The Best Minimalist Backpacks To Carry

There’s no denying that a major part of everyday carry is style — even if it’s not amongst the direst of factors. We’d never blame anyone for taking styling into consideration when picking out EDC gear, even if that means sacrificing or compromising with other features, formats, etc. After all, a fully-kitted, hardcore mil-spec piece of gear might be able to get the job done, but that often comes at the expense of subtlety, simplicity, and manageability. And that can be a deal-breaker for plenty of folks, especially those that prefer a better balance between style and substance.

The issue denoted above is abundantly clear in the world of backpacks. Take the Triple Aught Design FAST Pack EDC, for instance; it’s an absolutely superb backpack, but it is aggressive in its appearance, complex in its format (giving it a relatively steep learning curve), and highly catered to those with a taste for battlefield-ready tactical gear. And it definitely isn’t for everyone. Luckily, if you prefer much more pared-down styling and features — perhaps with urban-friendly functionality in mind — there is no shortage of options out there. In fact, we’ve rounded up a bevy of offerings below that we believe to be the best minimalist backpacks available right now.

Despite being a minimalist product space, there are still a handful of finer points that are crucial to be aware of when shopping for one — the most crucial of which we’ll be highlighting directly below in this mini guide to what to consider when buying a minimalist backpack. 

Primary Construction: As the element that comprises the vast majority of the backpack, the primary material used to construct a bag’s shell plays the single biggest role in deterring its overall quality more so than any other area. Common materials in this space are typically hardwearing, and range from everything from nylon to waxed canvas to proprietary constructions like CORDURA and Dyneema. Additionally, on top of the material used, you’ll also want to review the construction technique(s) used to piece that material together, as this too plays a major role in a bag’s overall quality and durability. 

Secondary Materials: While a bag’s shell material is of more importance, it’s nonetheless worth exploring a backpack’s secondary constructions, such as the material used for a pack’s liner or bottom reinforcement. 

Hardware: Another important area to review when buying a minimalist backpack is the type of hardware being used, as this includes elements such as a bag’s buckles, fasteners, and zipper tracks — items that play a major role in the backpack’s overall user experience. 

Weatherproofing: Yet another imperative factor to take into account when buying a backpack is its ability to stand up to the elements — an area that’s primarily owed to a bag’s shell material and hardware. What’s more, it’s become increasingly common to see already hardwearing shell constructions further fortified via special weatherized coatings or treatments such as DWR finishes and PU coatings. 

Size: Unlike everyday carry or travel backpacks that tend to come in a more uniform size, minimalist packs can hugely vary in size and shape. The two metrics to review here are a bag’s dimensions (in terms of length, width, and height) and internal volume — the latter of which is typically shown in liters. 

Style: Though it’s purely subjective and boils down to personal preference, the style and appearance of a minimalist pack is another area worth exploring, as this type of spartan carry solution is produced in an enormous variety of different aesthetics that, despite all being of the minimalist variety, can range from unmistakably modern designs to tried-and-true old-school classics. 

Tom Bihn Daylight Backpack

Best Value Pick: As a brand, Tom Bihn has a few things going for it that are scarce elsewhere. For starters, almost all of their bags come with some measure of customization, usually regarding the external materials. They also offer a wider array of colors across their catalog than just about anywhere else. And all of their packs come with a lifetime guarantee. That’s true, too, for the Daylight minimalist backpack you see here. Best of all, regardless of which configuration you go with, this is a bag that will serve you brilliantly day-in and day-out.

HEIMPLANET Monolith Minimal Rucksack

Best Lightweight Pick: As you can probably gather from its name, HEIMPLANET’s Monolith Minimal Rucksack was made specifically with minimalism in mind — and it was executed brilliantly therein. It has an 18L capacity — perfect for day-to-day usage or short-form travel — along with an ultralight, super-tough, weatherproof CORDURA nylon exterior, complete with PU-coated YKK zippers. And while the outside is as pared-down as possible, the inside still has plenty of organizational options — including a 15″ laptop compartment and MOLLE compatibility. The brand even sells its own modules you can stash inside for even more organization and versatility.

Wexley Stem Daypack

Best Overall Pick: Just because a brand has a big name, that doesn’t mean they make good gear. Similarly, brands you might not immediately recognize shouldn’t put them out of contention. If the latter were the case, we might not have had the pleasure of taking a closer look at the exceptional Wexley Stem Daypack. With its sleek CORDURA nylon exterior, 17L capacity, YKK zippers, and Duraflex hardware, this bag doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel. But it doesn’t have to because it has refined said wheel into something much more artful — so to speak.

