BARKOUTSIDERS French Daypack

BRAND & PRODUCT

About the brand and product

BARKOUTSIDERS French Daypack

"Minimal traditional life goods that imagine the art of aging"
“Minimal traditional life goods that envision the art of aging.” BARKOUTSIDERS is a brand created by outsiders who love authentic, vintage, and traditional items, for outsiders who want to choose each item with care.

To live freely and lightly, we need only a few minimal, simple, essential things. We propose items that combine essential materials and craftsmanship rooted in Japanese manufacturing with the feel of authentic items. Like vintage pieces, we want to propose timeless items that “enrich the heart” and that, while perhaps a little inconvenient, inspire affection and can be used for a long time.

After working in the fashion industry, I often thought that I would love to have certain items based on the styles I liked, yet they were difficult to find... That is why I started the brand with the feeling that I wanted to make essential tools rather than fashion. Meanwhile, the number of Japanese materials and factories with highly skilled craftsmanship has been declining year by year, so we value products that respect their work. More than anything, I would be happy if you could experience the care invested in every detail when you hold one in your hands.

“A daypack adults can carry and show off.”
A Refined Daypack for Grown-Ups

A while ago, there was a beautiful French-made daypack.
Lustrous nylon fabric and simple shoulder straps without cushioning.
Unlike backpacks derived from outdoor gear, it somehow looked refined even when paired with a shirt or jacket.
Although it was a tool for carrying things, it properly became “part of the outfit.”
To me, it was one of the few daypacks an adult could carry.

FRENCH DAYPACK was born from that memory.
Beauty born from not adding features. As conventional daypacks prioritize ease of carrying and storage capacity, they accumulate thicker cushioning, straps, webbing, and other elements. With the FRENCH DAYPACK, we deliberately left these out. The shoulder straps have no cushioning and use lustrous nylon webbing.
Because the straps are simple, they minimize friction against shirts and jackets when worn and blend naturally into your style. Rather than making it more convenient, we prioritized making it look beautiful when worn.
This is the part we prioritized most in the bag. Classic design, brought to life with Japanese materials and craftsmanship.

The main body is made from lustrous, elegant Japanese nylon.
The shoulder straps use densely woven, Japanese-made nylon webbing.
The construction is simple, but an interior pocket is included for valuables and other items.
Because the weight of the contents does not become concentrated in the front pocket, the bag can retain its original beautiful shape.
The back is given a double-layered construction for a moderate degree of structure, and it was designed so that the stitching of the interior pocket does not show on the outside. The zipper uses YKK’s highest-end line, “EXCELLA®”.
The smooth opening and closing and beautiful sheen come together with the nylon and webbing to create the bag’s refined appearance. While retaining the character of vintage French-made daypacks, we updated the materials, usability, and other aspects we had come to appreciate through our own use, using Japanese materials and craftsmanship.

Three colors with a French Ivy feel. The colors are Olive / Navy / Beige.
Of the three, Olive was the first one I wanted to own.
The deep, subdued Olive pairs beautifully with Navy, a common color in men’s wardrobes, as well as with a white shirt and chinos, military pants and a sweater, or a jacket and jeans.
Simply worn with clothes that have remained timeless, they create a slightly new look.
Navy keeps things chic.
Beige keeps things light.
These three colors don’t make the bag itself stand out; instead, they make your usual outfits look just a little fresher and more refined.

STAFF VOICE

A word from the staff

Ichimura / 175 cm / 75 kg

I think daypacks are actually one of those items that become harder to choose as you get older.

There are plenty of convenient, functional options, but I feel there are surprisingly few that blend naturally with the shirts, jackets, and coats we wear every day.

Daypacks from outdoor brands in particular come with substantial cushioning and straps, offering excellent comfort and storage capacity, but they inevitably tend to make a strong sporty impression.

Of course, those bags look great in their own way, but I had been hoping to find something a little simpler that could be worn without disrupting the character of my clothes.

The BARKOUTSIDERS French Daypack is the one I’d especially recommend to people like that.

First and foremost, this clean, streamlined appearance is truly wonderful.

With its simple design that strips away unnecessary decoration as much as possible and its subtly lustrous nylon fabric, it has an elegant, classic feel reminiscent of vintage French-made daypacks.

What I particularly like is the slim shoulder strap without any cushioning.

It’s a feature you don’t often see in daypacks today, but this simplicity makes the bag look especially clean when worn.

Above all, I think the fun of bags like this lies in combining them with your clothes.

For example, pair it with an Oxford button-down shirt, chinos, and loafers. Even with a slightly traditional outfit like that, it blends in beautifully and naturally.

Of course, it also goes perfectly with everyday American casual styles such as faded denim, military pants, and sweatshirts.

Personally, I love the balance of casually wearing this daypack with a slightly dressier jacket or coat.

Despite its exceptionally simple appearance, I also appreciate how thoughtfully every detail has been considered, from the interior pocket and back construction to the zipper.

I’m also drawn to the fact that it isn’t simply a reproduction of an old bag, but is carefully made to be easy to use in modern life.

Lately, I’ve come to prefer bags, just like clothes, that don’t make too much of a statement and can be used naturally for a long time.

This French Daypack is exactly the kind of bag that suits that feeling.

Rather than choosing based solely on convenience, I want to enjoy how it looks when worn and how well it goes with my everyday clothes.

Now that I’m an adult, this is exactly the kind of daypack I want to choose.