Are leather backpacks practical, as the title of this article asks? If we look around when we venture outside, it is noticeable how popular the backpack, in all its forms, has become over the past few years. Once associated purely as bag for a day out, a weekend away, hiking through meadows and fields, or even for a picnic, to hold all the necessary utensils required for the highlight of the day, eating, they are now widespread and used for equally widespread purposes. There is an endless mix of styles, shapes, sizes, and quality to hold and store your necessities (and some frivolities, maybe) whilst on the go in the great wide world.

So, where does leather fit into this? And what are its practicalities, the advantages of owning a leather backpack over a non-leather material? There are the well worn (no pun intended) testaments to leather being a natural product, which it is, and its ability to transform virtually any product into a luxury one, which it does. And in this case (again, no pun intended) the leather backpack, like a leather jacket or a leather briefcase, is enhanced by the beauty of having been crafted in leather. For robustness most leather backpacks are made from goatskin, cowhide, or buffalo hide. This gives the product durability, to better cope with all the challenges and hazards it may face.

Goatskin may be a little rigid to begin with, but it will soon bend, give, and soften whilst keeping its core strength. It grows into you. Cowhides are a natural fit for this type of baggage. It is strong and resilient, but its surprising party trick is its suppleness. Modern tanning techniques have further aided this trait. And because cowhide is so strong, a backpack can be made with split cowhide skins (a single skin made into two separate skins by slicing through it) to accommodate lightness, if it’s required, whilst remaining strong at its core.

Is a leather backpack a good idea?

Again, cowhide will be made suppler the more it is tried and tested by the trials of life. As leather gives and stretches to accommodate the loads placed into the backpack, it makes it an ideal material to manufacture the item out of. One question legitimately asked is, does leather make a backpack heavy? By itself, the answer might be yes, albeit depending on the hide or skin selected for any design, which can vary tremendously. It also depends upon the limitations or expectations of the bag itself. Because of its natural tensity, leather might not require such a vigorous framing skeleton, and so therefore eliminating further excess weight. It is notable that a sturdy vessel carries weight better than a less sturdy one. The effect being that a leather backpack should give greater support more effortlessly to its load than that a non-leather backpack, and therefore be less onerous overall to carry or wear upon your back. Almost gravity defying in its ability to cope with its load.

Are leather backpacks practical?

Leather backpacks can be stylish and made to suit any design imaginable. There is no constraint on the designer when deciding to make a backpack in leather. As we discovered, skins can be supple and strong, and a good manufacturer will style a leather backpack into a desirable, essential item, fit for purpose. Any shade or colour is possible, and leather will always, always win the war in the luxury stakes, as well giving you a quality, long lasting product that will only improve with age. Possibly, the only backpack you will need to purchase in one lifetime, should you care for it and replenish its natural oils with due diligence, depending upon the amount of stress it is put under during its years of service.

Now that we know a leather backpack is strong, and durable, better, and more accommodating than most other materials and fabrics, that it will improve with age, and actually lighten the load you are carrying due to its unique tensile strength, can we now answer the question, are leather backpacks practical? Yes, they are. But they are so much more. Like a leather jacket, or an exquisitely crafted leather wallet or purse, it is so much more than just the sum of its parts.

For what will you use your leather backpack? A weekender bag? A general holdall? Whatever use you decide, however long or short the journey, you have found a new companion by your side, or covering your back (no more unintentional puns, honest!) Just one more thing to help you on your way. Enjoy.