If you’re super fit and strong, hike with a pack of any weight 50 or more days a year, and have never known any sort of injury or ache in your body, then don’t bother reading this article. But for everyone else, knowing how to find the right pack for backpacking and other outdoor activities—and for your body—will make a world of difference in your enjoyment when carrying that pack for hours a day on a trail or up and down a mountain. This article will lead you through five steps to accomplish exactly that—helping to ensure that you spend your gear money smartly.

These tips reflect what I’ve learned from field testing all kinds of packs for backpacking, dayhiking, climbing, trail running, and backcountry skiing over more than a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear—formerly as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine for about 10 years and for even longer running this blog.

Follow these tips in chronological order and you will find the pack that’s right for you.

Please share any tips of your own or your questions in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

#1 Decide What It’s For

It’s tempting, especially when you’re on a budget, to want to buy one pack that will serve every possible need for which you can imagine using a pack. While that approach is understandable, unfortunately, setting such broad expectations takes you in exactly the wrong direction in this important first step toward finding the right pack.

Don’t sweat the fact that your diversity of interests demands a larger quiver of packs than you can afford; in time, when you can, you will get another pack. (We all do.) Your goal here is to focus down and narrow choices.

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The profusion of pack choices is largely the result of specificity in pack design—companies pursuing customers by making packs intended to be perfect for one purpose or another. Decide the one primary activity for which you’re buying this pack. Backpacking? Dayhiking? Climbing? Backcountry snow sports?

Sure, you can find packs that are more generalist and all-purpose—for example, tough enough for climbing, but with adequate organization and capacity for backpacking, or big enough for weekend backpacking and not too big or heavy for dayhiking, and that may serve you just fine. But if you want a pack that’s ideal for, say, backpacking, then look for a pack primarily designed for backpacking.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and the best ultralight backpacks.

#2 Decide on Capacity and Weight

Are you a lightweight or ultralight backpacker, or carrying most of the gear and food for your young kids, or somewhere into between? Are you a weekend backpacker, or planning to take weeklong trips as well, or planning a long thru-hike? Do you dayhike or backpack only in dry, mild climates in summer, or go out in colder and wetter climates, in shoulder seasons (spring and fall), or even in winter, too?

Capacity and maximum weight you’ll carry are two distinct but overlapping considerations. A mid-size pack, for instance, may still be lightweight and intended to carry only a maximum load of 30 or 35 pounds.

Tips:

•    Consider the total weight and the bulk of the gear and food you’ll typically carry, so that your pack has enough space for your needs, can comfortably handle the weight, and isn’t more pack than you really need.
•    Don’t buy the lightest pack if you intend to carry more weight than it’s designed for.
•    If you’re unsure between two backpack capacities—say, 50L or 60L—ask yourself whether you’re ready to size down some bulky gear (like a sleeping bag or tent), or go with the larger pack.

I usually roll my eyes when I see a reviewer suggest that a lightweight or even mid-size pack can carry 50 or 60 pounds. First of all, many people—probably most backpackers—simply cannot carry that much weight with any pack (and don’t want or need to). Don’t trust any suggestion that a minimal frame and suspension system can carry a large weight, or you’ll set yourself up for some painful disappointment.

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How I use packs based on volume and approximate pack weight (there’s overlap between these categories):

•    Packs 65L/3,965 c.i. or larger, weighing four to five pounds or more (empty)—family or gear-intensive backpacking or climbing trips carrying loads of 40-50 pounds or more.
•    Packs 50-65L/3,356-3,967 c.i., weighing three to four pounds—longer trips carrying 30-45 pounds, including several days’ food, when I’m carrying some weight for a partner, or extra clothing and a larger sleeping bag for colder temperatures.
•    Packs approximately 50L/3,051 c.i. or smaller, weighing under three pounds—weekend to multi-day, lightweight/ultralight backpacking with 30-35 pounds or less and lightweight or ultralight, compact gear.
•    Packs 30-45L/1,831-2,441 c.i., weighing 2.5 to four pounds—ultralight weekend trips and gear-intensive activities like climbing and backcountry skiing day trips or hut/yurt trips carrying 30 or more pounds.
•    Packs 20-30L/1,220-1,831 c.i. weighing 1.5 to 2.5 pounds—dayhikes carrying 15 to 25 pounds.
•    Packs under 20L/1,220 c.i. weighing under 1.5 pounds—longer trail runs and dayhikes carrying under 15 pounds.

