I’m looking for recommendations for a backpack that will be used for commuting to work. What I’m looking for would have one large compartment that I could put a shirt and a pair of pants in, a Bluetooth speaker, a large Contigo water bottle and maybe some miscellaneous stuff. I don’t want a hundred pockets and compartments (internal or external). All I seem to be able to find are laptop backpacks or hiking backpacks that are just too “busy” with features that would just get in the way or waste storage space. I really don’t want to have to resort to buying a laptop backpack and then cutting out all the internal compartments with a razor blade. That’s just dumb, and I worry that what’s left after cutting would start to fray and fall apart. Durability and and convenience are top priority but price isn’t a huge issue (within reason).
TIA.
Update 1: Since there have been several positive comments re. JanSport bags… That’s what I’ve decided to try. I pulled the trigger on this bag. It’s a bit fancier (suede parts) than what I was originally planning but it ticks all the boxes. The fact that they have a Canadian store and free shipping is icing on the cake.
Update 2: Bag just arrived today. It’s nice, really nice. I almost feel bad about the abuse it’s going to take. The canvas is quite thick and has a very high quality feel to it. Same for the suede. Doesn’t feel cheap at all. It’s just the right size for my needs. At first glance the external water bottle pocket looked too small to fit any kind of reusable bottles but I tried forcing it a bit and found it has a very strong elastic band that holds the pocket folded against the main body of the bag. We’ll see how long that elastic band holds up. The zippers feel nice but I don’t know what brand they are as they have a stylized “JS” on the zipper pulls. It does have a laptop sleeve that I was kinda hoping to avoid but the way they’ve done it is very nice. It’s a zippered full length pocket not accessible from within the main compartment. It’s kinda hidden between the top mounting points of the shoulder straps and the upper flap that covers the main compartment zipper. Overall I’m very happy with this bag and I think the price is about right for the quality of the materials and construction of the bag.
Thanks everyone for your input.
I'm not sure if this is too military for you but Savotta Jääkäri S seems to match your description for the most part.
There's one big pocket, smaller on in the inside of the lid and a separator for drink bladder that also functions as laptop pocket but doesn't take away any space if you choose not to use it.
I don’t mind the military look of that one at all. I just browsed the site and found an even more basic one that caught my eye. I’m assuming you have a bag from this company? The material is pretty good? It looks like it should be pretty durable considering their target demographic.
Varusteleka is a Finnish military surplus store. They have their own "Särmä" product line aswell but other than that they're just a retailer. Savotta, however - the manufacturer of the backpack I linked, is a very well known and highly appreciated Finnish military/hiking gear manufacturer that makes gear for the Finnish Defence Forces aswell. Their quality is absolutely top notch. I have both, Jääkäri S and Jääkäri L backpacks among their other gear aswell.
What comes to that specific online store; the descriptions actually are honest. If the product is shit it says so in the description. I've seen examples of that before and especially the Finnish descriptions are sometimes hilarious. I've bought a ton of stuff from there and everything has met or exceed my expectations.
Edit: You're probably talking about the 202 LJK Daypack. It'll last two lifetimes.
Oh, ok. I like the pic with the bag full of rocks. I’m not that hard on the equipment but it’s nice to know the materials are that strong… if it’s not just marketing wank.