I’ve been wanting a better backpack for a while now. I have a perfectly good (although looking a little worse for wear) backpack that I’ve used over the last….oh my, nine years. It’s been great for all my long-day/light-travel needs, and it’s pretty impressive how much fits in it. However, as much as I like that I can fit everything but the kitchen sink in it, some of the bag is strictly dead weight (like the inconveniently sized and shaped front pockets). Because of this among many other reasons, I have set it in my mind that I will design myself the perfect backpack.

It won’t be ‘THE’ perfect backpack — as in the one bag that works for absolutely everyone that needs a pack to put on their back. But it will be perfect for me. I know this because I have strangely specific requirements at this point in my life for a backpack. Needs that have been honed over a lifetime of living in a waterlogged city and using public transportation and my own two feet to get most places, as well as international travel where my paranoid parents drilled it into me that any bag with an opening not in your eye-line will get it’s contents stolen (for the record, 10 countries later and I’ve never been robbed).

When I first started thinking about this perfect backpack I started drafting a list of all the things I take out and about, day to day. What do I take to a regular day at my part time job? What do I make sure to have if I’m running errands for the day? How big or small to both hold everything I need and not become a burden? How many pockets, and which are the most important? How to keep everything sealed — not only from the elements (hello Portland rain), but also from someone taking the liberty of riffling through it? And lastly, though the always present thought when I get these things in my head, what makes the most sense for comfort and ergonomics— but is also incredibly stylish? Yes, it’s pretty much impossible to get a gorgeous and practical backpack all in one, but I am still myself and care more than a little about style.

With all the above in mind I’m going to leave this here. I started doing some research and sketches and going to come back and post when I have more to share on this project. I’ll list materials as I collect them, and some pattern details as I start drafting it.

Should any other sewing bloggers read through this — have you ever made yourself a backpack, either from a pattern or self drafted? Would you ever do it yourself? I know I’m a tad on the crazy side to get into this based on a whim, but to be completely honest that’s normally how I end up learning how to make something!