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by Laura Scholz
The North Face launches a jacket with an integrated rucksack
5/6/2025
Translation: machine translated
Backpack or jacket? The North Face delivers both - in one piece. Sounds like a gimmick at first, but it's actually clever and surprisingly stylish.
As opinion-driven as fashion may be, there is one thing that almost everyone loves: Clothes with roomy pockets. The North Face is also aware of this. The US outdoor brand has just launched a jacket on the market that not only has one or two practical pockets, but also an entire rucksack.
The Hybride is a new interpretation of the brand's classic hardshell jackets. It is made from a three-layer «Dryvent» material and is breathable, windproof and waterproof. This applies equally to the jacket and rucksack. Particularly practical: you can use both components separately.
Source: The North Face
Source: The North Face
Source: The North Face / eye_c
Similar models already existed before
The «Hardshell Backpack Jacket» was released under the Urban Exploration sub-label. A lifestyle line from The North Face, which combines functional outdoor designs with urban streetwear and is mainly sold in Asia. The eye-catching piece is part of the spring/summer 2025 collection, which was designed by Japanese designer Naohiro Fujisaki.
The backpack jacket (or jacket backpack?) is not the first of its kind, however. Japanese designer Junya Watanabe, for example, collaborated with The North Face back in 2018 and 2021 to release models with storage space on the back - now popular rarities that sell for four-figure sums on the second-hand market. And just this spring, The North Face launched the «Hike Backpack Mountain Jacket» in collaboration with the Japanese streetwear brand Undercover - at a proud price of over 600 francs.
Source: The North Face
The new hybrid from The North Face Urban Exploration differs from previous models primarily in that the backpack can be completely detached from the jacket. The bag also looks more spacious and has a mesh with a drawstring on the outside - ideal for stowing shoes or other bulky items.
Hard to get
Do you really want one of these? Then you'll be disappointed: The «Hardshell Backpack Jacket» is currently only available in Urban Exploration's physical store in Hong Kong. There it costs the equivalent of over 500 francs. Nevertheless, the «Hike Backpack Mountain Jacket» is available in The North Face's Swiss online shop.
Source: The North Face / eye_c
It cannot be completely ruled out that the backpack jacket from the Urban Exploration line will later find its way onto the European market. At least it doesn't appear to be a purely seasonal model. Fujisaki has already shown the piece at the fashion show for the autumn/winter 2025 collection of his own label Meanswhile.
Fans of the (still) niche backpack jackets can therefore continue to hope that The North Face will soon offer such hybrids on a regular basis.
Header image: The North Face / eye_c
Has endless love for shoulder pads, Stratocasters and sashimi, but a limited tolerance for bad impressions of her Eastern Swiss dialect.
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