The Best Backpacks for Men Who Have Way Too Much Stuff

What do your dinged laptop, shvitzy gym clothes, and extra summer shirt all have in common? They all belong in one of these, the very best backpacks for men. See, the right backpack should be more than just another place to store your stuff. It can be an outfit-making accessory, a mobile office, an ad hoc weekender, a TSA-ready carry-on, or all four—at the same time.

Unlike the slick crossbody bags and totes you toss on before running a quick errand—y’know, the ones that can carry the essentials but not much else—a backpack is built for the long haul. It’ll stash your non-negotiables (wallet, keys, phone) with ample room to spare for an impromptu trip to both the local farmer and flea markets. It also doubles as an excellent carry-on when you’re ready to get out of town.

These days, plenty of backpacks outperform across multiple categories, but the ones we’re inclined to recommend most zealously boast a special set of skills specifically designed for your needs, whether you’re gearing up for your daily commute or booking tickets to the far-flung locale of your choice. We went deep on our favorite options on the market, deciphering the juicy specs that make each well-equipped to handle a dust-up in the airport terminal or some gentle jostling on the train, finding you the best backpacks for men.

The Best Backpacks, According to GQ

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Best Backpack Overall

Jansport Right Pack Backpack

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Best Backpack for School

The North Face Borealis Backpack

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Best Travel Backpack

Evergoods Civic Travel Backpack 35L

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Best Backpack Overall: Jansport Right Pack

Your one-way ticket to middle school stardom is still a winner. Jansport might not have invented the backpack, but if you told us that it did, we’d believe you. Its Right Pack is exactly that: The right backpack for any and all occasions. It’s a perennial winner for its affordability and its uncanny ability to haul your stuff from point A to point Z—and everywhere in between. Its suede bottom is for more than just looks, adding durability for all the times you just throw this bag on the floor. There’s a laptop sleeve (always a nice-to-have), a side water bottle pocket (gotta stay hydrated), and a flew zipper compartments, but that’s all there is to this no-frills backpack—one which we’ll be sure to cop and pass on to our future middle schooler so they can rise to the top of their class, whether or not they’ve got the grades.

Best Backpack for School: The North Face Borealis

Textbooks? Laptop? Cheat sheet? Better pack up all your A-plus earning goodies in The North Face’s Borealis. We’re big fans of this backpack for school purposes because it was designed for hitting the trails, which makes it excellent for toting learning materials. Its bungee straps let you add even more to your EDC, even if it’s just an extra jacket for those air-conditioned class rooms. The bag itself is lightweight, making it just a tad easier to carry those 50-pound reading materials, and a bevy of storage compartments keep everything neat and tidy for easy access.

Best Travel Backpack: Evergoods Civic Travel

Traveling is stressful enough without wrestling with a subpar bag. For hitting the road, we swear by the Evergoods Civic travel backpack—a meticulously designed pack and the go-to of GQ associate commerce director Michael Nolledo. It’s a splurge, but when Nolledo tested it, he was sold on the durable construction, smart pocket layout, and the all-black, universally appealing look that works for just about anyone, anywhere.

Aside from its pass-through strap for sliding it through the handle of your luggage, the bag is decked out with features to make it easier to dodge get through the TSA screening unscathed. “It’s super comfortable for a long-haul trip and can take a beating,” he says, calling the the pocket genius, with “so many configurations that everything’s always within reach and easy to grab.” Plus, it’s big enough to accommodate 16-inch laptops and the main compartment fully unzips so there’s no need to dig through what otherwise would be a black hole of your travel necessities.