diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 538bff2..112ad32 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ ubuntu-dev-tools (0.162) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   [ Dimitri John Ledkov ]
   * Add support for 'overlay' in favor of older 'overlayfs'.
 
+  [ Scott Kitterman ]
+  * Add --backports option to pbuilder-dist to make it easier to build for
+    backports when dependencies from backports are needed
+
  -- Mattia Rizzolo <mattia@debian.org>  Thu, 08 Mar 2018 12:35:24 +0100
 
 ubuntu-dev-tools (0.161) unstable; urgency=medium
diff --git a/doc/pbuilder-dist.1 b/doc/pbuilder-dist.1
index 0a95144..12d6753 100644
--- a/doc/pbuilder-dist.1
+++ b/doc/pbuilder-dist.1
@@ -85,6 +85,9 @@ Suitable environment for preparing security updates.
 \fB\-\-updates\-only\fP
 Only use the release, security, and updates pocket.
 Not the proposed\-updates pocket.
+.TP
+\fB\-\-backports\fP
+Also use the backports archive..
 
 .SH EXAMPLES
 .TP
diff --git a/pbuilder-dist b/pbuilder-dist
index 972e1ba..6043286 100755
--- a/pbuilder-dist
+++ b/pbuilder-dist
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ class PbuilderDist(object):
         self.enable_security = True
         self.enable_updates = True
         self.enable_proposed = True
+        self.enable_backports = False
 
         # File where the log of the last operation will be saved.
         self.logfile = None
@@ -299,6 +300,9 @@ class PbuilderDist(object):
             if self.enable_proposed:
                 othermirrors.append('deb %s %s-proposed-updates %s'
                                     % (mirror, self.target_distro, components))
+            if self.enable_backports:
+                othermirrors.append('deb %s %s-backports %s'
+                                    % (mirror, self.target_distro, components))
 
             aptcache = os.path.join(self.base, 'aptcache', 'debian')
         else:
@@ -475,6 +479,9 @@ def main():
     elif '--updates-only' in sys.argv:
         args.remove('--updates-only')
         app.enable_proposed = False
+    elif '--backports' in sys.argv:
+        args.remove('--backports')
+        app.enable_backports = True
 
     if len(args) < 1:
         Logger.error('Insufficient number of arguments.')