Premium vs Affordable Daypacks for Hiking: When to Spend and When to Save

As they say, you get what you pay for. And when it comes to outdoor gear, it’s often true—investing in quality gear, from hiking shoes to rain jackets is rarely regrettable. Whereas going the bargain bin route on crucial items often is. But that doesn’t mean the most expensive outdoor gear will always be a multitude better than its middle tier counterpart. In fact, if you know what to look for, high-performance, reliable gear can be found at just about every price point. (Better yet, shop used outdoor gear to source second hand at a fraction of the price). In this article, we will discuss premium vs affordable day hiking backpacks. And I will help you make the tough purchasing choice of how much to spend on a hiking daypack by going through price comparisons, pros and cons, features, as well as other considerations.

How do I know? Besides having 25 years experience guiding and testing hiking gear, I once got smoked by a dude in a beat-up old Jansport daypack during a 50-mile endurance race. Right when I was reaching my stride in my thousand dollar ultralight kit, the guy turned to me, said it was really nice chatting, and then proceeded to absolutely DROPPED THE HAMMER on me while his affordable little daypack jiggled off in the morning light. He left me in the dust and finished the race well ahead of me. The moral of this story: you do not need to spend a ton of money on your gear to be an incredible athlete, you just need to find the right gear for you.

As with any piece of performance gear, finding what fits your body type, your experience, and your pursuits (not to mention your style) is the most important factor when determining what to buy. Most premium daypacks are jammed full of comfort details, super useful pockets, and features that keep you hydrated and happy while you hike. They can also last forever if you don’t send them down a granite cliff face or lose them in a creek, so the large one time investment could pan out to dozens of years and hundreds of hikes of enjoyment. Or a simple Jansport could do just the trick.

It’s a nuanced decision—the right call will be different from hiker to hiker and budget to budget. To help, I will use my guiding, outdoor retail, and gear testing experience as well as the knowledge I have gleaned from the dozens of daypacks I have tested for magazines like Outside to help you make the right call on your best hiking daypack. In this article, I am going to help you decide whether to splurge on a premium daypack by breaking down the differences between budget and affordable backpacks, helping spell out some pros and cons of both price points, and going through the features you could expect from each.

Price comparison of affordable vs. premium day hiking backpacks

• Affordable Range - A new affordable hiking backpack will usually run you anywhere from $30 - $75. There is not a direct correlation between price and quality within this range-there are many awesome affordable daypacks that are not full of features and come in around $30 - $40.
• Premium Range - OK, I recognize this is a mondo range for the more premium hiking backpack but it is wild how spendy backpacks can get when you start adding in waterproof zippers, featherweight materials like Dyneema, and incredibly sophisticated breathable backs and carry systems. If you do choose to go bigger on the features you can plan on spending from $80 - $250 for a premium daypack.

Feature comparison: What key features to look for in a day hiking backpack

Affordable hiking backpacks are—for the most part—less feature rich than their pricey counterparts. The best budget hiking backpack is likely the one that is built simply and sturdy. Cheaply made features are usually the first thing to break on a daypack:

• Hydration system compatibility - A hiking pack that has an internal hydration sleeve and a port can easily be turned into a hydration pack even if it doesn’t come with a bladder. Hydration systems are preferable to carrying water bottles for many because having a plastic nipple you can constantly hydrate from sitting on your shoulder does make you more likely to stay hydrated on day hikes.
• Fancy Exterior Pockets - I love backpacks with stretchy exterior pockets that can be used as a water bottle pocket, can carry a lightweight emergency windbreaker, or can hold on to enough snacks for your day hike. These pockets that can be hipbelt pockets attached to the main compartment allow you to grab items that you need on the go without having to take off your day hiking backpack.
• Fancy Interior Pockets - Interior pockets, like a zippered pocket that can keep the most important items like your keys and cell phone from getting mixed up in the main compartment of your day hiking backpack.
• Hearty lightweight materials - One of the highest jumps you will see in price comes from the materials that the daypack is made from. Some of those sticker shock inducing day packs that are north of $200 in price are priced so high because they are built from super light but also durable materials like dyneema. If you can afford a lightweight backpack made from these bleeding edge materials, it is pretty sweet to see how light it can get, it is worth noting though that all but the most ambitious day hikes, a few ounces of extra weight from your backpack isn’t going to make or break your experience.

Quality of carry

• Shoulder strap - Padded shoulder straps, especially if they are perforated to breath well, can be a real treat for your shoulders if you plan to put in a longer hike.
• Waist strap - While a waist strap is less important on a day pack than a backpacking pack, it can still help distribute the load off your shoulders and make your day hiking adventures more enjoyable.
• Sternum strap - This strap that connects your shoulder straps across your chest.
• Other adjustable straps - There are straps that allow for micro adjustments of how the hiking gear you want to carry sits on your back, like a load lifter or trekking pole strap, that can keep the load close to your body and make your day hike more enjoyable.

Top considerations for durability and material in affordable hiking daypacks

Affordable does not have to necessarily mean shoddily built. Look for heavy duty materials like ballistic nylon and check the denier if possible.

Pros and cons of choosing an affordable day hiking backpack

• Pros - One of the beauties of day hiking is its simplicity and affordability. An affordable hiking backpack eliminates an economic barrier to hiking and is a good place to start if you're new to hiking.
• Cons - Affordable hiking backpacks often don’t last as long as their premium counterparts which could mean that the investment doesn’t pan out if you find yourself loving hiking and wanting a packable daypack for years. If an affordable pack only lasts one year and a pricier one lasts five, you would need to buy five affordable ones in the same time frame which doesn’t pan out to a great investment. If your affordable hiking daypack is uncomfortable you will be reminded of it with each and every step of your hiking adventures.

How to find the best value for your needs

I can’t stress enough that you can get a great day hiking backpack on a budget if you steer clear of fancy features and accessories. Doohickies mean dollars after all. Look for a frameless backpack with a simple sturdy design with a single main compartment, few extra pockets, and straightforward zippers. You can likely get away with a few light comfort details like breathable shoulder straps, but steer clear of the big ticket extras like waterproof zippers and built out carry systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best size backpack for a day hike?

The ideal size day hiking backpack is going to vary based on how ambitious you are, where you are planning to hike, and how snack motivated you are. A 20-30 liter pack will serve most day hikers well as it is big enough to hold on to some water, snacks, first aid kit, and extra layers needed for a day hike.

What is the difference between a daypack and a backpack?

A daypack is a type of backpack that is an ideal size to take for a day-long adventure or often more specifically a day hike. They are large enough to hold some snacks, liquids, a change of clothes, and some safety equipment like a first aid kit.

What are the best ways to test the durability of an affordable hiking daypack?

The short answer is to use it for a few years, but since this is a defacto buying guide you likely don’t have that luxury. One great way to judge durability is to read customer reviews of daypacks and look to see if anyone notes the durability. Another way to help hedge your bets that you are getting a durable day pack is to read into the materials it is built from. Burly materials are often denoted by their denier (usually denoted with a D) and part of a pack that has materials above 300-D will likely be very durable.