The best part about my Buck Products KnappSack is that there’s almost nothing on it that will break. There are no zippers, snaps or excessive straps. It’s simple. It’s a bag. It has two straps and two pockets. That’s it. How has life gotten so complicated where people feel they need more than this?
Buck Products’ KnappSack has a roll top that stays put with a metal clip. I actually rock mine in the “bucket” position — that is, I take my roll top and stuff it down into the bag so the top of the sack is open at all times — like a bucket. I then use the top clip to keep things from spilling out. This allows for easy access of all my stuff, like my laptop and headphones during the workweek and a towel, fishing rod and a six-pack of beer on the weekends. It’s perfect. I’ve been looking for a simple backpack like this for some time and I am so happy to finally have one.
Buck Products is a small, independent Bozeman, Mont.-based custom backpack company headed up by Alex Buck. Right now, he makes two bags: The KnappSack and the Tote. You can order custom color ways for both bags. I’ve got a green, black, camouflage and grey set up that actually looks pretty classic. But you can get wild, bright colors, too.
Alex grew up in Maine going on long canoe trips. For trips like that, he used the waterproof L.L. Bean river backpacks that are made of rubber and have a roll top. This is where he got the inspiration for his own bags, he said.
I linked up with Alex Buck in Jackson Hole last week. He had his 4-door Toyota Tacoma packed full with KnappSacks, Totes, coolers, mountain bikes and a canoe on the ladder rack. He had been up paddling lakes in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and on the morning I met him, he was off to ride the trails on Teton Pass.
These bags are as sturdy and real as the kid who makes them. Order one and stand out from the rest with this simple, stylish day-to-day pack.
