Backpack Organisers: Do You Need One, and How to Choose

A waterproof backpack is usually one large sealed compartment. That is exactly what makes it waterproof: fewer seams, fewer zips and fewer places for water to get in. It also means that everything you own ends up in a heap at the bottom.

Most people live with it. They tip the bag out on a desk to find a charging cable, then carry a laptop that has been rattling against a set of keys for two years. A backpack organiser fixes that without compromising the thing you bought the bag for.

This guide covers what an organiser actually does, how to size one, and which bags each option is built for.

What a backpack organiser does

An organiser, sometimes called an insert or a backpack tidy, is a structured panel that sits inside the main compartment of your bag and gives each item a fixed home. A padded sleeve for the laptop, a flat pocket for documents, mesh pockets for cables and plugs, a pen loop, a key clip.

It attaches to the inside back wall of the bag, so it stays upright instead of collapsing as the bag empties. The good ones have a carry handle on top, which turns the insert into something you can lift out whole and take into a meeting.

Why roll-top backpacks need one more than most bags

This is a design trade-off rather than a flaw. Our IP66-rated backpacks are built to float and handle quick submersion, and they achieve that with a roll-top seal and welded seams. Every zip and every stitched pocket you add to the outside of a bag is another route for water. The fewer of them there are, the better the bag performs in genuinely wet conditions.

The consequence is that a properly waterproof bag gives you far less internal structure than a laptop bag with eight compartments. The organiser puts that structure back on the inside, where it cannot compromise the seal.

If you want the detail on what each class covers, our waterproof rating system page explains the difference between foul weather and spray proof, quick submersion and full submersion.

Five signs you need one

• You carry a laptop in a bag with no padded sleeve.

• You have to unpack most of the bag to find one cable.

• Your laptop has scuff marks along one edge or corner.

• Airport security means emptying the whole bag onto a tray.

• Documents come out of the bag creased or folded.

If three or more of those apply to your daily commute, an organiser is worth having. Everything keeps its own place, and you can reach what you need without unpacking the bag to find it.

How to choose: size to your laptop, not your bag

This is the mistake people make. They buy the larger insert because they own the larger backpack, then find the laptop sliding around inside an oversized sleeve.

Measure the laptop first. A 13in or 14in machine wants the Medium. A 15in machine wants the Large. Both fit the same range of backpacks, so bag capacity is not the deciding factor.

What to look for in an organiser

A padded laptop compartment with a retaining strap. Padding alone is not enough. An elasticated strap stops the machine sliding out when you tip the insert to get at something else.

A rigid back panel. This is what keeps the insert standing up inside a soft-sided bag. Without it the organiser folds in half as soon as the bag is half empty, and you are back where you started.

Hook-and-loop attachment. Patches on the back that grip the inside wall of the bag, so the insert does not shift as you walk or ride.

A top carry handle. Easy to overlook until the first time you lift the whole insert out at a desk and leave the bag by the door.

Non-scratch construction. The insert sits against a laptop lid every day for years. The surface finish matters more than it sounds.

One thing to be clear about

An organiser is not a waterproofing product and does not carry an IP rating of its own. The Tidy range is made from non-scratch nylon, which is chosen for protecting a laptop lid rather than for keeping water out.

The waterproofing comes from the bag around it. Put a Backpack Tidy inside an IP66 roll-top backpack and the laptop is protected on both counts: the bag keeps the water out, and the insert keeps the machine from knocking about inside. Used on its own, in a bag that is not waterproof, an organiser will keep your kit tidy and nothing more.

Matching the organiser to your bag

Roll-top backpacks. The Backpack Tidy - Medium 14" and the Backpack Tidy - Large 15" both attach to the back wall of our 20, 30 and 45 litre waterproof backpacks. Each has a padded laptop compartment, an A4 pocket, a tablet or notebook pocket, two elasticated mesh accessory pockets, a pen holder and a keyring clip.

Messenger bags. The Messenger Tidy - Large 15" is shaped to the landscape profile of the Classic Waterproof Messenger Bag rather than the portrait profile of a backpack, which is why the two are not interchangeable.

Bike panniers. The Pannier Tidy - Medium 16" is the deepest of the four. Alongside the padded laptop pouch it has a large compartment for clothing or a lunch box, a flat pocket for a bike lock, and two bottle pockets taking up to 750ml. It is shaped for the Classic Waterproof Bike Pannier.

Setting it up

Press the hook-and-loop patches against the inside back wall of the bag and push firmly along the full height of the panel. Load the laptop first and fasten the strap, then fill the smaller pockets.

Keep the heavy items low and close to the back panel. In a backpack this keeps the load over your hips instead of hanging off your shoulders. In a pannier it keeps the weight low over the axle, where it has least effect on the handling.

Leave the mesh pockets for the things you reach for most. Anything you need while the bag is still closed should live in an external pocket instead.

Which one should you buy

For most commuters carrying a 13in or 14in laptop in a roll-top backpack, the Backpack Tidy - Medium is the right starting point. Move up to the Large only if your machine is a 15in, not because your backpack is a 45 litre.

If you ride to work with a pannier on the rack, the Pannier Tidy does the same job with more room for the clothes and lunch that come with a cycling commute.

You can see the full range on our waterproof backpacks and cycling collection pages. Every OverBoard product can be covered by our 5-year extended warranty when you register it within 90 days of purchase, and UK orders over £75 are delivered free.