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#3 Get the Fit Right

For starters, measure your torso correctly in order to know your pack size. While many hydration packs and daypacks come in only one size, most mid-size and large backpacks come in two or three sizes, each fitting a specific range of torso lengths, or they’re adjustable. Some pack makers offer customization of fit such as different sizes in hipbelts.

How to measure torso length:

Stand straight and have someone use a soft tape measure (or a string which that person can hold against a stiff measuring tape afterward) to measure your spine. Find your iliac crest, which is the shelf-like top of your hipbones on your sides; place your hands there and your thumbs will point to the spot on your spine where your helper should place the end of the tape measure. Have that person run the tape measure along your spine to your C7 vertebrae, which is the knobby bone at the base of your neck when you tilt your head forward. That’s your torso length.

I’ve often found that if a pack model’s sizing is such that my torso length falls on the line between sizes, then either size could be a little small or a little big for me. If I really want that pack, the smaller size often fits me better. But you’ll probably find a more comfortable fit when your torso length falls closer to the middle of a pack’s fit range.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “The 25 Best National Park Dayhikes.”

See my reviews of “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs,” “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” and the best ultralight backpacks, and my “Video: How to Load a Backpack” at The Big Outside.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

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I can say this about Gregory’s Kiro 24L: I made a genuine effort to hike too far for its comfort limits, but I failed. From a 12-mile (19.3-kilometer), 4,400-foot (1,340-meter) dayhike in New Hampshire’s Southern Presidential Range in late May to a nine-mile (14.5-kilometer), more than 5,200-foot (1,600-meter) dayhike of 12,662-foot Borah Peak, Idaho’s highest, in July, and a roughly 19-mile (30.6-kilometer), 4,500-foot (1,370-meter) October dayhike and off-trail scramble up and down 10,716-foot Mount Cramer, the second-highest peak in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, the Kiro 24 had the capacity and all-day comfort for it all.

While I carried the Kiro 24 with up to about 15 pounds/6.8 kilos inside in the Presidentials and on the Mount Cramer hike, my 22-year-old daughter carried it starting out with about the same weight inside on Borah Peak—allowing us to compare notes on the performance of this pack that comes in just one unisex size.

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The most unique design feature of the Kiro 24 is the highly elastic CloudControl hipbelt, which stretches like a very wide and flat rubber band as you move. I confess to a skeptical initial reaction to it, wondering how a belt with zero rigidity and that much stretch can deliver the support and stability you’d typically look for in a daypack. But as I wore the pack more (and watched my daughter wearing it on steep trail and rugged scrambling on Borah Peak), the belt won me over: Its stretch results in the pack bag remaining relatively stable on your back, instead of bouncing around; and the more rugged and steep the terrain, the more pronounced the benefit. And as long as you don’t overload the pack (more on that below), its lack of rigidity isn’t detrimental.

The perforated, breathable, 3D foam back panel with gradient printed mesh and lightly padded shoulder straps provide adequate padding for light loads and breathe fairly well; but again, since there’s no rigidity in the hipbeltand no internal frame, just a back panel that easily folds in half, the design has inherent limits on weight capacity. Gregory says the pack carries 20 pounds/9.1 kilos comfortably. My daughter and I both found it comfortable with up to 15 pounds/6.8 kilos inside on big days (we didn’t load it any heavier), and I expect its comfort above 15 pounds would vary between users.

