Pin Display Backpack: Everything You Need to Know

If you've ever seen someone walking around a convention with their pins on full display behind a clear window on their bag, that's a pin display backpack. Some people call them ita bags. The name comes from Japan, short for "itai" which literally translates to "painful" because of how much money you spend filling one up. Accurate, honestly.

We've been making these bags since 2016 and we've shipped over 5,000 of them through 40+ crowdfunding campaigns, so we've seen pretty much every version of this product that exists. The good ones, the ones that fall apart at the convention floor, and the ones that look great in the listing photo and arrive smelling like a factory.

Here's what actually matters when you're picking one.

The window is the whole point

The clear panel on the front is where your pins, badges, charms, or keychains sit on display. Some bags give you a tiny circle or star shape that fits maybe 6 pins. Others give you a full rectangular window that fits a proper layout.

Our 17 inch backpack has a window big enough to hold 30 to 40 standard 25mm pins depending on your layout, or you can fit a small plush in there instead. The size of that window is the single biggest factor in whether you'll actually be happy with the bag six months from now, because your collection is only going to grow.

What sits behind the window matters more than you think

Most people don't think about the insert until they get the bag and realise their pins have nothing to grip onto. A pin insert is basically a padded board that sits inside the display window. You push your pin posts through it and fasten the clutches on the back. Without one, your pins just rattle around loose behind the plastic.

Some bags don't come with an insert at all and you have to buy one separately for another $15 to $25. Every bag we make ships with a pin insert in the box, because selling a pin display bag without one feels like selling a picture frame without the backing.

Cheap PVC goes cloudy

The clear window material is PVC on almost every display bag. The difference is in the grade. Low-end bags use thin PVC that yellows and fogs over time, especially in heat or direct sun. After a few months you're looking at your pins through a haze. Higher grade PVC stays clear for years, which is sort of important when the entire point of the bag is to see through it.

You're going to carry other stuff too

This is where a lot of display bags fall over. They nail the window but forget that you also need to carry a laptop, a water bottle, your wallet, maybe a Switch. A display bag that can only display pins and nothing else is really just a pin board with a strap.

Our 17 inch backpack fits a 17 inch laptop in a padded sleeve behind the display panel. There are internal organisers for your smaller stuff. You can carry it four ways: backpack, tote, crossbody, or handheld. That flexibility is why people actually use it as a daily bag and not just a convention prop.

Waterproofing is not a bonus feature

Pins don't like water. Enamel pins are mostly fine, but the backing can rust, and soft enamel fills can discolour. The bag itself takes a beating too. We've been at enough outdoor conventions in Sydney to know that weather doesn't check your schedule.

If a bag says "water resistant" that usually means the outer fabric won't soak through immediately but the zippers and seams are still open. Fully waterproof means sealed zippers, coated lining, and fabric that water beads off entirely.

What to actually look for

Before you buy any pin display backpack, check these things:

Window size in centimetres. Not "large" or "spacious", the actual number.

Whether an insert is included or sold separately.

What the window material is and what grade of PVC.

Whether it fits your laptop, and what size specifically.

How many carry modes it has. A bag you can only wear one way is a bag you'll leave at home half the time.

Whether the brand actually uses their own bags. We design ours at convention tables and test them through full con weekends before they go into production. That's where the padded straps, the D-rings inside the window, and the laptop pocket behind the display panel all came from. Real problems we had, solved in the next version.