I’m the type of one who’ll fortunately fly enterprise class in relaxed leisurewear. Give me the lie-flat seat, the great meals, and a bit of low-key luxurious over something that feels unnecessarily formal. I really like the finer issues. I simply don’t want them to announce themselves.
That philosophy extends to every little thing I carry.
The very best on a regular basis necessities hit a candy spot: polished sufficient for the boardroom however sensible sufficient for the commute, thoughtfully made however simple to stay with.
Which is partly why I used to be drawn to the Harber London Workplace Backpack. Beauty are one factor. Having your again is one other.
Constructed from a technical material created from 100% recycled plastic bottles (how cool is that) and trimmed with wealthy, full-grain leather-based, it’s a collision of two very completely different worlds. One half brings low-maintenance utility and on a regular basis ease; the opposite brings texture and refinement.
It’s a nuanced tackle fashionable luxurious—and a barely dangerous one. Pair two supplies this contrasting and also you both get a masterpiece of steadiness, or a bag affected by a full-blown id disaster.
So, the place does the Harber London Workplace Backpack really land? Can it pull off the balancing act in actual life, from Monday morning conferences to airport lounges?
Right here’s what it’s essential know earlier than giving it a everlasting spot in your again.
Why are you able to belief Luxe Digital? At Luxe Digital, we’re not simply digital explorers—we’re seasoned vacationers who’ve put dozens of luggage by means of their paces in busy airports, packed trains, and winding backroads. Our editors stay for the journey, and it exhibits in each suggestion.
We even created Luxa Terra, an area devoted to the artwork of touring properly and with intention. For extra on how we check merchandise, discover our strategy to purchasing luxurious by means of our HAPPY philosophy.
This isn’t our first time placing Harber London to the check: we’ve additionally lived with the model’s RFID Legacy Bifold Pockets and its Leather-based In a single day Bag.
Harber London Workplace Backpack evaluate: A piece bag that refuses to select a facet
Household-owned and based mostly in London, Harber London has constructed its identify on pairing old-world craftsmanship with clear, fashionable design. Becoming, then, that its Workplace Backpack depends on a quiet duality of its personal.
Unboxing: A bag in your bag
The work backpack arrives tucked inside a branded canvas tote. It’s a intelligent contact—and one you’ll really hold fairly than shove into the again of a closet. It’s excellent for storing the bag dust-free when it’s out of rotation, or taking right down to the native farmers’ market.
I at all times respect packaging that serves a function lengthy after the unboxing second.
Supplies & craftsmanship: Recycled meets refined
The very first thing you discover is the play on textures and the distinction between the 2 major supplies.
The principle physique makes use of a surprisingly robust, waterproof material crafted from 100% recycled plastic bottles. It’s rugged with out feeling like heavy-duty tenting gear, and it holds its structured silhouette even when empty.
Then comes the wealthy full-grain leather-based detailing, which immediately elevates the look. It provides heat, depth, and—better of all—the type of leather-based that ages gracefully, choosing up a novel patina the extra you journey with it. Sustainability and handmade savoir-faire, working facet by facet.
Even higher? The story holds up below scrutiny. The leather-based is sourced from Leather-based Working Group–licensed tanneries, the material carries World Recycled Normal accreditation, and the bag itself is made in Harber London’s personal solar-powered workshop in Spain.
The of entirety? Customized, aviation-grade aluminum {hardware}. It’s refined, tactile, and completely captures what this bag is all about: technical efficiency with a distinctly polished end.
Aesthetic & design: Stylish in distinction
I opted for the all-black, and it’s a masterclass in subtlety. Black is of course the simplest choice to throw over your shoulder no matter what you’re sporting, however right here, the combination of matte recycled material and wealthy leather-based provides it sufficient depth that it by no means feels flat or boring.
The silhouette strikes that elusive center floor: clear and structured, however by no means inflexible or boxy. It seems to be simply as pure subsequent to a tailor-made blazer because it does paired with my go-to journey uniform of modern elevated loungewear. Boardroom or boarding gate, it seamlessly matches the vitality of the room.
