Despite being the world’s largest maker of backpacks, most of the packs that JanSport sells are of the smaller varieties. You know… the kind you use as a daily backpack or a school backpack, rather than a hiking or travel pack. The outfit is looking to change that with the JanSport Venture Pack, a larger model designed specifically for travelers and backpackers.
Signaling the outfit’s official entry into the travel category, its a 40L backpack designed to meet all airline carry-on requirements with a distinct focus on convenience and organization. It definitely looks different compared to the outfit’s previous releases, from the proportions and the suspension system down to the numerous integrated features.
The JanSport Venture Pack is larger and boxier than your typical backpack from the outfit, coming in at 13.2 x 21.5 x 6.3 inches (width x height x depth). It has a 40L capacity, which is a pretty standard size for carry-on travel backpacks, with a large main compartment that fully opens for easy packing and unpacking. Inside, it comes with compression straps to hold your clothes and gear tight, as well as a zippered mesh pocket on the flap for items you want to keep in a separate section. Out front, it also gets external compression straps, which you can use to both squeeze in the contents and strap down any additional gear externally.
There’s a secondary loft compartment behind it that gives you a sleeve sized to fit a 16-inch laptop, along with mesh pockets for cables, chargers, and similar smaller accessories. It also comes with two side pockets, each one sized to fit most sizes of travel bottles.
The JanSport Venture Pack has a new perimeter wireframe suspension system, so this is more rigid and supportive than the outfit’s typical backpacks, as well as an adjustable torso length that should let you customize it a bit to deliver the best fit for your upper body and ensure optimal weight transfer. Yeah, there are far more technical capabilities here than what a JanSport bag will typically get. The tuck-away shoulder straps come with load lifters to help lift some of the pack’s weight away from your shoulders, while a wide padded hip with adjustable strap belt makes it easier to stabilize when there’s a bit too much weight in tow.
There are a lot of nice little details in here, too, such as a padded haul handle, padded side handles, a pass-through strap for the luggage trolley (so you can attach it to your check-in luggage), locking zippers, and recycled 1680D polyester construction for the main body. Additionally, the outfit is selling a Daypack version of the bag in a smaller 20L size. More importantly, you can attach the smaller daypack to the bigger travel pack by mounting it to the attachment buckles on the shoulder straps, allowing you to, basically, carry a 40L pack behind you and a 20L pack out front. Yep, you can carry a whopping 60L of gear with these pair in tow.
The JanSport Venture Pack is available now.