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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Pete Wise

The best backpacks in the UK for work, travel and wild adventure – tested

Pete Wise kneels behind a row of test backpacks in a field near a stone viaduct.
Pack leader: writer Pete sizes up the contenders near the Ribblehead viaduct. Photograph: Christian Hopewell/The Guardian

Chart your course through a fun, active or productive day, and you’ll often find cause to carry things. Backpacks are arguably the best people-powered way to do it, used by pretty much everyone from Napoleonic soldiers and Ötzi the Iceman to ultra-marathoner Courtney Dauwalter, as well as innumerable workers, students and travellers.

The best backpack to choose depends on which elements of your own world you wish to carry, and where you’re planning to take them. You can choose between smart-looking options suitable for work and travel, hiking-focused day packs and trail packs designed for outdoor itineraries, and versatile backpacks with water-resistant materials and a high storage capacity.

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