Rains Book Daypack

Best All-Weather Pick: The Rains Book Daypack is a sleek, modern, and minimalistic take on a school-style book bag that features both Rain’s hallmark look, as well as the brand’s signature waterproof PU-coated poly fabric construction — the latter of which affords it a water column pressure rating of 8,000mm. Equipped with a curved top, sharp base, and large front zip pocket, this backpack offers 10.8 liters of internal storage space that includes a padded laptop sleeve that can accommodate notebooks of up to 15”. Padded backstraps, a top grab handle, and weatherproof coated zippers round out this minimalistic masterpiece. Offered in five color options, the  Rains Book Daypack also comes backed by a multi-year warranty. 

Aer Day Pack 2

Editor’s Pick: Were you to put all of Aer’s offerings on a wheel and spin it, literally anything it landed on would be worth your time and money. But if it’s a minimalist backpack you seek, we’d urge you toward the Day Pack 2 — which is even minimalist in its name. This gorgeous bag features a sleek exterior crafted from Cordura nylon (complete with a PU-coated front to keep your tech extra-safe), a 14.8L capacity that’s better for those that like to keep things pared down, a padded pouch suited to 15″ laptops, and more. Use this pack for a day and you’ll want to keep using it for the rest of your life.

Bellroy Transit Workpack

Best Eco-Friendly Pick: You can’t go wrong with anything made by Bellroy, to put it bluntly. But if you’re searching for a minimalist backpack, you may want to have a gander at the brand’s Transit Workpack. As its name suggests, this sleek and eco-friendly bag was designed specifically with city-going commuters and office workers in mind, so it has plenty of internal organization for all your EDC, tech (including your laptop with a 16” compartment), and adjacent accessories. Of course, it also still has a sleek exterior, an exceptional material construction, and it looks professional enough to lug in and out of meetings.

Arc’Teryx Granville 16

Best Outdoor Pick: Anyone familiar with the outdoor and backpack industries will not be surprised to see highly-reputed Canadian technical brand Arc’teryx on our list — they might not even be shocked that we picked the Granville, as it has garnered a reputation as one of the best minimalist bags around, bar none. Of course, you don’t have to have a familiarity with this 16L, weatherproof, laptop-toting pack in order to see just how good it is. To determine that, all you have to do is have a gander at it.

Huckberry X GORUCK GR1 Slick Backpack

Best Ultra-Rugged Pick: Put simply: GORUCK’s GR1 is one of the best backpacks ever created, period. And while it likely would have made this list anyhow, this exclusive Slick-spec variant born out of a collaboration with Huckberry definitely fits best with the minimalist theme. And it was managed beautifully: the brands simply removed the external MOLLE webbing, resulting in a far sleeker exterior without sacrificing any of the pack’s other top-notch features. For those wondering, yes: it still comes with its legendary bombproof laptop compartment. But if you want one, you’ll want to snatch it up quickly; these packs don’t stay in stock for long.

KILLSPENCER Utility Special Ops Backpack

Best Designer/Luxury Pick: While most minimalist backpacks — and backpacks in general — tend to be crafted from pliable synthetic materials like nylon and polyester, that’s just not Killspencer’s style (although they do offer some nylon bags). Rather, they’ve taken their Utility Special Ops Backpack and crafted it from the material that has helped to set this brand apart: full-grain leather. Crafted with the imperfections of leather and, thus, uniqueness in mind, this backpack is equal parts a useful everyday carry gear hauler and a show-piece you’ll want to put on full display. Yes, it’s expensive; yes, it is absolutely worth the money.

Arc’Teryx Nomin Pack

Best Super Premium Pick: While the entry price is obviously exceptionally high for the Veilance Nomin Pack, this bag is worth every single penny. In fact, this backpack is largely credited for setting the gold standard when it comes to ultra-minimalist carry solutions. That starts with its weight: an absurdly low 33 ounces in total. That factor alone, plus its pedigree, should be enough for most. But if it isn’t, the bag is also waterproof (with taped seams and WaterTight zippers), has a low-profile silhouette, can safely hold a 15″ laptop, and comes in two muted colorways. If you can afford it, you’re not going to find a better minimalist backpack.

The Best EDC Backpacks

Interested in checking out some carry solution options that are a bit more feature-laden? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best everyday carry backpacks for a look at our extensive hands-on review of the latest and greatest EDC-specific bags on the market.