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 3L Hydration System Water Bag Pouch Backpack Bladder Hiking Climbing Survival $19.99 Time Remaining: 25d 5h Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 3L Hydration System Water Bag Pouch Backpack Bladder Hiking Climbing Survival $19.99 Time Remaining: 25d 5h 7m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 3L Hydration System Water Bag Pouch Backpack Bladder Hiking Climbing Survival $19.99 Time Remaining: 25d 5h 11m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 Black Hydration Water Pouch System Backpack w 3L Bladde $19.99 Time Remaining: 20d 6h 41m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 OD 3L Hydration Water Pouch System Backpack for US ARMY $19.99 Time Remaining: 20d 6h 41m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 Tan Hydration Water Pouch System Backpack w 3L Bladde $19.99 Time Remaining: 29d 7h 7m Buy It Now for only: $19.99 |
 OD Hydration Water Pouch System Backpack w 3L Bladde $19.79 Time Remaining: 21d 9h 27m Buy It Now for only: $19.79 |
 25L Backpack Hydration System Water Pouch Reservoir $12.49 Time Remaining: 4d 7h 33m Buy It Now for only: $12.49 |
 3L Backpack Hydration Water System Pouch Bag Reservoir $12.19 Time Remaining: 14d 7h 45m Buy It Now for only: $12.19 |
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Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie Insulated Lunch Bag
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DescriptionWith friendly faces and matching zipper-pulls, Zoo Lunchies make lunchtime fun time! Sized just right for little kids, or a mom and baby on-the-go, these soft bags have a roomy main compartment that holds sandwiches, snacks, drinks and more... |
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The BeerBelly 200-001 The 80-Ounce Beer Belly
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DescriptionWhy pay ballpark prices for your favorite beverage when you can bring your own anywhere The BeerBelly makes it possible. It consists of a neoprene sling and a bladder that holds 80 oz., more than a six-pack of your favorite cold one... |
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Boker Plus MA-2 Fixed Blade Knife
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DescriptionThis innovative piece by American designers Miltner/Adams offers extraordinary user safety. With its Top Grip construction this knife is 100% safe in your hand in any situation. The handle design allows the user to open their hand in order to grab or hold another object without the risk of losing the knife... |
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Tamrac MX5384 MAS Medium Accessory Pocket
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DescriptionA fast access foam padded hook and loop closing pocket sized for flashes like Canon's 550EX and Nikon's SB-28, light meters and other accessories. Quick attachment to any belt or the Modular Accessories System... |
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Sawyer PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System
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DescriptionSimply fill up the pouch of your choice at a lake, stream or river, screw the filter directly onto the pouch and 1) Squeeze the bag and filter water into your water bottle or container of choice. |
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Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter
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DescriptionFrom Backpackgeartest.org The Katadyn Base Camp filter is a gravity feed filter system that utilizes a bag that is filled with unfiltered water, hung, and allows gravity to feed the water through the filter media into a water container... |
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PROACTIV 3pc Cleanser Toner Lotion MINI TRAVEL KIT New Formula w/ Micro-Crystals
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DescriptionThis handy travel kit includes the complete 3-Step System: Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner and Repairing Treatment in three 1-oz. take aboard bottles. |
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Swiss Gear Ibex 17-Inch Notebook Backpack
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DescriptionQuik Pocket with headset portShock absorbing shoulder strapsComputer pocket: 12" W x 16" H x 1 3/4" DAir-flow back paddingiPod /MP3 player pocketQuik-access phone pocket on shoulder strapCase base stabilizer platformRear hanging handle doubles as trolley strap Limited lifetime warrantyBlue |
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Targus Zip-Thru Air Traveler Backpack for 15.8 Inch Laptops TBB012US (Black)
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DescriptionThe Targus Zip-Thru Air Traveler Backpack is designed to help clear airport security without removing your laptop from your case |
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Mobile Edge Alienware Orion M18x ScanFastTM Checkpoint Friendly Backpack
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DescriptionThe Alienware Orion M18x Backpacks heavily-padded main compartment is specifically designed to accommodate the Alienware M18x laptop. |
Backpack Tips by a Lightly-Seasoned Veteran
As a college senior entering his final semester en route to a 6-year Bachelor's Degree (not by design, but by indecision and poor scheduling) I consider myself qualified in the subject of backpacks. Of course, I do not wish to label myself as strictly a 'school backpacker'. In fact, as an Eagle Boy Scout I was no stranger to the damp hikes of the Washington wilderness with my sturdy external frame hiking pack. I have since traveled the world for work with my protective laptop backpack, and I now frequent the Rocky Mountains with my trusty mountain bike and hydration pack.
Now that my backpack credentials have been established, I would like to throw in my two cents in each category. I'll start with school backpacks. Organization is key! I need a nice spacious main compartment with a multi-pocketed front pouch for all my nick-knacks. Pens, pencils, erasers, staplers, and (most importantly) candy and gum. Snacks. That's what got me through high school. I also need some serious durability. Normally you would pair the term 'durability' with your outdoor packs as a requirement, but regardless of how dedicated you are to Mother Nature, I would love to see a man who has used his hiking pack as many times as the college grad has used his school packs since kindergarten. The fact is, your school backpack takes a beating. It doesn't help that at the end of a wonderfully frustrating exam-filled day you skid your backpack across the ground (with it's 85 lbs of books and loose paper) and kick it all the way home. I was lucky if a school backpack ever lasted me a full school year, let alone two. That is, until I found my current treasure, a beautiful North Face backpack that has served me well for over 2 years and still looks like the day I got it.
As for hiking backpacks, comfort is key! Yes all the fancy straps, clips, and cords are neat, but when you're 2 miles into a 30 mile hike and your back and shoulders already feel like silly putty, you're not too worried about your secret pockets and fancy bells and whistles. In fact, you're burning everything you can spare in the evening fire to try to shed some weight. My advice, get a nice, ergonomic frame with a vented air-passage on the back and a padded, sturdy waist strap. Your legs and hips can support a lot more weight much more comfortably than your shoulders can. Make sure your pack is sized to fit your body type (some even have adjustable frames to get it just right).
Laptop backpacks should be all about protection. Make sure your notebook computer fits snug and has good padding all the way around. Backpacks tend to get tossed around and you don't want your notebook computer to take a hard shot on the corner without padding to absorb the impact. Ogio makes a great line of laptop backpacks with a special attention to style as well. InCase makes some as well with a very soft, thick, padded pouch.
My modest investment in a hydration backpack was one of my smartest moves as an sportsman. You can't have too much water when your out in the wilderness on a bike, board, or climb and a hydration backpack is the smartest and easiest way to keep hydrated. It can typically hold from 1-3 liters of water and they are light and snug enough that you barely even notice it on your back. They generally have additional compartments to hold a Cliff bar, knife, and some tools, for example.
Wherever life takes you, make sure your belongings are tucked a way in the appropriate backpack. To see a great line of sport, work, school, and travel backpacks, go to BackpackStash.com.
About the Author
I consider myself somewhat of a jack-of-all trades for the digital world. I enjoy writing, I love graphic design, I own, manage, and market a handful of websites, and am, naturally, an expert e-commerce shopper. In spite of all this, I can't get enough of the outdoors and frequently find myself struggling to balance my time between the outside world and the digital one! When I do choose the online world, my attention is typically dedicated to the websites that I manage, which include a site dedicated to backpacks, called BackpackStash, a modern art site called ModernAbstractDecor and a logo design site known as SpicyLogo.