Effects of back panel design of outdoor backpack on human physiological and psychological response in a hot environment

A rational backpack design is crucial for enhancing travel experiences. To investigate the effect of backpack design on thermal comfort, four outdoor backpacks with different back panels were tested. Volunteers’ physiological and psychological data were collected in a test conducted under simulated summer high-temperature conditions. According to the test results, the backpack with a ventilation design reduced the amount of sweat by a maximum of 21.6%, decreased the temperature and humidity under clothing by up to 1.6°C and 19.4%, respectively, weakened subjective thermal and wet sensations, and significantly improved thermal comfort. Compared with using only breathable material, adopting a ventilation structure in the back panel design was more effective in improving the thermal comfort of backpack users. Furthermore, the lack of consistency between the physical test results of heat dissipation and the volunteers’ experimental outcomes indicated that accurate evaluation of the thermal comfort performance of backpacks should consider the practical application effects on the human body.