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Best Lightweight
Osprey Daylite Daypack
All the support and storage you need for a hike with an extremely thoughtful, compact design.
Best for Men
Osprey Men’s Atmos AG 65
Endless adjustments and options allow for a truly perfect fit with no unnecessary bulk.
Best for Women
Osprey Women’s Aura AG 50
It has an adjustable harness and hip belt, and is designed to reduce felt weight.
Hiking gear means much more than solid hiking boots and merino wool socks, and finding the best hiking backpack for your outdoors style will instantly, and continually, improve your time and experience outdoors. Weight and waterproofing matter, but the real differentiating factors in backpacking backpacks are design, support, straps, and fit. Here’s what you need to consider before buying.
Best Daypack: Gregory Miwok 18L DaypackBest for Men: Osprey Men’s Atmos AG 65Best for Women: Osprey Women’s Aura AG 50Best Lightweight: Osprey Daylite DaypackBest Baby Pack: Osprey Poco Child CarrierBest Dog Pack: K9 Sport Sack Rover 2Best Budget: Venture Pal 40L Lightweight Hiking Backpack
How We Made Our Picks
The Best Hiking Backpacks of 2023: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Daypack: Gregory Miwok 18L Daypack
Technical and performance features you typically only find in much larger packs. Gregory
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
Gregory packs are highly regarded, and the 18-liter size backpack is a great size for most day hikes—not too small, and not too large. An ATS suspension system plus the foam back panel and shoulder straps make this hiking backpack a dream to carry, and the breathable paneling everything the pack touches your body — including the cushioned hip straps — only add to that comfort (ditto the sternum and compression straps), while gear compartments and attachments for sunglasses, a hydration reservoir, bike light, helmet, trekking pole, and more make it super versatile.
Best for Men: Osprey Men’s Atmos AG 65
Endless adjustments and options allow for a truly perfect fit with no unnecessary bulk. Osprey
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
The Osprey pack has an anti-gravity suspension system with a breathable mesh panel that actually holds the pack slightly up and away from the back for an ultralight carrying experience with no unnecessary drag. It has abundant, adjustable, and often removable gear attachments and compartments, so you can get a customized, streamlined pack, with easy-adjusting hip and sternum straps for just as custom of a fit. The recommended load range is 30 to 50 pounds.
Best for Women: Osprey Women’s Aura AG 50
It has an adjustable harness and hip belt, and is designed to reduce felt weight. Osprey
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
Like the men’s Osprey Atmos, the Osprey Women’s Aura AG 50 can be adjusted to provide the perfect fit, along with plenty of gear pockets and attachments. It is designed to carry from 25 to 40 pounds of gear.
Best Lightweight: Osprey Daylite Daypack
All the support and storage you need for a hike with an extremely thoughtful, compact design. Osprey
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
This hiking bag has 13 liters of storage space, and holds a hydration reservoir and two water bottles. The shoulder strap structure keeps stress out of your neck, while side compression and sternum straps hug the pack to you so you can move more naturally and without weighing down your spine.
Best Baby Pack: Osprey Poco Child Carrier
Go hiking as far as you want, not as far as your baby or toddler’s attention span and endurance will allow. Osprey
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
With a built-in UPF 50+ sun shield, removable foot stirrups, and the ability to carry up to 48.5 lbs, this kid-carrying hiking backpack — with a kickstand-like frame to balanced ground placement — will get you and your offspring on the trails early, often, and with peace of mind coming from a highly reputable backpack brand like Osprey.
Best Dog Pack: K9 Sport Sack Rover 2
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
If your dog is skittish or aging—or if you need to take the pooch on some form of transit that doesn’t allow uncontained dogs (including your friend’s new car), K9 Sport Sack makes extremely well designed hiking backpacks for carrying dogs, with a particular eye to safety — consider the collar carabiner, adjustable side straps and mesh panels, leg holes, etc. And once your dog is out and walking, it wears like a normal backpack and can contain your gear.
Best Budget: Venture Pal 40L Lightweight Hiking Backpack
Key Features
Materials:Capacity:Weight:
Pros
Cons
At 40L, this budget Venture Pal hiking backpack is not wanting for capacity. Side compression straps can rein it in for smaller hauls, and various interior pockets (including one to store separate wet goods) keep things organized. There’s no hip strap, so you’ll want to keep things light to avoid pressure on your neck, shoulders, and spine.
Things to Consider Before Choosing a Hiking Backpack
Hiking backpacks are not one-size-fits-all. Prioritize fit with your hiking backpack as much as you would with your hiking boots. It should be easily adjustable so it will be comfortable no matter what you’re wearing, from a T-shirt to a parka. Look for shoulder straps that are cushioned, breathable, and that won’t strain the neck, as well as hip and/or sternum straps to evenly distribute the weight.
