end professional nylon luggage.
2. DYNEEMA
Norse Projects bag
Here we are on the big “X factor”!
To put it simply, dyneema is very very light, and very very resistant and it resists water very well, much more than Cordura, and it is no coincidence that Zpacks, an ultra light brand , uses it for its tents and backpacks.
It's a material with incredible charm, and which makes sense for urban use.
The Holy Grail is a Japanese brand that does it, it’s Rofmia. The bags are magnificent, made in Japan, but you are more than €500 per bag, it is really for the big wealthy enthusiasts.
3. THE X PAC
Basically, it is a boat sail fabric, manufactured by a company called Dimension Polyant.
It's a bit of a competitor to Dyneema, because it's very light, it's strong, and depending on the X Pac it can also be very waterproof.
Where does the famous “X” on this fabric come from?
Basically, as it is a boat sail fabric, it was to prevent the canvas from deforming under the effect of the wind and stretching. This X-shaped grid therefore allows the sail to be very stable.
The X PAC and the Dyneema, I find it very good for the lightness, the resistance to rain, and especially the X factor. For example, if one day I hike on Kerguelen Island, which is an island swept by wind and rain, with no trees to scratch the bag, it is a choice that I will consider very seriously.
WHAT ABOUT LEATHER BACKPACKS?
It's a good question !
I recognize that it is very beautiful, very urban, very elegant, and rather durable
There are no miracles, if you want a backpack in beautiful leather, made in Europe, it cannot cost 100 €, but rather 500 - 800 €.
But it's very cool to have a beautiful piece of leather goods.
That said, I really like taurillon, this leather tanned in the Basque Country with a beautiful relief, and as such, I really like the La Rhune backpack from the Aizea brand.
In a much more workwear style, I like Bleu de Chauffe, made in France.
And in a more accessible style in terms of price, I like Léo et Violette.
THE QUESTION OF PLACE OF MANUFACTURING
This is a problematic point!
It's exactly like technical clothing: know-how in Europe is rather rare!
The founder of Goruck talked about it a lot, but the manufacture of backpacks requires very modern and perfectly equipped factories, which requires having relatively recent workshops, which have received heavy investments, which is the case in Vietnam.
By searching, it is easy to find backpacks made in the US or even in Europe, but you have to be prepared to pay 300, 400, or 500 €.
BRANDS I LOVE
1. GORUCK
It's a brand whose content I really appreciate, the way the products are explained, and the founder's content.
To put it simply, it's a backpack brand founded by a former US soldier, who wanted to create a brand that would be a bridge between his military life and his civilian life;
So he created a bag between the two: with military influences but still sober enough to be worn around town.
The solidity is there, everything is reinforced everywhere.
I am torn because it is a very particular product that cannot please everyone.
It's clear that it's a puncture-proof backpack but I find the comfort really rustic, and I can't see myself going hiking with it for a day.
2. TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGN
Triple aught design, it's a clothing brand for going on adventures!
And they make backpacks, made in the US.
I have the Axiom 18 in XPac and for me it is an excellent urban and functional backpack, which I recommend if you have the budget.
3. SAVOTTA
Savotta is a bit like the European Goruck.
They use a very interesting custom Cordura, with a coating that makes it much more rain-resistant than regular Cordura.
It's clearly a backpack that I don't use, but which intrigues me a lot.
On the other hand, if you need a puncture-proof bag for trudging through the bush, with great modularity, it's perfect!
4. MYSTERY RANCH
I love Mystery Ranch, I worship this brand and I have the 2 Days Assault.
It's the most comfortable backpack I've tried, they have developed a system where you can adjust the height of the bag, so that it adapts perfectly to the length of your torso.
The three zip system is super practical too, and these big YKK waterproof zips are very beautiful, it's their signature.
And finally, I created a freely accessible database on Notion where I list around fifty brands that use dyneema and x pac, where you can sort by use, by material, by country of manufacture etc., I am gone very far!
And you, what are your favorite backpacks?
