Looking for something small to midsize, simple, reasonably priced. Any specific brands or parts of Taipei where I could find decent deals would be super helpful. Thanks.
Ximen has a few cheap shops as well as nightmarkets. Lately they even have those big rubber ones that fold over the top and are definitely waterproof you could throw them in a lake.
Why would you do that?
Why wouldn’t you? It’s waterproof.
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But your backpack would end up on the ground of a lake!
Really waterproof? You aren’t going to find anything like this that’s ‘reasonably priced’ though most major companies have something. If you are simply concerned about water on the way to the office or when you’re out and about a rain cover will be about $30. If you want a dry bag, I noticed Decathlon had some that were really inexpensive though I have no idea how good they were - I imagine they would be fine though.
And everything is dry because it’s waterproof. Better yet maybe it’s waterproof and floats.
No it won’t. It will float because there is air inside (assuming that you’ve actually sealed it).
OP only looking for waterproof backpacks. Didn’t ask for it to float.
Does OP have a budget? Can try bike brands like Specialized have a few bags in the 3-4000 range that are good for the morning/evening commute or short hike.
I don’t have a budget at this point more just comparing what’s out there. I know I’ll pay a hell of a premium for water resistant or water proof pack but I’m willing to dish out the money for it. I’ll check out ximen area as someone mentioned. I always figured everything around there was super expensive but I haven’t actually checked any of it out.
On the other end of the spectrum - I was in danshui today at the market and a vendor had a ton of discount backpacks some as low as $50nt and he assured me that all of them were waterproof hahahaaa
If you want quality branded type backpacks, there’s a string of about 20 hiking shops directly outside of Daan MRT exit 3.
Awesome thanks I’ll check it out
I got an Under Armour one that can take all the rain, about 1000 to 2000 during year sales. I also have a small totally waterproof one about 2000 from the hiking shops in Xindian. There are also a lot of those shops on Zhongshan near Taipei Main Station.
Decathlon has a whole bunch of backpacks. Most, if not all, come with a rain pouch that fits right over your backpack. I bought a 20liter one for around $700NT and love it. Way better than the more expensive one i had before. Most backpacks are water resistant. A few, very specialized ones, are waterproof.
Waterproof is very hard to find and has very specific parameters (ie they must be able to be submerged in water for a specific amount of time). Your best bet would be those rubber types that fold over and have no zippers as the zipper is where you get the most leakage even if you have a decently water-resistant fabric.
There are some backpack ‘covers’ that you can adjust over the backpack during storms. Not great for daily city life but if you are talking about situations like hiking or traveling where you are just wearing a goretex rain jacket + your backpack then having a waterproof ‘cover’ is enough. They are lightweight and you can just keep folded in your backpack.
You can also consider getting a waterproofing fabric spray that you re-apply every 2-3 months to enhance water resistance.
From Daan MRT exit 3 down walking towards Daan Park has at least 6 hiking shops that have clothing, shoes, backpacks.
I’d be careful about buying any expensive/high end backpack here. A number of these stores sell fake products. It’s a problem all over Taiwan. I bought a high end backpack at one of these stores. Less than 2 years later the zipper just fell apart. According to the company’s website they would fix or replace any product that was defective. I took it back to the store and at first they refused. Finally they agreed but just put the zipper back together again so that when I got home and opened it, the zipper just came apart.
A few days later I went to decathlon and bought a bag much cheaper and way better.
That’s true, buyer beware, and certainly if the price looks shady. But on that street it does have GoHiking and also other authorized retailers of large brands. Always check the brand’s website to make sure they are an authorized retailer.
On Amazon …these days you have to be wary of who is the seller. If they are not an authorized retailer then just don’t buy it. Lots of 3rd party sellers with counterfeit.