The smartest way to purchase a backpack is ordering it online.
By doing so you have several advantages: the number of backpacks that online store have for sale, in stock or ready to ship is by far greater than those you would find in a shop.
The stores which sell via internet offer the possibility to choose from many manufacturers because, being their sales volume far bigger than standard shops, they obtain lower prices from many more suppliers of different brands of backpacks and outdoor gear.
Some websites go one step further gathering backpacks for sale by different online stores and by hundreds of different brands giving you the possibility to quickly compare thousands of backpacks.
When you order a backpack online you usually get free shipping with your purchase. Many websites offer free shipping on orders of 45$ or more so, when you’re purchasing a backpack you usually get it delivered to your door for free: this is a good occasion to add something else to your order: those small things that wouldn’t justify an order for them alone like gloves, shoestrings, bottles, small cooking gear and so on. Smaller items wouldn’t get free shipping but once you go over the minimum order amount needed to get free shipping, all your additional items are shipped for free with your backpack ( as long as additional items don’t require particular shipping methods )
When you buy a backpack online you can expect huge discounts, anywhere from 20% to 75% compared to retail price. Many shops list the retail price of the backpack so you know how much you’re saving ( huge discounts online are rather frequent ).
Shopping for backpacks online will also save you a lot of time: you will be able to view tens or hundreds of backpacks, with complete details and photos from your own computer.
Backpacks detailed descriptions for most stores are written by experienced hikers so they often area half a description and half an expert review of the backpack.
Searching a backpack online you’ll have the chance to find eery type of backpack: from cheap backpacks from less known manufacturers to high quality and professional backpacks from top brands sold by well known online stores.