I am bombarded with unrealistic, six-abbed fitness content daily. So I filed a complaint to my friends: why is social media crushing my body confidence? “Yeah, well, imagine being a woman,” one withered, and OK, totally fair enough. But as the global himbo domination marches on, there’s an accessory that’s become just as ubiquitous: their bags.
Big, black and looking a lot like something a commando would wear for a legally murky mission to eliminate “an enemy of the West”, tactical backpacks are everywhere. On the tube, on the way to work, and especially in the sort of gym where people high five their personal trainer. If you’re into fitness, the commando bag has become a calling card to signal that yes, you do lift, bro, and yes, you’ve got the backpack to match. But… why? We are sickeningly spoiled for choice in this department. Serious, “welcome to the Four Seasons, sir” leather hold-alls abound. Lululemon has bridged the gap between functional-ugly and functional-nice-to-look-at. I’ve got a massive beater tote that fits work stuff, lunch stuff and gym stuff. And yet dozens of men are gravitating to the Action Man bag.
We’re largely in agreement that war is bad, but backpacks that look like war? Good, apparently. Maybe it’s the customizable element commando versions have. On the tactical strips, the jacked among us slap on all different sorts of velcro badges, like the grown-up equivalent of getting your “helping the elderly” Scouts’ patch. At my gym, I’ve seen variations from Iron Man, CrossFit and marathons from cities that are boiling hot year round. It’s not enough to look athletic: you need a backpack to spotlight your PBs.
“When people are incredibly invested in something, they tend to buy into it both literally and figuratively. For that reason, I think almost all hobbies have an unofficial uniform of sorts, and the Bergen-inspired backpack has definitely become part of that for functional fitness fans,” says Harry Bullmore, a fitness writer at The Independent. “With that uniform comes a sense of belonging, which is something the human brain values highly, especially if it aligns you with a community you care about.”
Plus, if you are legit serious about the macros, the shakes and the split-day regime, “military-grade” backpacks do sort of make sense. “You might need different shoes for running and lifting, accessories like lifting straps and resistance bands, all manner of supplements and other things for fuelling performance,” says Bullmore. “Tactical backpacks have the Mary Poppins compartments.”