At Vancropak® Backpack, our passion is creating high-quality, durable, and stylish backpacks that enable people to comfortably carry everything they need for work, school, travel, and outdoor adventures. We are backpack enthusiasts on a mission to make life easier for people on the go.

Humble Beginnings

The Vancropak® story begins in 2005 when our founder, John Smith, was a student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. As an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, John found most backpacks frustratingly ill-equipped to handle his active lifestyle. The bags fell apart too quickly, lacked sufficient storage, or just weren’t comfortable enough for long treks.

John began tinkering with backpack designs in his dorm room, creating prototypes out of different fabrics and straps. After months of testing, he finally created a durable, comfortable, and spacious backpack perfect for outdoor adventures.

When John wore his backpack around campus, he received so many compliments and questions from students about where he bought it. This feedback inspired him to turn his backpack design into a business.

Vancropak® is Born

In 2007, John officially launched Vancropak® Backpack out of his college apartment in Vancouver. Using material sourced from local vendors, he hand-made a small inventory of backpacks to sell online and at local markets.

The response was overwhelming. John’s fellow students and outdoor enthusiasts in Vancouver loved the durability, storage capacity, and comfort of the Vancropak® backpack.

Within months, John couldn’t keep up with demand. He brought on his college roommate, Mark Brown, to help manage operations and secured an agreement with a small manufacturer in Vancouver to produce the backpacks.

The Vancropak® brand was born, rooted in John’s passion for designing high-quality gear for adventure.

Growth & Evolution

Over the next few years, Vancropak® steadily grew its catalog of backpack designs and expanded availability across Canada. By 2010, Vancropak® backpacks were being sold by retailers across North America.

In 2013, eager to expand globally, Vancropak® moved manufacturing to a larger facility in China capable of higher volume production while maintaining strict quality control standards. This enabled us to scale up inventory and make our products available worldwide.

Today, Vancropak® Backpack has grown from a passion project in a college dorm room into a leading global backpack brand sold in over 50 countries worldwide. Our Vancouver headquarters oversees design and development, while our factory partners in China and Vietnam produce high-quality backpacks at scale.

Throughout our growth over the past 15+ years, we’ve never lost sight of our roots as backpack enthusiasts designing the bags we’d want to use ourselves.

Designed for Adventure

Vancropak’s team of in-house designers have taken John’s original inspiration to create an extensive line of backpacks built for every type of adventure.

Our product lines include:

• Hiking backpacks – ultra durable and equipped with advanced ergonomic straps, breathable padding, and storage for all your hiking gear.
• Travel backpacks – stylish designs optimized for carrying clothing, laptops, and personal items on-the-go. Features like TSA compliant laptop sleeves make travel seamless.
• School backpacks – modern ergonomic designs made from lightweight, water-resistant fabrics with plenty of storage for books, laptops, and school supplies.
• Business backpacks – professional looking backpacks perfect for commuting with features like padded laptop compartments, quick-access pockets, luggage straps, and hidden security pockets.
• Kids backpacks – fun, youthful designs built to withstand daily use with adjustable padded straps and compartments sized for kids.
• Outdoor sport backpacks – technical designs tailored for biking, climbing, snowboarding, and other outdoor sports with water-resistant materials and sport-specific storage.

No matter your adventure, Vancropak® makes a backpack designed to fit your needs while providing the quality, comfort and durability required to keep up with your active lifestyle.

Built to Last

From the beginning, we’ve refused to compromise on quality. Vancropak® Backpack uses only premium materials from trusted suppliers, including:

• Durable ripstop polyester or nylon fabrics proven capable of withstanding the rigors of travel while resisting wear, abrasions, and water.
• High-tensile strength zippers built survive repeated use without breaking or jamming.
• Thick supportive EVA foam for straps and back-panels that won’t compress over time.
• Reinforced stitching at stress points prone to tearing.
• Waterproof lining in compartments containing valuables.
• Rugged abrasion-resistant bottom panels to handle the scrapes of outdoor use.

While many competitors cut corners to save costs, we rigorously test our designs to ensure Vancropak® quality and durability. We stand behind every backpack with our Ironclad Guarantee – if your backpack ever fails due to defects in materials or workmanship, we will repair or replace it free of charge.

Responsible Manufacturing

At Vancropak®, we aim to make high-quality, durable products while minimizing our environmental impact. We partner with factories that share our commitment to responsible manufacturing.

Key initiatives include:

• Materials sourced from environmentally responsible vendors. Key fabrics are Bluesign or OekoTex certified.
• Use of recycled polyester to reduce waste. Approximately 15% of our fabrics are recycled.
• PVC-free manufacturing to reduce toxic chemicals.
• Compliance with all local environmental laws and regulations.
• Regular audits of factory energy, emissions, water use, and waste disposal.

While we still have work to do, Vancropak® is dedicated to setting a positive example for environmental stewardship in the manufacturing industry.

Giving Back

From the very beginning, Vancropak® has been committed to supporting environmental conservation efforts.

We are proud partners of organizations such as:

• Protect Our Winters (POW) – We donate 1% of all sales to POW’s mission to protect our winters from climate change.
• Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) – We provide funding to support the maintenance of the iconic Pacific Crest Trail.
• Leave No Trace – We sponsor education programs that promote responsible stewardship of outdoor spaces.

At Vancropak®, we believe part of being great outdoor citizens is giving back and ensuring our wild spaces remain pristine for generations to come.

Our Commitment to You

Over 15 years since sewing our first backpack, Vancropak® remains guided by the same principles:

• Make high-quality, durable gear we’d be proud to use ourselves
• Equip people for adventure by designing bags specifically for active lifestyles
• Remain rooted in our outdoors heritage even as we grow into a global brand
• Minimize our environmental impact through responsible manufacturing and operations
• Give back to help protect our shared natural spaces

Most importantly, we strive to build innovative, long-lasting backpacks that enable you to live your adventures. We want to be your trusted partner for exploring the world near and far.

We take pride in our reputation for quality, functionality, and customer service. Our Vancouver team is ready to help with any questions or issues about your Vancropak® purchase.

So whether you’re summiting a mountain, navigating a terminal, or cycling to class, take Vancropak® along on your next journey.

Let the adventure begin!