Thanks, Edgar, glad you like that pack.

Thanks, Julie. I don’t know if you mean young girls or teenage girls, but if you want a pack for young girls, see my links (below the Osprey Exos and Eja review, above) to my reviews of the Gregory Wander 70 (which also fits many smaller women well) and the Osprey Ace packs. For bigger girls/teenagers who are approaching or at the size of an adult, nine of the pack models reviewed here come in women’s sizes or women’s-specific models.

So depending on the build of the girl, almost any of those could fit best; it’s difficult for me to make that judgment without knowing a person’s torso length and other measurements. I think women’s-specific models generally are preferable for any teenage girl or woman who finds she doesn’t easily fit into standard sizes.

I would also take into consideration whether the girl is likely to grow more, and perhaps buy a pack that can accommodate her as she gets bigger.

I hope that’s helpful. Thanks for the good question.

Hi Joel,

Thanks for the compliment and the good question. Bear canisters are definitely tough to fit conveniently in packs. Only fairly large backpacks (60 liters or larger) are wide enough to lay a canister in horizontally, which I think is the best way to fit a canister inside a pack. Mid-size (under 60 liters) aren’t wide enough to do that, meaning you have to stand it up and cram stuff in the tight spaces around it. That works, but it’s not an easy fit.

By the way, for a day on the trail, I do carry food I intend to eat during the day elsewhere in my pack and stuff my canister only with food I don’t need until dinnertime or later, and fill in any unfilled space in the canister with cooking gear or clothing I won’t need during the day. That way I don’t have to dig out and open that canister every time I want food, especially if it’s lying flat. If the canister is standing up in my pack, it’s easier to access anything inside it.

Your point about external-frame packs having the convenience of storing a large, heavy item like a full canister at the bottom is true, but was also more unique to the design and carry of external-frame packs. You could stand upright with them and have the center of balance of a pack lower. With internal-frame packs, the recommendation is to pack the weight more in the middle of the pack, and the middle of your spine, for better carrying comfort. So, no, I don’t place a canister in the bottom of a pack. That’s where you want to place your sleeping bag, perhaps tent rainfly, air mat, and other fairly light, bulky stuff you don’t need on the trail. Which is why I’ve long found a zipper accessing the bottom of a pack to be largely superfluous weight. Arguably, in bad weather, you could grab a rainfly and tent more quickly, but you can also pack those in external stuff pockets or the top of your pack if you know it’s going to be raining when you pitch it.

And yes, the Thunder Springs on the Grand Canyon’s Thunder River-Deer Creek loop is amazing, as are the waterfalls on Deer Creek. Super trip.

Hope that helps. Get in touch anytime and thanks for reading.

What’s your take on large pockets at the bottom to store heavier items- like bear cans?

I’ve been backpacking for a couple decades at this point and I used to appreciate the storage spot at the base of an external frame pack to strap on a heavy bear can where it’s comfortable for a lower center of mass. These days I’ll just pack the can first to the bottom of my top-loader and hope I grabbed everything for the day. Sometimes those sleeping bag bottom pockets worked well for this- but seems like those have been phased out.

Thanks!

Ps- wasn’t thunder springs amazing? One of my favorite parts of the canyon.

Hi Colin, thanks for that question. You have focused on the three packs I would describe as the best all-around models for someone who’s new to backpacking or simply wants one pack that can handle just about any trip and amount of weight you might carry. They’re all midweights, supportive enough to carry substantial weight and light enough to not be overkill for a weekend trip.

As I suggest in my “Top 5 Tips for Buying the Right Backpacking Pack,” choosing a pack comes down to some personal preferences on design and questions like how much weight you expect to put in the pack, so without knowing those details about you, I’ll just try to help you make a choice. If you’re routinely going to carry well over 40-45 pounds, I’d say go with the Osprey Atmos AG 65. If it’s going to be more like around 35-40 pounds, but occasionally a bit more, I’d choose the Granite Gear Blaze 60. And if it’s regularly under 40 pounds and a reasonable volume, The North Face Banchee 50 is a great pack, and $40 cheaper than the others—but don’t overlook the fact that it has less volume. (There is a larger model, The North Face Banchee 65.)