Nothing will keep you off the trails like back problems. The pack must be the right size for your body. The frame and support must not compress your spine while you’re carrying the pack. (Again, hip and sternum straps, properly fitted, are your best friends here.) And the lighter the pack—not just the backpacking gear but the backpack itself—the less weight to haul around on your back.
If you’re in rain-prone climates, pay close attention to the materials and look for good waterproofing, and/or purchase a compatible backpack rain fly that can keep everything dry.
Do you need a hiking backpack for day trips?
The duration of your hike is perhaps the most important consideration in finding the best hiking backpack. A backpack for short-term hikes must comfortably contain all the supplies you’ll need to cart along— water, food, extra clothing layers, any emergency supplies or sun/bug supplies — but without adding any unnecessary bulk or weight. Look for easily accessible compartments and pockets so you can get that water bottle, energy bar, cell phone, or insect repellent quickly and easily.
Do you carry a lot of gear?
Every consideration you make for hiking gear you probably carry out to the nth power in terms of weight and practicality. And the longer the trip, the more supplies you’ll need, so you’ll consider every single ounce you’ll be hauling around. You need a backpack that can not only hold it all, but distribute the weight proportionately and comfortably.
Look for a comfortable, well-fitting hip strap and sternum strap, as well as compression straps to keep the load from shifting around—any unwieldiness or weight pulling away from your center drastically exacerbates back strain and discomfort. Gear attachment straps, clips, and compartments also improve functionality.
Backpacking and camping backpacks are designed and sold by gender and size, and, whether or not you adhere directly to those monikers, pay extremely close attention to these measurements. Before any return window is over, make sure the internal framing and all adjustable aspects can give you a perfect fit.
Do you only need to bring the essentials?
If you’re jaunting off from your campsite or the trailhead for a few hours, there’s no need to overdo it, and a larger pack (like a larger dinner plate, or larger suitcase, or larger shopping cart) likely just means you’re going to find a way to fill it, no matter how unnecessary. Well-designed small hiking backpacks can fit more than you think, just not so much more than you’ll need.
Do you need to carry a baby or dog in a backpack?
Sometimes the things you need to pack for your hike aren’t just snacks and sunscreen, they’re the littlest members of your household. Specially designed hiking backpacks can let you carry them along, so no change in family size has to limit your outdoors habits. (And yes, dogs are great at hiking on four feet, but they might not have the endurance of their human pals, and certain breeds and ages of dogs need a lift in active, endurance-demanding situations.)
Are you on a budget?
As it goes with gear, price does correlate to performance and durability with hiking backpacks. Lightweight, durable materials for outdoor gear generally don’t come cheap, and performance is also dependent on thoughtful design — and attention to quality in small components, such as zippers.
While knock-off hiking backpacks may look vaguely like those from quality brands, the aesthetics don’t necessarily translate to performance. That said, you can still find an entirely serviceable backpack for cheap. If you don’t plan to use it for the long haul and are not too particular about performance, then a budget pick may be just fine.
FAQ
Q: How should a hiking backpack fit?
A hiking backpack should fit close to the body, as the more it pulls away the more it will throw you off balance and strain your back. Some hiking backpacks are built with suspension systems that actually lift the pack’s weight up and away to alleviate strain, but without making things unwieldy. You want the shoulder, sternum, and hip straps to be comfortably snug and evenly distributing the weight — and fairly high up on your back (think of it as hugging the upper arc of your rib cage).
Q: Is a 40L backpack too big for a day hike?
The average size of a backpack for a day hike is 20-35 L, so a 40L backpack would be fine if that is the only option. It may be a bit on the large size, but you don’t need to fill it all the way. We like the idea of using what you have, so if that is the size pack you have, go for it. Still, most hikers prefer a smaller pack for day hikes.
Q: Are hiking backpacks worth it?
In most cases, yes. Not all day hikes require the use of a backpack, but having a pack designed for hiking is necessary while backpacking. For short day hikes, many hikers use fanny pack style designs to carry essentials instead of a backpack. Hiking backpacks are designed to better distribute the weight and be more comfortable while carrying weight. A regular backpack will not be as supportive.
Q: What size backpack do I need for a three to five day hike?
The time of year, the size of the group, and your hiking style will help you narrow this down. Broadly speaking, anywhere from 30-80L will be sufficient for a 3-5 day trek. For ultralight hikes (especially in warm weather), smaller packs closer to 30-45L work well. For winter expeditions, much larger packs around 75-80L may be necessary simply to carry all of your equipment and clothing.
Final Thoughts on the Best Hiking Backpacks
When you’re backpacking, it’s all about the journey, so fit comes first in selecting your best hiking backpack. Then think about what you’ll need to carry, and how far and long you’ll be carrying it all. Look for adjustable support elements, particularly hip straps, sternum straps, and side compression traps. If you are starting out, don’t worry too much about style or looks; just get out there. We encourage you to start with what you have, borrow, or even rent when possible and then upgrade when it works for your budget and situation.
The post The Best Hiking Backpack of 2023 appeared first on Field & Stream.
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