Rains Backpack

Last updated: 28 August 2026

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What the Rains Backpack is

Rains is a Danish house founded on one idea: that waterproof outerwear does not have to look like camping kit. The Backpack is the plainest thing the brand makes and, for that reason, the clearest expression of it. A squared silhouette, a flap held shut by magnet snaps, a carabiner closure, and nothing else competing for attention.

Underneath the styling it is a straightforward bag. One main compartment, a flat pocket for a laptop, an internal zip pocket, and a concealed zip pocket on the back panel where a phone sits out of sight. There is no elaborate organiser, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on how you pack.

Specification

The laptop size, honestly

Rains gives two different answers on the same page. The feature list says the flat pocket fits a 15 inch laptop. The specification panel, a few centimetres below it, says the laptop pocket fit is 16 inches. Both were live on 28 August 2026.

Our advice is to assume 15. A 16 inch MacBook Pro is 35.6 centimetres wide against a bag that is 30 centimetres across, so the arithmetic does not favour the optimistic reading. If a 16 inch machine is the whole reason you are buying, look at a pack that commits to the number.

What waterproof means here

Rains rates the Backpack to an 8,000 millimetre water column, which is a serious figure for a bag, and then grades it W3 on its own scale, which the brand defines as waterproof protection from light rain. That pairing is worth reading carefully.

In practice it means the fabric will not let you down on a walk to the station in a shower. It does not mean a magnet flap is a seal, and it does not make this a cycling bag for a January downpour. Rains is being careful with its wording, and so are we. Which? included the Rains Classic Backpack in its tested UK backpack roundup, which is a useful independent read alongside the maker's own claims.

Care

Rains is blunt about this and it catches people out. Do not wash it. Do not tumble dry it. Do not iron it, dry clean it or bleach it. A coated PU face is cleaned by wiping, and Rains sells its own fabric cleaner for the job. Treat the care label as a hard constraint rather than a suggestion, because a machine wash will ruin the coating.

Price and where to buy

Rains sells it directly at £100, with free delivery over £85 and 30 days to return. That is the number to plan around.

Amazon UK has been running the same bag at £56.33, which is a significant saving, but stock there was down to a single unit when we checked on 28 August 2026. If the Amazon listing is live and the price holds, take it. If it is not, £100 is the real price rather than a disappointment.

Buy direct from Rains, £100 Check Amazon UK stock

Rains Backpack FAQs

Is the Rains Backpack actually waterproof?

It is rated to an 8,000 millimetre water column, and Rains grades it W3, which the brand defines as waterproof protection from light rain. So the fabric is genuinely waterproof, while the bag as a whole is built for showers rather than sustained downpours. The flap closes with magnet snaps, not a seal.

What size laptop fits the Rains Backpack?

Rains says 15 inches in its feature list and 16 inches in its specification panel, on the same page. Given the bag is 30 centimetres wide and a 16 inch MacBook Pro is 35.6 centimetres, assume 15 inches.

How much is the Rains Backpack in the UK?

£100 direct from Rains on 28 August 2026, with free delivery over £85. Amazon UK has been listing it at £56.33, though stock there is thin.

Can you wash a Rains Backpack?

No. Rains' care instructions say do not wash, do not tumble dry, do not iron, do not dry clean and do not bleach. Wipe it clean, and use Rains' own fabric cleaner for anything stubborn.

How long is the Rains warranty?

Two years on the product, from Rains directly.

How big is 18 litres in practice?

A laptop, a notebook, a lunch and a folded jacket. It is a commuting capacity rather than a gym-kit capacity, and the single main compartment means anything small drifts to the bottom unless you use a pouch.

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