r/backpacks

There's a question that comes up quite often whenever someone sees a €300–400 backpack, sometimes even with packs over €200, both in this sub or other ones: "How can a backpack possibly cost that much?".

Money is a deeply personal topic and it implies heavy social, geographical, and cultural influences. What is expensive to one person can be fair priced to the next, or even inexpensive to someone else, so the point here is not pushing the concept that paying €200, 300 or 400 for a backpack is right, but to better understand what can make a bag’s price.
Then, if these elements are something you’d pay for or not, it’s up to you.

I've been on both sides of this equation for years — designing products and dealing with factories, materials, development, production and selling the finished product — so I thought it might be useful to explain where the money actually goes.
The most obvious, but still first thing to say is that retail price and manufacturing cost are very different things.

Let’s make it simple and start with the finished product itself. For a backpack, you're paying for:
- Raw materials: outer fabric, lining, mesh and stretch fabrics, foams for padding, webbing, buckles and other hardware, zippers, reinforcement materials, labels and packaging. Costs may vary incredibly, depending on how many different parts and materials the product features (the more they are, the less their use can be optimized), where they have to be shipped from (each shipping will add cost), each component’s MOQ (companies might need to overbuy) and, most of all, what materials the bag features (a 4$/sqm Polyester or a 20$/sqm laminate? A 0,2 nylon buckle or a 7$ Fidlock? a woven stretch or a knit? a closed cell foam EVA or some basic option?)
- Production setup and organization (boxes, carts, space, machinery setup, etc)
- Cutting (Laser? Cutting table? Some components need to be cut manually? Prices can vary a lot)
- Assembly and sewing (is it simple and fast or intricate and slow? Can it be done with automatic machines or not? Can it be done in series or not? Does it need spending time and labour to reinforce or bartack or not? Cost changes according to the time and workforce required)
- QC (some companies do once at the end of production or two, three, even more times during the process to avoid wasting time and materials in case of mistakes, and this costs time, workforce and could also involve travelling and related costs)

Then, keep in mind that the total cost does not end with the finished product, there are also development costs — both direct, in terms of cash and indirect, in terms of working hours — that aren't visible in the finished product:
- the pattern has to be developed and it takes hours of work
- samples have to be made and it takes raw materials and hours of work too. Those samples usually aren't right the first time — a component might need to be changed because it is difficult to sew consistently, a seam might need reinforcement, some particular piece of hardware might work well in a prototype but could create a production problem — so the process is usually repeated.
- Samples must be tested, this takes time, sometimes even money if the tests are run externally.
- When you get to the final iteration, some pre-production samples, made with the final materials, have to be made and this takes raw materials and time too — or cash if they are made externally.
- During this development process, materials or parts are used, shipping to testers or sewers for external validation occurs, sometimes external labour is required.

If you're producing relatively small quantities, none of those development costs are spread over millions of units.

Then, when the product is developed and finally produced, there are other costs to be faced in order to bring it to the customer. Depending on where and how the product is sold, from the final retail price the manufacturer might have to cut
- VAT (if due), shipping (if included), maybe a retailer margin (if not directly bought from the brand), sometimes a distributor margin (if the retailer buys from a distributor and not directly from the company), packaging, payment fees, e-commerce platform fees, photography, marketing, warranty, administration and all the other costs involved in keeping a product on the market. 

Only then, the brand company starts seeing a margin.

To get to the final price, companies sum all these costs and apply a markup, multiplying them. We are not debating here about what markup each company applies and what is the fair or right markup, what we can say is that out there you can find bags that cost 1/3 of their final prices as well as bags that cost 1/10 of their final price, and they're not necessarily the most expensive ones.

As someone who makes bags, I think consumers should realize that a high price doesn't prove good design and a low price doesn't prove poor design, but good design — and good development, good construction, good materials — often lead to high costs.
At that point, apart from cost management choices that can help make things better or worse, most comes down to the number of pieces that a company makes: if the number of products to spread those costs across is high, the final price of the single unit will be less impacted. If it is not that high, and for independent companies it usually isn’t, the final price will reflect that scarcity. 

This is one reason why comparing two backpacks by looking only at materials can be misleading, there is a lot more behind and consumers, or potential ones, simply need to decide if it is worth it. An expensive backpack isn't automatically expensive because every component is exceptional: sometimes you're paying for exceptionally good design and development, for expensive materials (and this itself can mean great materials or just expensive ones), or for some genuinely better construction, while sometimes you're paying for distribution and overhead. Sometimes you're paying for an inefficient development process and sometimes you’re paying for scarcity, or a combo of these things. The interesting question is what are you actually getting for the difference?

I run a small independent backpack company so I'm obviously not a neutral observer here but I'm interested in how other people think about this. Without necessarily disclosing how much is too much for you, when you look at a backpack, what makes the price feel justified, or absolutely not justified to you?

Hi!! Basically that, is it too heavy or big for edc??
I have owned a 5.11 rush 24 for the last decade mostly, i also own a thule chasm 26 for more sporty activities, and an aer city pack pro for travelling and when i need to carry my laptop

I love the construction, also not looking so Tactical is a bonus. I think it, be a good replacement for the rush, that way I could just pack the laptop in it without having to move all my stuff around.

Thanks for the feedback!

