Honest confession – I do not own a skateboard, nor have I ever ridden on a skateboard, and I do not ever plan to become a skateboarder. I’ve always been averse to sports unless it’s quidditch with my college graduate friends. But my freshman roommate was a skateboarder.
Before I met him, I had never imagined that skateboarders had their own brand of backpacks; let alone a range of the best skater backpack. He went through a lot of them, shredding the pavement with kickflips and rail grinds. I also fondly remember playing hours of the Tony Hawk Pro-Skater game on the N64.
He ended up giving me most of his backpacks, and I used them well. Suffice to say, I have the credentials to give you skater backpack recommendations.
What Makes a Skater Backpack Great?
What you should look for most in a skateboarding backpack, above all other things, is durability. The skater is going to scrape and fall, especially if you’re still practicing your moves. The backpack needs to be able to protect your various possessions, especially cameras, laptops, books, tools, and (of course) your hacky sack.
Furthermore, your skater backpack must be stylish. I don’t normally care very much about the appearance of a backpack, but if skating is an aesthetic sport – you’re a spectacle, people are watching your tricks – and so your backpack should look as cool as you. But I never sacrifice functionality for style, and with these brands, you won’t have to.
Best Skater Backpack Under $100
Dakine Mission Backpack
I was pretty happy with this one. Boy, did I get my money’s worth out of it. I flew across the country with it, I carried all of my clothes in it, and I even once used it to take my groceries. There was a time when I accidentally burned it beside the fireplace and it melted in several places, yet it held perfectly well. The Dakine Mission backpack lasted me a total of five years, and they were some of my best backpacking years.
The Dakin Mission backpack has a carrying capacity of 25 liters. The dual zippered pockets on the sides are highly convenient for keeping your small electronic possessions. There is a sleeve inside of the largest compartment that is padded, which protects it and keeps me peace of mind when carrying my laptop around inside of it. This brand will fit most 15 inch laptops.
Never worry about losing your possessions or having to dig through to the bottom again, thanks to the organizer pockets. I was also a great fan of the stowable waist belt, the pouch is highly useful for a small item such as a phone that you want access to whenever you need it, without reaching around.
It comes in a wide variety of patterns and styles. I bought mine in camouflage. Prices range from $20 to $90. You can purchase the Dakine Mission backpack here.
Brixton Packer Duffel Bag
I would take this one out with me on my weekends. The Brixton Packer Duffel Bag’s most nifty feature is that it has a pair of hidden shoulders straps which you can easily use as a backpack.
But it’s good once in a while to be able to set your pack down while you bust another move, and have the confidence that your pack won’t fall over or roll off an edge. Carrying a duffel bag instead of wearing a backpack can also be a great break for your shoulders.
This backpack is also designed with a storage pocket on the side, which is water-resistant. The velcro skate straps are incredibly convenient – I personally don’t care for the going through the trouble of clipping a normal belt into place. The velcro is much easier, and velcro is much more in style with the skater visage. The Brixton Packer Duffel bag, as far as I know, only comes in Bronze color.
If you want to take your skateboard on a short traveling trip, the Brixton Packer Duffel bag is better than any ordinary backpack if you have to carry a lot of other possessions perhaps unrelated to your skateboarding activities.
Be warned, however, that I wouldn’t recommend the duffel bag if you are embarking on a longer trip – duffel bags tend to become painful to hold after a couple of minutes, and the problem is even worse when you have 50 pounds of gear inside of it.
You can order this backpack with a custom Brixton logo and labels that can be stamped into the leather. It costs under $100 for sure. You can purchase the Brixton Packer Duffel Bag here.
HETHRONE Skate Backpack
This backpack makes the list because, whereas I am not a skateboarder, I do like to occasionally put on my roller skates and take to the pavement. But it will also be of value to any dedicated skateboarder.
The primary plus of the HETHRONE Skate backpack? It’s extremely roomy. There’s always been enough space to fit all of my roller derby skate gear. This backpack even has two pockets on the sides for my skating shoes. It also comes with a cellphone pocket that has a headphone port.
This backpack definitely has a lot of its own character. The bag is stylish and very rugged, the zippers run smoothly along the edges, and it can carry a whole lot of gear. Even though the photo on the sales page shows a pair of quad skates, I can fit my inline speed skates inside of this backpack perfectly.
The variety of different pocket sizes are optimal for organizing all of my different possessions, from small electronics like my cellphone and iPod to larger possessions such as my laptop, a pair of shoes in the bottom compartment, and of course the skates themselves. There were many times when this backpack even made me want to hurl my older duffel bag straight out of the window. I absolutely love it.
You can purchase the HETHRONE Skate Backpack here. It costs under $100, but is quite worth every dollar I spent on it.
Final thoughts on the best skater backpack
If you are on a budget but do not want to compromise the quality of your skater backpack, choosing any of the 3 recommended backpacks above is the best choice. You can’t go wrong with any of the option above as they are some of the best skater backpack you can find in the market today. Hope that helps and happy skating.
For guides on any other types of backpacks, check out our backpacks category.
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