BACKPACK'S BACK ALL RIGHT

Five not-too-expensive backpacks that are totally on trend right now.

SHOPPING AROUND | “The next thing I know you’ll be sleeping with that thing,” my husband joked recently after glancing at the Fjällräven Kånken that I’d casually flung on our bed. I know where this observation is coming from. It’s been eight months now since I purchased the mini version of this iconic Swedish backpack (originally designed in the 1970s for school children), and not a day has gone by that I haven’t used it—because it’s just that practical and unobtrusively cute.

Not a day that is until this past Monday.

On Monday, the gorgeously plain suede rucksack pictured at the top of this story arrived on my doorstep. I ordered it online at Zara.com because my local Zara told me they wouldn’t be getting it. Given what slender-strapped city-style rucksacks are going for these days (think rag & bone models that ring in around $700 to $800), this one is a steal at $99—but so is the Urban Outfitters classic Silence + Noise Pebbled Leather Mini Backpack (shown here in white pebbled leather) at $129. And I thought Zara only borrowed from high-end designers.

If I were looking to build a wardrobe of rucksacks, I’d include Longchamp’s elegant Le Pilage for $165 for sure (it comes in 13 colours and fits my laptop perfectly), and the sturdy laptop-ready canvas Baggu, which comes in fun prints and sells for just $38.

As it is, my two backpacks should cover most occasions: the Zara for slightly more formal affairs and the Kånken mini ($65, shown here in multiple colours) for everyday knocking around. —Carolann Rule