82% matchTopo Designs
Colorblocked nylon packs with the same 70s outdoor DNA
What changes: Higher price, design-led rather than mass school-pack value
Brand profile
Jansport
American backpack label owned by VF Corporation, known for cheap, durable school packs such as the SuperBreak, Big Student and Right Pack.
SeattleOrigin
UnisexFocus
Gorpcore / OutdoorStyle
$Price
24 brands like Jansport like Topo Designs, Topo Designs - Apparel, Patagonia →
What to know about Jansport
Hiking frames came before school bags
It began in 1967 Seattle making aluminum-frame hiking packs; school backpacks like the SuperBreak and Big Student only later became the core business.
Lifetime warranty at low prices
The range sits at the cheap end of the bag market but is backed by a lifetime warranty, with Cordura used on models like the Right Pack.
Retro line revisits the late sixties
A Retro Series reissues late-1960s designs, including the Mini Skip daypack at $55, named for co-founder Skip Yowell.
If you like Jansport
See all 24 brands like Jansport →82% match
72% matchTopo Designs - Apparel
Same bright utilitarian look extended into clothing
What changes: Apparel focus and mid-tier pricing, not budget bags
68% matchPatagonia
Same 70s California outdoor roots, repair-and-keep ethos
What changes: Technical performance apparel at far higher prices
66% matchGramicci
Early-80s climbing gear turned everyday campus staple
What changes: Pants and shorts rather than packs, higher price
Brand facts
JanSport is a VF Corporation brand, operated as part of VF Outdoor and headquartered in Denver, built on inexpensive, hard-wearing backpacks. Founded in Seattle in 1967 by Skip Yowell, Murray Pletz and Jan Lewis, it started with aluminum-frame hiking packs before school bags became the core business. The range centers on the SuperBreak, Big Student and Right Pack in solid colors, prints and Cordura, backed by a lifetime warranty. A Retro Series revisits late-1960s designs, including the Mini Skip daypack at $55.
- Founded
- 1967
- Origin
- Seattle, United States
- Made in
- China
- Price
- $
- Focus
- Unisex
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Styles
- Gorpcore / Outdoor, Streetwear, Workwear / Heritage