You will also find many stories at my blog with tips on backpacking, plus many gear reviews, as you’ve already discovered.

Good luck and get in touch anytime.

Hi Carlo, I know you’d probably prefer a simple answer, but I think the truth is that, with these models, weight-carrying capacity and comfort are a little different, and comfort will likely be dictated by the one that fits you best.

If they all fit you equally well—which isn’t likely, but speaking hypothetically—the pack capable of carrying the most weight may be the Flex Capacitor. The Optic and Exos are fairly similar, and the significantly lighter HMG pack will carry as well as those two—assuming it fits you, and it comes in four sizes, so it should fit. (Interestingly, a good friend and regular backpacking partner of mine had an Exos for years, and didn’t like that the new version lacks hipbelt pockets, so at my recommendation he got the Optic and loves it.)

By the way, the Banchee probably beats them all for weight-carrying capacity, and it’s just 3 lbs. 1 oz. And the Blaze is just a few ounces heavier and more tricked out, super comfortable, and has the best weight-carrying capacity of every pack I’ve mentioned.

I think you should contemplate whether you’re going to regularly push the weight capacity of these packs or remain within their range, and after that, choose the design you prefer. I think backpackers who aren’t going to keep their pack weight light can be disappointed with an ultralight pack when they’re overloading it.

Hope that’s helpful.

Hi Jeff, thanks for that question. Since REI no longer carries the Flash 65 backpack, you must have an older model. I used and liked the previous version of the Flash 45, too, which is very similar to the pack you have if you have the same generation of that pack series. The latest Flash packs have some improvements, most notably REI’s UpLift compression system, mentioned in my review above. Click on the link to the complete review (linked in the above story) for more details on the new model. If you’re considering a new pack and liked the previous Flash, you may like the new one even more.

Hey Aaron, good question. When you say “lighter gear,” your pack choice will depend on what you really mean by that in terms of total weight. You could have a total pack weight of 25 pounds (or less), including food and water for a weeklong trip; certainly under 30 pounds isn’t hard to achieve. The Arc’teryx Altra is no longer available, but the Osprey Atmos AG is very comfortable with 45+ pounds, and that’s what it’s made for. If your regularly carrying that much weight, I would try it and other big packs in this review on loaded with some weight and see which feels better on you, and also consider which feature set you prefer.

When choosing a pack, I always tell people to find a few options that look good and try them on. See my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack.”

Hi Joey, I’ve used the REI Flash 45 as a carry-on. The smaller versions of the Gregory Optic and Octal and the Osprey Exos and Eja would probably work, as well as the Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor.

Hi Brad, those are good brands, I’ve used packs made by some of them and may test and review a pack from at least one of these companies in the future. Then I’ll judge whether it deserves to be on this list, which covers the best packs for backpacking that I’ve used so far. I’ve tested and reviewed dozens of backpacks over the past two decades, and I’ve liked some ultralight packs; but they may not be as ideal for many users as they are for you, based on my personal experience and the clear demands of consumers.

Hi Joe, I’ve seen AARN packs but haven’t had the opportunity to try one out yet. So while I can’t really comment on that brand specifically, I did, for many years, use sizable front packs for carrying camera equipment, which is a setup similar to the way AARN packs distribute weight front and back. I eventually decided that I don’t like having a fairly large pack on my chest, because it’s hot and obstructs my view of where I’m walking. By the way, I now carry my camera equipment and small incidentals (like a map and snacks) in a Ribz Front Pack, which is much less obtrusive: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-update-ribz-front-pack/

Thanks for the article. I recently purchased an AARN pack and found it excellent, was wondering where your thoughts lay with this brand of backpack,

Many thanks

Hi Garry, I’ve used both the Aether and Xenith (and reviewed the Xenith here: https://thebigoutsideblog.com/gear-review-osprey-xenith-88xena-85-backpacks/). Yup, they’re very good. The Xenith is obviously built for heavy loads, and there’s no reason to carry a pack that heavy for lighter loads. I think Osprey has improved on its harness technology with the AG harness in the Atmos and Aura packs, which can handle pretty substantial loads. The other packs reviewed here have a variety of strengths and are designed for different loads and styles.