Flip it round, and the considerate design particulars hold coming. The shoulder straps characteristic full-grain leather-based on prime, backed with plush neoprene beneath. Translation: the components the world sees look impeccably pulled collectively, whereas the components pressed towards your shoulders are pure consolation. Each materials has a transparent job, and does it exceptionally properly.
Step inside, and also you’re greeted by a contrasting gentle beige lining—a small element you’ll deeply respect the primary time you’re on the lookout for a flash drive or lip balm at 30,000 toes. No extra blind rummaging in a black gap.
Plus, the structured shell holds its refined form even when it’s barely packed. As a result of actually, no person desires a bag that deflates the second you’re taking your laptop computer out.
Variants & colours: Shades of quiet
The Workplace Backpack is available in 4 quiet, low-key colorways: Black, Mocha, Camel, and Olive. The palette stays firmly in refined territory. It’s impartial sufficient to fit seamlessly into any wardrobe, whatever the season.
For me, the all-black model will get the steadiness excellent. It’s polished with out being valuable, the kind of design that doesn’t have to work too laborious to look good.
Performance: Ten pockets, zero rummaging
We ask quite a lot of our work baggage. Look skilled, carry our whole lives, survive the day by day practice dash, breeze by means of safety, and look good doing it. Most baggage decide a lane. The Harber London Workplace Backpack insists on doing all of it.
Take into consideration the usual day by day load: laptop computer, pill, chargers, pocket book, water bottle, umbrella, passport, pockets, keys—plus no matter random receipts and tech equipment be part of the get together by 3 p.m. With ten pockets, every little thing really has a house.
Up entrance: Two zippered pockets hold high-frequency objects separate from the principle compartment. The primary provides fast entry to the small stuff. Tucked immediately behind it’s a extra discreet compartment that includes devoted enterprise card slots and a magnetic quick-release key chain (that means no extra blind key-fishing on the entrance door). It’s the place I hold my pockets and cellphone throughout a busy commute. Fully hidden from passersby, however proper the place I want it.
On the perimeters: The expandable facet pockets comfortably match my LARQ Bottle on one facet and a compact journey umbrella on the opposite. Chunkier, outsized water bottles would possibly really feel like a squeeze and even Mission Unattainable, however for slender water bottles and journey thermoses, it’s an ideal match.
Up prime: A devoted prime pocket is pure comfort. Mine homes my iPhone, AirPods, and passport. If you’re shuffling by means of airport safety traces or settling right into a flight, having these inside arm’s attain with out unzipping the principle bag is a serious win.
Inside: The principle compartment homes a padded laptop computer slot constructed for as much as a 16-inch gadget, alongside a separate padded 13-inch pill sleeve. There’s even an built-in stylus holder—although I exploit mine for my Montblanc Meisterstück pen. (Name me old-school, however working in digital hasn’t ruined the enjoyment of excellent stationery.)
A fast insider be aware on match: I carry a 16-inch MacBook Professional. It suits securely, however sliding it out and in requires a slight angle so that you don’t graze the highest zipper. It’s hardly a deal-breaker, however for those who’re wielding an enormous workstation day by day, it’s value maintaining in thoughts.
On the again: These leather-and-neoprene straps aren’t pure aesthetics. They provide actual help. They’re comfy to hold, with sufficient cushioning to make a distinction when the bag is loaded with a laptop computer and the remainder of the working day.
At 1.30 kg (2.9 lb), it’s not the lightest backpack in the marketplace. However for a structured 18L bag with leather-based detailing and padded gadget compartments, the burden feels truthful. The waterproof material is reassuring, too, when the climate turns with out warning.
On the transfer: Considered one of my favourite particulars for journey is the 19 cm baggage trolley strap on the again. Slipping it over your suitcase deal with takes the burden utterly off the shoulders throughout an extended layover. It’s a refined addition, however it’s exactly what elevates a slick workplace bag into a real journey companion. And for those who journey commonly, you’ll know that small conveniences compound.
Care & upkeep: One materials stays put, the opposite ages gracefully
There’s a satisfying duality in how this backpack wears over time.
