The Hardworking Backpack I’ll Never Travel Without

4 min read

Shop $109, portlandgear.com

Welcome to the Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.

When you’re heading somewhere for a long weekend, which, as a New York City resident, I try to do as often as I can, packing and the luggage you use for it is always a Goldilocks situation. If you’re heading up Thursday night and coming back Sunday, you’ve got a pretty minimal checklist: clothes, pajamas, toiletries, and a laptop (if you lied and said you plan to “work from home” on Friday). A duffel bag or small suitcase has some room to spare, which is cool until until you’re wrestling it into the trunk of your car and trying to make it fit with everyone else’s luggage like a cruel game of Tetris. But your everyday backpack or tote bag is bursting at the seams as you try to stuff in the pajamas you almost forgot to pack.

My answer to this predicament will always be Portland Gear’s Cascade backpack. The 21-liter backpack is roomy, but it still carries like a backpack should: easy, hands-free, and not obnoxiously huge. It’s well sized for a weekend getaway during which your whole plan is reading a book by the fireplace every night and going to the local diner every morning. (Sounds like the perfect weekend to me.) But it can also handle itself as a personal item if you’re flying out on a longer trip. If you want the one bag that nails that sweet spot between everyday and overkill, this is the one you’ve been looking for.

The Wire-Frame Top Changes the Game

What really sets this backpack apart is the way it opens. It looks just like a typical backpack, but the wire-frame top unzips and opens into a rectangular, suitcase-like mouth that creates usable space and makes packing easier. You can pile your clothes, your Dopp kit, and a pair of shoes up to the very top, and even if it looks as if there’s no way in hell that thing’ll zip closed, I promise it will. All you have to do is squeeze the top together and, voilà, it zips up. It has a capacity of up to 21 liters, so never underestimate what you can fit.

It also has plenty of exterior and interior pockets for all the small things—the hidden security pocket in the back is perfect for cash or a passport if you’re going international. There is, to be expected, a padded laptop sleeve and smaller interior organizers for tech accessories, snacks, and medications. And there are two large water-bottle sleeves that can fit a hefty Hydro Flask, plus an umbrella, because you never know when you might need one, or a shaker bottle if you’re desperate to hit macros while traveling. It has a luggage sleeve and fits under all standard airline seats, and that wire-frame top makes it far easier to dig into mid-flight.

Shop $109, portlandgear.com

It’s Weatherproof, Durable, and Easy to Clean

If I had to call this backpack one thing, it’d be durable. You can tell just by looking at it, and even more by feeling it, that this backpack was made to last. It easily stays upright on its own when set down, and you can count on its hardy construction and weatherproof materials to keep your belongings safe.

The “classic” material is made from polyester with a TPU matte coating, which provides a waxy finish that protects the bag from rain, snow, dirt, and anything else. Grime and spills are easy to wipe off with a dry or damp cloth, so don’t worry about any coffee mishaps in the car, spilled booze on the plane, or trail dust on your big hike. My backpack, the one pictured, has been through the ringer, and it still looks pretty damn good. And for just over $100, it’s less expensive than most other truly durable bags.

Shop $109, portlandgear.com

It Comes in Any Color You Desire

I love when a good product—not a trendy one, a good one—comes in a bunch of fun colors or different patterns. The Cascade Backpack is the perfect example. I’m obsessed with the silvery-green Capers colorway that I have, but I love the Cloud, Fog, and Lavender colorways, too. Want something simple that will go with the rest of your luggage? Get the classic black option. Need something bright for better visibility (or a fun pop of color)? Get the Sunrise yellow option. There are 14 color options in the classic material, and there’s a new Leatherlite option made from black pebbled vegan leather that another Esquire editor has and loves. It also makes a great gift for the frequent traveler and is even more special when you get it in their favorite color.

The backpack is also part of Portland Gear’s Cascade line, which includes a Dopp kit, weekender bag, carry-on suitcase, duffel bag, crossbody bag, small pouch, and laptop sleeve, so you can get the whole set in your favorite color—or mix it up if that’s your thing. The point is that no matter how you travel, no matter what your setup is, this bag works for it. It is an absolute dream to own.

Shop $109, portlandgear.com

Photographs by Florence Sullivan