Author's pack quiver
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Hiking backpacks have one of the most important jobs in your hiking gear kit. The best backpack will hold everything you need for a day hike, weekend trip, or long backpacking trip in the most comfortable way possible. The wrong one can make you miserable on every single step of your hike.
Picking the perfect backpack can feel extremely overwhelming due to the huge number of packs on the market, but do not fear. I am here to help focus your search using my 25 years of experience as a retail employee, outdoor gear tester, and guide. The main factors to think about are your personal comfort and what you plan to use the pack for.
Let’s unpack these (har har) a little and help you find the ultimate hiking daypack for what you need. Read on for my full guide on how to pick the perfect hiking backpack for your given scenario.
Understanding backpack sizes and fits
Capacity
Capacity of backpacks is measured in liters and is usually marked on the pack with a number followed by an L. The number denotes the number of liters the main compartment of the pack can hold at capacity. Your perfect number of liters is going to depend on your main objective for the pack. For example, many traditional backpackers may opt for a 45L pack for a 3-night hike. Whereas ultralight backpacking proponents may suggest something smaller, like a 30L pack.
Let the liters meet the objective:
If you are planning to use the pack for day hiking it will only need to hold snacks, some extra layers, and a few liters of water and a 10 - 30 liter pack will suffice. I recognize that is a large range but people’s packing preferences are very personal—I bring about two full liters more of snacks with me than my wife does on a day hike, will bring way more water than her, and two spare jackets, for example.
If you are planning a short weekend backpacking trip, or are planning to pare down and travel light and eschew comforts like a comfortable sleeping bag for a longer backpacking trip, a 30 - 45 liter backpacking backpack will be the range I would suggest looking at.
If you are planning a big backpacking trip and don’t mind hauling a bunch of weight, or are like me and are the pack animal of your family and bring a majority of the backpacking gear, a big dawg 45 - 70 liter pack will serve you well.
Fit
Don’t assume that because you are a large in a shirt or jacket size that you will need a large backpack. Backpack sizes are based off of your torso length which is essentially from the top of your hips to to the tops of your shoulders. You can take a measurement at home if you can find your iliac crest and c7 vertebrae, but I would suggest going to your local outdoor store and getting sized by a sales associate if you are a beginner backpacker.
Checklist: How to choose the right backpack
The importance of weight distribution and comfort
About 80-percent of a pack’s weight should rest on your hips with about only 20-percent going up to those shoulders. You can achieve this distribution by tinkering with the straps starting by tightening the hip belt then adjusting the shoulder straps, chest strap, and load lifters (if your backpacking pack has them) until you feel the weight distributed mainly to those hips and off of each shoulder strap. It is worth noting that good hip pads are a non negotiable, in my opinion, on packs that are 40-liters and up because of the heavy load they can put on your hips.
Look for comfort details in all of the parts of a backpacking pack that interact with your body
Make sure the shoulder straps, back, and hip pads look comfortable and breathable—porous materials are best for moving moisture—if you are buying a large pack. Those are the parts of the pack that will be interacting with your body and if they get soaking wet, chafe-y, or cut into your body you will feel it with every single step.
See how the pack distributes the load
If you are a beginner backpacker, I highly suggest doing a dry run of packing and walking around with your pack around your house/neighborhood before taking it out on an adventure. This can allow you to dial in how to pack your backpack and distribute weight while the stakes are low and see if the fit system works for your body before you are committed to using a potentially uncomfortable pack on a multi-day backpacking trip.
Material and durability considerations
Balancing lightness and durability is one of the great challenges that backpack makers face. Lighter materials are preferable for the overall backpack user experience but are also usually more expensive and less durable. There are some exceptions, notably the incredibly strong and light dyneema, but the light and hearty materials will significantly increase the price of a pack. Many backpack companies will let you know how heavy duty the material it is made from by denoting the denier of the material. Denier is usually shown as a number followed by a D. Heavy duty materials like ballistic nylon have deniers of around 1000 and can add some serious ounces to the weight of a pack but can last you decades of hard use.
Hydration system compatibility
Staying hydrated is a key part to enjoying long and short hikes alike and one of the easiest ways to stay on top of liquid intake is having a little plastic nipple at the ready to take sips from while you walk. The best hydration pack can benefit your hiking experience regardless of the size of the pack. While some packs will come with a hydration bladder included, many are compatible with aftermarket bladders – just look for a pocket in the main body or mesh pocket in the pack that can fit a hydration bladder and a port for the tube at the top. The pocket and port allow you to turn any hiking pack into a hydration pack.
My Top picks for different types of hikes
Daypack- The REI Flash 22 has all of the fancy accessories you could want like stretchy exterior easy access pockets that can house mid-hike snacks, hydration system compatibility, and a breathable hip belt and shoulder straps in a super lightweight package that can be stuffed into the corner of a suitcase when not being used making it the best daypack and an excellence travel backpack.
Weekend Warrior - The Mystery Ranch Bridger 35 is feature rich and a just-right-size for weekend adventures and has the added bonus of lasting forever thanks to the insanely burly 330-denier Robic nylon reinforcing high abrasion spots. (Ed Note: For longer trips that involve air or train travel, check our the Mystery Ranch Wheelie Duffel btw.)
Fast and light multi-day - The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 40 is a frameless pack that is crazy light at 30-ounces and manages to be hearty enough to be the pack of choice for Pacific Crest Trail hikers thanks to the premium dyneema it is built from. This durability and smart usability details like its oversized external mesh pocket make it the best ultralight backpack.
Boss Hawg Hauler - I have loaded the Deuter AirContact 65 + 10 with 90-pounds of gear (yes, I weighed it) and walked for five miles in comfort thanks to the premium fit and how well the hip belt distributed the pressure on my hips. This is the best backpacking backpack that I have used for the heaviest loads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes the best hiking backpacks?
As a beginner, you really can’t go wrong if you go with a hiking backpack that has a reputable name and has been in the industry for a while. A great way to vet a company is to see if it is carried at a trusted retailer like REI. While I won’t take super clear sides on this question, each hiking pack can be better or worse for an individual’s needs or objectives, I will clearly suggest steering clear of Amazon dupe brands that knock off hiking backpacks at a cheaper price. I have tested a few of them and they have reliably performed like garbage.
What are the best brands of hiking backpacks?
I have tested hundreds of backpacks in the past decade and I have never tested a pack from either Deuter or Mystery Ranch that I didn’t love. Mystery Ranch was founded by legendary pack designer Dana Gleason, who founded both Kletterworks and Dana designs, and every pack that guy touches is gold.
What is the best size backpack to use on a thru hike?
A 50-liter ultralight pack, if packed correctly, can strike a nice balance between being not too heavy for the long hiking days necessary for a thru hike and still large enough to hold all of your hiking gear. While ultralight backpacking hardos are using 30-liter packs to get through the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail, they are eschewing some very basic human comforts like a stove or tent to get their kit that light.
What is the best backpacking pack for a four day hike?
The difference between a backpacking pack for a four day hike and a thru hike is actually not that large because most thru hikes are string together re-supplies from city to city that are rarely more than a week away. A solid 50 liter hauler with comfortable hip padding like TK will serve you well for a four day backpacking trip.
What are the best dog backpacks for hiking?
Ruffwear makes incredible dog specific packs like the Palisades Dog Backpack. It uses a molded foam chassis that is highly porous to create a super comfortable fit for dogs even when they have to bring multiple days worth of food with them and put in long days on the trail.
Published 10-22-2024
