Best Material For Backpacks? Your Guide To Bag Fabrics

[@PackHacker]

Do you pay more attention to a bag’s style or materials? 🎒🧐🧶

[@tahliae]

Form first! The bag shape (and pocket count) head to work for the activity and trip. Then materials (fabric and ZIPPERS), with color/pattern coming in last!

[@jouwenlee7829]

60% style/design/function, 40% materials. All my current packs utilise Cordura nylon.

[@Ed-qy1bg]

Mats matter too!!

[@Chambros703]

Material then look. If I don’t like the looks in the top material I’ll bump it down a notch and so forth. Idc how good a bag looks, if the material sucks it’s a ticking time bomb

[@PackHacker]

Thanks for sharing, Tahlia! - Austin

[@nickpapageorgio4944]

X-pac is my favorite material so far. Love the lower weight and weather resistance. Looks great too.

[@meowzic]

This is a great breakdown and history of outdoor fabrics

[@brunom9132]

This helps a lot. I choose the Skule than Raven because of the material, i didnt know the difference between them.

[@TheAnahita07]

This is so helpful! Thank you for breaking this down in a language I understand 😂👌🏼

[@PackHacker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Komplexitet]

This is one of my favorite video from you folks! Its so USEFUL!!!

[@PackHacker]

Awesome! Thanks for the support! - Austin

[@danishali456]

very detailed and perfect video for Bag fabrics.

[@PackHacker]

Thanks for watching 😃 -Eric

[@33Jenesis]

I love the bohemian vibe of a distressed leather backpack; so rustic and Mad Max. But it is heavy and not water friendly. So it remains a romantic notion not to be realized.

[@Tkrips22]

Awesome video and review, literally everything I have been looking for. Thank you so much!!

[@PackHacker]

Thanks for watching, Tyler! 😃 -Eric

[@paulcheng7112]

This is the video I need.

[@PhillipDrumz]

Great info thanks!

[@jamc666]

very informative. kudos

[@PackHacker]

Glad you liked it!

[@extraordinaryfate5767]

a very informative video 😊👍🏼 thanks 🥰

[@PackHacker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@extraordinaryfate5767]

@@PackHacker yep thanks...now i know aside from style and capacity the material is also a factor..more power to u🥰😊👍🏼

[@vaporwareproducts]

So would you say 600D Ballistic Nylon is stronger than 900D Nylon non-ballistic?

[@IAMK3YYY]

Cordura is actually what I want for my bag but can't because its price. It'll increase the cost quite significant but i can't sell for higher price because of the market.

[@boredandagitated]

What’s the abrasion resistance like on Dyneema?

[@PackHacker]

Hey there! Dyneema offers excellent abrasion resistance for it's weight. It's even used for rock climbing equipment that is designed to catch falls and keep climbers safe while they are hundreds of feet in the air. Thanks for the comment! - Austin

[@praxis-cat870]

I want to add a little to PHs comment. Dyneema has fantastic abrasion resistance for its weight, but bags and gear made out of it are often quite thin in order to maximize weight savings (and cost! Dyneema is very expensive), and so a bag made made out of it may be less durable than other materials just due to how little fabric is being used. For normal human use, it's more than fine. And thicker dyneema is often used in critical applications like Austin mentioned. If you're a thruhiker, though, there's a debate about whether dyneema or other ultralight materials are preferred. I'd look at some ultralight bagging specialists if that's your concern. Otherwise, you're good to go!

[@varun009]

I've given up on tech fabrics for my bags. I just use a strong nylon bag so it doesn't soak in water, and I keep a couple of thick plastic bags in my bag in case I need to repackage anything. Much simpler and I've had the same nylon twill bag for years. I changed one zipper once.

