13 Best Backpacks That Look Grown Up and Carry All You Need

If you’re carrying your gym clothes throughout the day, it helps to have a bag made to handle the task. Dagne Dover’s signature neoprene is made to deflect sweaty smells, and it’s super easy to wash when you need to. Plus, the best part for me—someone known to stuff a backpack to the brim—is that the flexible material has some generosity when it comes to fitting everything you possibly can in here.

Herschel has been doing its thing (and by “its thing,” we mean putting up numbers in the backpack game) for a minute now, and the brand’s hard-earned industry credibility is nothing to scoff at. It should be one of the first places you check any time you’re in the market for an upgrade. This classic style is an editor favorite, ’cause it goes easily with any fit and any taste.

Life may get crazy, but this backpack will help keep you sane. With dedicated compartments for your laptop, workout gear, and water bottle, it will put you in an organized state of mind. Lululemon’s deep, zippered spaces are great for everything from airport travel to a trip to the gym, and the sleek exterior is nothing to scoff at, either.

Rain-proof, because real adults actually dress for the weather. (And guard their electronics from certain ruin in the process.) This business-ready backpack is all about bringing the elevated energy of a briefcase right to your back, with comfort all the way. Its simple hook closure keeps things sleek, and you can rest easy knowing your gadgets and papers are safe inside.

Caraa’s backpack is the bottomless bag you need for packing all day long. It can fit a lot, and the waterproof fabric will keep what’s inside safe.

Arc’teryx has a backpack that looks damn cool, and performs even better. With plenty of zippered compartments and a deep main compartment with storage for a laptop, water bottle, and more, this is how you squeeze all your essentials easily down into one. It’s great for everything from a camping trip to a long airport layover.

Monotone, Monos. It’s subtle, sleek, and honestly, kind of sexy. The quick-snap modular kit at the front is interchangeable, but also, damn useful; for me, putting my absolute essentials in there at the airport makes going through TSA a breeze.

With this leather option on your back, we promise you’ll never get mistaken for a student. This is the ideal backpack for work, with a leather exterior that’s endlessly elegant. The padded interior includes a laptop sleeve, and the padded straps are sure to keep you comfy on that morning commute.

Old-school mountaineering vibes from the brand that does, as it turns out, still make a great backpack. A playful one, too, with its colorblocked exterior, but don’t think L.L. Bean is skimping on functionality; the water-resistant, abrasion-resistant fabric will prove that, right alongside the interior organizational compartments.