The technical recycled material is nearly bulletproof—constructed to withstand spills, wipe clear simply, and look model new for years. The complete-grain leather-based, however, is designed to evolve. It deepens, softens, and develops a wealthy patina with each journey, choosing up character alongside the way in which.
Low-maintenance utility on one facet, timeless getting older on the opposite. It’s the uncommon bag that someway seems to be each recent out of the field and exquisite lived-in.
Worth: Not an impulse purchase
At $519, the Harber London Workplace Backpack isn’t an impulse buy. It’s a worth at which I’d anticipate considerate design, high quality supplies, and a bag that earns its place in my day by day routine.
Full disclosure: I’m the precise reverse of an impulse shopper. I’ll fortunately spend hours researching a possible buy, weighing specs, and dissecting execs and cons. I hardly ever half with my cash except I’m assured I’ll get loads of use out of one thing.
A day by day carry, nonetheless, is a type of uncommon objects the place the maths works in your favor. When a bag holds your whole skilled life 5 days every week and doubles as your carry-on over the weekend, the equation shifts from a luxurious splurge to a low cost-per-use workhorse.
The Workplace Backpack by Harber London is simple to justify: eco-conscious recycled material married with full-grain leather-based, ergonomic padded straps, devoted dual-device sleeves, an intuitive structure, and moral handcrafting in Harber London’s Spanish workshop.
The craftsmanship is clear the second you contact it, and I respect a design that manages to really feel luxurious with out ever making an attempt too laborious.
Verify worth: Worth: Not an impulse purchase at Harber Londonat Harber London · Trusted luxurious retailer
Who’s the Harber London Workplace Backpack finest for?
I’d suggest the Harber London Workplace Backpack to professionals who want their on a regular basis carry to do a couple of job. Suppose shopper assembly at 10 a.m. and a flight at 6 p.m.
I’d hesitate in case your precedence is an ultralight backpack, for those who carry an unusually cumbersome laptop computer, or for those who’d fairly spend much less on a bag that serves a single function. And for those who carry a bigger water bottle, test its dimensions towards the facet pockets first.
For the appropriate particular person, although, it is a laptop computer backpack that bridges a number of components of on a regular basis life with out making any of them really feel like an afterthought.
Alternate options to the Harber London Workplace Backpack
For extra choices, our information to the finest journey backpacks compares the broader area.
Troubadour Apex Backpack: Sensible engineering over leather-based craft
Its modern, structured silhouette, recycled FortiWeave material, and discreetly built-in pockets give it a cultured, nearly architectural look, whereas intelligent particulars reminiscent of a suspended laptop computer sleeve, an easy-access shoulder-strap pocket, and a baggage sleeve make on a regular basis commuting and enterprise journey a breeze. It’s much less about leather-based craftsmanship and extra about sensible engineering, with a five-year assure including to its enchantment.
See our Troubadour Apex Backpack evaluate for extra particulars.
Bellroy Transit Workpack 20L: Relaxed on a regular basis utility
Suppose much less boardroom polish, extra relaxed on a regular basis utility. The Bellroy Transit Workpack provides a barely roomier 20L capability in an informal, useful design constructed round simple group and life on the transfer. It doesn’t have fairly the identical refined, leather-accented really feel because the Harber London, however that’s a part of its enchantment: it’s an unfussy work-and-travel companion that places practicality first, at a extra accessible worth level. A good selection for those who’d fairly spend much less on a backpack that works laborious with out dressing up.
The place to purchase the Harber London Workplace Backpack
The Harber London Workplace Backpack is offered immediately from Harber London’s web site, which ships worldwide.
Modified your thoughts? Harber London provides a 60-day return coverage for refunds or exchanges, supplied the bag meets its return situations. Return delivery is usually the client’s duty, and worldwide orders might incur further customs duties or import taxes.
Study extra concerning the model in our devoted Harber London model profile.
Verify worth: The place to purchase the Harber London Workplace Backpack at Harber Londonat Harber London · Broad number of kinds