[@PackHacker]

Thanks for sharing your insights! 🤙 -Eric

[@overbarg]

Fabrics that I will avoid (and I wish more pack reviewers would cover) are all fabrics that are polyurethane coated (TPU or PU coated). Lots of Cordura fabrics are treated in this way to provide them with some water resistance, but literally _every_ pack that I;ve had (2 from Arcteryx, 1 MEC, 1 Waterfield, 1 Serratus) have disintegrated into a sticky non-removable mess... usually on the _inside_ of the bag. The problem is that this doesn't happen until 4 or 5 years into the bag's lifetime, so reviewers simply wouldn't have time to see this. Avoid TPU coated fabrics!!!!

[@33Jenesis]

I have several LeSportsac bags that got sticky after several years. Can’t undo the damage.

[@Drownedinblood]

I wish the industry would stop this but I have a feeling they keep it cuz then someone would want to buy a new pack. I have had a pack for 10 years now and the only thing going wrong with it is the tpu lining.

[@drummachine5787]

You should be able to remove the coating with alcohol and a stiff brush

[@overbarg]

@@drummachine5787 ok, I tried that and it failed miserably. it just smooshes the coating around, it's still sticky, and it's pretty much a no go for some of the internal pockets.

[@Logan-jb3uo]

Thanks so much for the info did not know this. I was sitting here impressed with Cordura until I seen this comment and did further research after.

[@meowzic]

If i want to buy these fabrics to make my own gear where can i find fabrics like x-pac by the yard?

[@retrovelcro]

What leather pack was that at the end? Great vid

[@PackHacker]

Hey Live Light! That's the Leatherology Parker Backpack. I'll drop a link below. Thanks for the comment! - Austin packhacker.com/travel-gear/leatherology/parker-backpack/

[@PADAINDIEFOLKSTERMUSICARTIST]

100 recycled 850 denier polyester........the bottom of my backpack .......is this durable

[@rlfstr]

Waxed canvas all the way, baby

[@j.i.370]

Adorava ter legendas em Portugues 🇵🇹

[@rejiluz3465]

Now I know... Thanks guys...

[@gmt5664]

I’ve always wondered what you were talking about when you described fabrics. LOL I don’t have many bags so this was very helpful

[@PackHacker]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Linrox]

@packhacker Hey love the video. starting to get the materials to make my own backpack. but was after a specific material that my last backpack used but i can't identify the material type. It has a webbing course texture but feels more like cordura or nylon. Can you do a video on identifying materials.

[@PackHacker]

Hey @Linrox! I'll pass this along to the team-thanks for the suggestion! - Austin

[@tomsandalon]

What is the pack on 2:54? Looks like some a new Aer pack

[@PackHacker]

Hey Tom! That's the Aer Flight Pack. I'll drop a link below. Thanks for the comment! - Austin packhacker.com/travel-gear/aer/flight-pack/

[@OUTDOORandTRAVEL101]

I usually see Oxford on so many bags description, what about it?

[@praxis-cat870]

Oxford is both a type of weave and a type of fabric. As a weave, it's a type of basketweave. As a cloth, it's a lightweight cotton (sometimes mixed with a small poly or elastane) that's woven in oxford weave. I'm not sure what bags you're seeing that use oxford, but I strongly suspect would perform worse than any of the materials above.

[@OUTDOORandTRAVEL101]

@@praxis-cat870 interesting, they are very common when you buy from AliExpress, i have 4 with oxford main material in description , i found them durable and high quality and much cheaper than big names, i'm not kind of person that upuse things , so they can usually serve the purpose bought for , another things sellers on aliexpress usually copy paste others, so it could be not, thanks for the info and the reply

[@praxis-cat870]

@@OUTDOORandTRAVEL101 I assumed they're talking about the weave or they're just copy pasting. Until I looked deeper into it. DuraOxford is a brand name for a basketweave Polyester made by what looks like "Duletai" and can be laminated with a polyurethane coating. I'm not sure why they chose to name it the same thing as one of the most common shirting fabrics. I looked at some backpacks on AliExpress for you that had "oxford" or "soft Oxford" in the material and though I couldn't zoom in, the fabric did not appear to be cotton and looked like a poly, so I'm assuming they're talking about this "DuraOxford" material. Assuming I'm right (which I may not be!), It's a polyester and so falls under the rest of the polyesters in the video :)

[@OUTDOORandTRAVEL101]

@@praxis-cat870 the ones i have are not polyesters , and they look great and feel quality, if you pay $60 for 25 to 30L bag on aliexpress you get like what you paying 100 for on amazon, but, you have to make a short search as some sellers listing cheap stuff for high prices tp atract ppl who thinks higher prices always better

[@praxis-cat870]

@@OUTDOORandTRAVEL101 polyester doesn't mean "low quality" or "feels bad", it's just a type of synthetic material. Bellroys venture weave is a polyester and it feels pretty luxurious.