Hey everyone !

I'm planning a trip to Southeast Asia in March 2027 and would love some advice from people who've been there ! I’m from France and it’s my first solo backpacking trip :)

I'm looking to put together a rough main route while keeping enough flexibility to improvise along the way.

🇻🇳Vietnam : Definitely want to visit, especially the North!
🇱🇦Laos : Very interested in the nature and hiking.
🇰🇭Cambodia : Maybe, if it's worth adding. The temples are teasing me…
💰Budget : Around €4000 including flights (slightly flexible).
**🗓**️ Duration : Up to 3 months, not decided yet.

I mainly want to meet people, explore at my own pace and discover famous places but also beyond the usual tourist spots. Is it better to focus only on Vietnam ? From north to south ? Is North Vietnam - Laos - Cambodia - South Vietnam a good plan ?

Any route suggestions, hidden gems, must-do experiences or tips you wish you'd known before going ? I’m lost

Thanks ! 🙏

I've been going back and forth on this for way too long and need some outside opinions.

What I need:

* Fits a 16" MacBook Pro with padding/protection
* Comfortable to carry all day. Good straps, good back panel
* I don't want the bag itself weighing on my back before I've even put anything in it
* Daily carry is laptop, charger, and the usual small stuff, so I don't need a ton of volume

Backpacks I'm considering:

* Rework Toshi Pack 20L
* Sympl Commuter Pack 20L
* Bellroy Venture Ready Pack 20L
* Moment Sequence 23L
* Aer City Pack Pro 2 20L
* Fyro Citta
* Able Carry Max EDC or Daily Plus

I'm also tote-curious and have looked at the Aer City Tote, Peak Design City Tote and City Crescent, and the Sympl tote. I'm a little worried about a 16" laptop on one shoulder though, and I'm not sure the Peak Design ones even fit it.

Questions for anyone who owns these:

* Which is the most comfortable with a 16" MBP in it?
* Any that feel heavier or bulkier in person than the specs suggest?
* Is a tote a bad idea for this, or is there one that carries well?
* Anything I'm missing that I should be looking at?

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for an EDC bag that I plan to use to travel light to university, to my volunteer sessions as a medical first responder, as well as on a trip to South America in a few months.

The things I plan to carry are the following:

To school:

* iPhone 14
* Wallet
* Small power bank
* Tissue pack, lip balm, hand sanitizer
* A lightning and USBC cable
* Mini first aid kit
* Ipad air
* Emergency granola bar
* Notebook and pen

On vacation:

* Same as to school, but with my passport

Medical first response (one thing to keep in mind is that I usually have to wear a huge bag on my back with first aid equipment):

* iPhone 14
* Wallet
* Tissue pack, lip balm, hand sanitizer
* A lightning and USBC cable
* Small power bank
* 4 pairs of blue gloves
* Band-aids
* Small water bottle (probably held with a carabiner on my strap, so it shouldn't take up any real estate)
* Notebook and pen
* Emergency granola bar

I'm really struggling to find a bag because I just entered this bag world and tend to overobsess with specs! The help would be so very appreciated!

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for an EDC bag that I plan to use to travel light to university, to my volunteer sessions as a medical first responder, as well as on a trip to South America in a few months.

The things I plan to carry are the following:

To school:

* iPhone 14
* Wallet
* Small power bank
* Tissue pack, lip balm, hand sanitizer
* A lightning and USBC cable
* Mini first aid kit
* Ipad air
* Emergency granola bar
* Notebook and pen

On vacation:

* Same as to school, but with my passport

Medical first response (one thing to keep in mind is that I usually have to wear a huge bag on my back with first aid equipment):

* iPhone 14
* Wallet
* Tissue pack, lip balm, hand sanitizer
* A lightning and USBC cable
* Small power bank
* 4 pairs of blue gloves
* Band-aids
* Small water bottle (probably held with a carabiner on my strap, so it shouldn't take up any real estate)
* Notebook and pen
* Emergency granola bar

I'm really struggling to find a bag because I just entered this bag world and tend to overobsess with specs! The help would be so very appreciated!

Hi everyone! I’m looking for a bag available in India that converts between a backpack and a messenger bag.
I’ll mainly carry a 14 inch laptop, charger, mouse, and a few small accessories and some clothes size greater than 20L. My budget is ₹5000.
I’d like comfortable backpack straps, a padded laptop compartment, and durable material and zippers. I want the messenger option for short outings and backpack mode for longer walks.
Has anyone used something like this? How comfortable is it in both modes, and how has it held up?

Budget is 1K, is there any good brand?

Hi, I'm looking for advice on a EDC backpack, I've narrowed it down to three:

* Able Carry Daily Plus 
* Sympl Commuter Pack 20L
* Rework Toshi Pack 20L V2

I don't mind the premium price, I'm looking to invest in this as I'll be using it for a very long time. I'm prioritising materials, build quality and how it feels to wear day to day. For context, I currently use the Alpaka metro backpack (12L), but found it to be too small for my needs (+ have problems with the zipper not closing properly)

I'm 175cm (5'9") and commute daily. I usually carry a 13" laptop, 11" tablet, water bottle, powerbank, cables, headphones, calc, etc.

Looking to see if anyone has any exp/recs regarding those 3, or if there's anything else better