How British are these Backpack Brands?

British design has long been recognised in the fashion world, and UK brands are known for producing timeless, quality, long-lasting designs, whether they be shoes, tailored suits or bags. In fact, many leading backpack designers and manufacturers are based in Britain, particularly when it comes to lifestyle and adventure gear.

High end adventure backpacks

American brand Osprey is known all over the world for the quality of its backpacks. But when it comes to high-end, high performance outdoor gear, Osprey has some stiff competition from British-founded brands. Montane, Mountain Equipment and Alpkit are all British brands that design the hardiest gear, no matter what adventure you’re planning. They’re known for being technical, well-designed and reliable.

They are, however, best suited for serious adventuring - are there any British bag brands that perform well but are better suited for lifestyle?

Lifestyle backpacks

US brand Patagonia has been leading the way in functional lifestyle bag design since the 1970s, and Fjallraven, based in Sweden, is a staple on the European bag market, but do any British brands combine fashion and functionality in the same way? Vango and Berghaus are both based in the UK, and create much more affordable bags than the brands listed above, whilst maintaining a sporty look and good outdoor performance.

Finisterre, based in Cornwall, make some pretty cool bags and backpacks too, at a slightly higher price point.

All the bag brands listed so far have a couple of things in common. Apart from Osprey, they’re not actually bag brands - they’re outdoor brands that happen to make bags too. They all use plastic-based materials that often contain PFAS, or forever chemicals and, although Alpkit and Finisterre make some of their bags in the UK, most of their manufacturing is still done in other countries.

We like their bags. There’s definitely a place for plastic, waterproof rucksacks in the life of any adventurer. But are there any British backpack brands that focus just on making bags, and make them in the uk, without relying on plastic-based materials for performance?

Independent British Bag Brands

In our search for other truly British-made bags, we’ve come across a couple of brands. One of these is Francli Craftwear, who make their waxed canvas bags and leather goods in their small studio in Cornwall. They use the highest quality canvas and leather. We’ve also come across Cherchbi, who make handcrafted luxury wool and leather bags and accessories. They’re beautifully crafted but, as the word ‘luxury’ would suggest, the price point is pretty high. Some other British brands of note are Cambridge Satchel, Bennett Winch, and Chapman, all sitting at the higher end of the price spectrum.

We think the price of a bag should always reflect the time, care and attention that’s gone into it. Expensive bags aren’t a bad thing, but they can make locally-crafted accessories seem out of reach - no matter how much you’d like to buy locally, sometimes it just isn’t possible.

Luckily, things are changing. Larger bag brands and outdoor apparel companies have started moving their manufacture back to the UK. Alpkit has a ‘Made in Britain’ collection, and Finisterre has worked alongside British manufacturing brands for some of its collections. Perhaps British design can slowly become British-made as well.

Until that day, we’ll keep making our waxed canvas bags as close to home as possible, and spreading the word about Great British Bags, from luxury leather to canvas roll top rucksacks, everyday cross body bags to handcrafted heirloom pieces, and adventure packs to convenient totes.

Shop the Wildish Bag Collection here.