[@COCHEE]

Hey, at 7.00min mark you're in Rottnest...

[@YosefCruz22]

Thank you for this. I was wondering what fabric I should look for when I get to buy my first travel backpack when I start travelling after I graduate college. I was also wondering if you have any packing tips and travel bags & luggage I should use when I move to another country in the future. I'm currently planning to bring 1 duffel pack and 1 luggage bag that I can bring on the plane with me. I plan to bring few pairs of clothes, documents, laptop and iPad, dopp kit, gadget pouch and other essential items like my phone, earphones and a watch in my carry on. Then most of my clothes, a small keepsake box and a few useful keepsakes I want to bring with me in my luggage bag. It sounds a lot but I've been decluttering every week until I get to the point where I end up bringing only the essentials and a couple keepsakes so I wouldn't feel homesick.

[@PackHacker]

Hi Yosef! Decluttering can be tough but it sounds like you're off to a great start. We have a ton of awesome resources to help you out on our website! I'll drop a link below. Thanks for the comment! - Austin packhacker.com/

[@dennisyoung4631]

I make my own stuff. I’m really hard on clothing and similar, so pack-cloth, 1000 denier Cordura, etc is what gets used…

[@alden4207]

can i send you a bag to review ?

[@joseph5492]

Great video, I recommend checking out and reviewing Mark Ryden bags, they're priced well, and durable. I have the Navarro and the Marshal. I use the Navarro literally 6-7 days of the week for work during the last 4-5 months. Minus one tear, It's still in great condition, considering the intense frequency and weight I carry inside.

[@PackHacker]

Thanks, will do!

[@todaysspecial7379]

For which I wanna go for nylon or polyester? Pls answer 🙏🙄

[@PackHacker]

That's an impossible question to answer Druva! Many factors involved here. - Tom

[@jacksiega4733]

they both have their place in certain applications

[@robertwilliamson6121]

EVERY material and other product is "quality" ! Some are high quality, some are mediocre quality, some are very low poor quaity.

[@electrosec]

Where do you rank waxed canvas?

[@stephclarke6850]

It's pronounced den-yay. The french Canadian born person inside me is dying.

[@Fetucinee]

Sacré Bleu! My inner Blacque Jacque Shellacque couldn't resist ;-)

[@boredandagitated]

Wouldn’t the French have something to say about y’all’s butchered French anyway? So why can’t we butcher further in English

[@robertwilliamson6121]

Parisian French is pronounced much nicer and more proper than Quebec French.

[@jamietaylor5570]

Not in the UK it isn't - like many borrowed words the pronunciation has been Anglicised.

[@DeeEllEff]

I thought so, too.

[@MaximPL1100]

nylon +, poliester -, bleeeh..

[@TheDrunkLibertarian]

I'm working on getting a custom pack made so this helped me a good bit but I'm still stuck between the aesthetics of waxed canvas and the features of xpac haha. How does waxed canvas compare on abrasion resistance?

[@jacksiega4733]

I'm not sure about the abrasion for canvas but I will tell you this, the X grid in x pack can cause issues with abrasion because the x grid is thicker and raised it creates ridges on the fabric that get caught on things, I have found in high abrasion applications that the fabric can thin out on top of the x grid, there are X pacs that don't have this issue like x 50 and x 50 tactical they both have high abrasion and the grid is placed behind the fabric, other good abrasion options are mil-spec 1000d Cordura and ballistic nylon.