Herschel Supply Co.

For everyday commuting and light travel, most owners find Herschel a fair trade between looks and function. The appeal is the retro-modern styling — synthetic leather straps, a top-loading shape, the old-time logo — at a mid-range price rather than rugged expedition performance. If you want a bag that reads as polished in a city setting and you don't habitually overpack it, it tends to earn its keep.

Herschel sits comfortably in the mid-tier: tidy stitching, sturdy zippers and tear-resistant fabric on the popular models. The components most commonly flagged by long-term users are the plastic strap buckles and lighter metal clips, which can struggle if you consistently load the bag heavy. Pack it sensibly and the bags hold up well for daily use.

They solve different problems. The Little America is built for commuters who carry tech — a top-loading main compartment, magnetic strap closures and a padded laptop sleeve — while the Kanken is a smaller, boxier minimalist daypack. Choose the Little America if you need a laptop home and more capacity; choose the Kanken if you carry only the essentials.

It refers to Herschel, Saskatchewan, a very small Canadian hamlet where founders Lyndon and Jamie Cormack's great-grandparents settled. The whole brand leans into that sense of nostalgia, which is why so much of the design language evokes heritage rather than high-tech.

Herschel is a Canadian company, founded in 2009 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The products themselves are manufactured in China and Southeast Asia. So the design, branding and storytelling are Canadian, while production happens overseas — a common arrangement for bags at this price.

If you want the signature look, start with the Little America — the mountaineering-inspired flagship with the padded laptop sleeve. For a slimmer daily carry, a classic backpack or one of the duffels suits commuting and weekend trips. Let your actual load decide: tech-heavy days favour the Little America's structure, lighter days suit the simpler classics.

Brothers Lyndon and Jamie Cormack founded Herschel in 2009. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, and despite its global reach its first Canadian retail store didn't open — in Vancouver's Gastown — until 2018.

The brand caught a wave of demand for accessible, good-looking bags aimed at an 18-to-35 audience, built on nostalgia and clean design rather than technical specs. Slate described it as a global phenomenon, glimpsed wherever hipsters dare to tread. That blend of approachable price and recognisable styling is what carried it worldwide.

The range extends well past the backpacks it's known for: duffel bags, other luggage, hats and assorted accessories. If you like the aesthetic of the bags, the smaller goods carry the same nostalgic detailing, so it's easy to build a coordinated kit.

The single most useful habit is not overloading it — the zippers and lighter clips are happiest under a sensible load. Spot-clean the fabric rather than soaking it, empty pockets before storing, and keep the synthetic leather trim away from prolonged moisture. Treated gently, the popular models comfortably handle years of daily commuting.