Access

The most common access point seen in backpacks is through the top of the bag. While this has the benefit of being the easiest to load, since you can stand the backpack upright or lay it down on its front or back, it also means that if you want to reach anything at the bottom, you’ll need to get through everything on top.

Alternatively, many trekking backpacks also have access points at the bottom allowing you to retrieve items at the bottom or middle of a fully packed bag without having to take everything out (e.g. Wanaka Adventure Pack and Alpaka Shift Pack). This is particularly useful for camping/trekking since there are very specific ways to pack your items based on weight.

Certain special-use backpacks also have side access zippers, such as the Boundary Prima. These allow you to swing the backpack on one shoulder to your front and access items in the main compartment. It’s a convenience feature and useful for quick access.

A last common access style seen is the back panel access, such as on the NYA-EVO Fjord36 or the Bobby Anti-theft backpack. Back panel access is usually meant for special uses or designs such as camera bags in the case of the Fjord36 or anti-theft features in the case of the Bobby.