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Gregory says the Kiro packs fit torsos from 16 to 21 inches/40.6 to 53.3 centimeters and waists from 28 to 48 inches/71.1 to 121.9 centimeters. The waist measure seems accurate, and the pack fit my 18-inch/45.7-centimeter torso well; and my daughter, with a torso around 16 inches/40.6 centimeters, had no complaints on our big day hiking Borah Peak. Again, if you get this pack mostly for moderate dayhiking loads, the one unisex size will probably perform fine for many hikers whose torso length is not at either end of that fit range.

A clamshell zipper enables rapid access to the main compartment—supremely convenient and, I think, a smart design for a hiking daypack in this capacity and weight class. The pack’s 24-liter/1,465-cubic-inch capacity easily fit all the food and layers I needed for an October hike in the Sawtooths, where the temperature was 19° F when we started out and we had warm sunshine for most of the day.

The four external pockets are fewer than many daypacks of comparable capacity and weight, but the clamshell zipper access reduces the need for outside pockets, and the four on the Kiro are strategically placed and designed.

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The stretch-mesh front drop-in pocket has space for a jacket and other items. The stretch-mesh left side pocket holds a liter bottle, although it’s not easy to reach into that pocket while wearing the pack. The zippered top pocket is good for smaller items like keys and a hard case for sunglasses. The zippered right-side pocket provides additional secure external storage for electronics, gloves, hat, snacks, etc.—but short of having a double-jointed shoulder, it’s not possible to reach that pocket’s vertical zipper while wearing the pack.

That spotlights the only demerit regarding external pockets: With no hipbelt pockets, there’s just one pocket marginally within reach while wearing the pack.

The pack body is made with 210-denier, high-density, 37 percent recycled nylon and the bottom with 420-denier, high-density, 40 percent recycled nylon, all with a zero-fluorocarbon DWR (durable, water-resistant coating) and no PFAS.

As usual, Gregory is strong on the little details. The internal hydration sleeve with SpeedClip hydration hanger is compatible with Gregory’s Hydro reservoirs (reservoir not included). Custom-molded ring zipper pulls are easy to grab wearing gloves. There’s also good side compression to reduce the pack when underfilled and trekking pole attachments on the front. Other models in the series are the Kiro 20L and Kiro 28L.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory Kiro 24L or another Kiro model at backcountry.com, rei.com, or gregory.com.

See my picks for “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I reviewed gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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On dayhikes of up to several miles, including a hike up and down the West Rim Trail in Zion National Park and a peak in my local foothills with 2,000 feet of vertical in just over two miles, I found Deuter’s AC Lite 16 quite comfortable with the type of loads that many dayhikers do not exceed. Plus, this daypack has a design and basic feature set that will please many hikers as much as its price.

One of the latest versions in Deuter’s AC Lite series, at under two pounds, the AC Lite 16 is a middleweight among daypacks that offer the support for carrying up to about 15 pounds/6.8 kilos comfortably, thanks to a spring steel perimeter frame that gives the pack some rigidity and helps transfer most of the weight to your hips.

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The AC Lite packs stand out most distinctively for Deuter’s Aircomfort harness and suspension, which features a pronounced curve that creates enough separation to slip a fist in between the tensioned trampoline-style back panel and the back side of the pack bag. That’s about as much ventilation as you’ll find in a daypack, maximizing air flow over a sweaty back.

Deuter makes each of the AC Lite packs in just one fixed, non-adjustable size, designed to fit torsos measuring 17 to 21 inches/44-54 centimeters, and one size each in the AC Lite SL, built for torsos measuring 15 to 19 inches/38-48 centimeters—ostensibly for women, although some men will find a better fit in an SL and some women will be better off with a standard AC Lite pack. With an 18-inch torso, 38-inch chest, and 30-inch waist, I found the AC Lite 16 fits me well, even though I might wear a small or medium pack from other brands. Short story: The fit is determined by your torso size, not your gender.

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This top-loading pack’s main compartment closes with a drawcord and a one-buckle lid. The tradeoff of daypacks with a curved shaped to the frame is that it takes a bit of a bite out of the interior space. I found that using a two-liter bladder in the AC Lite 16—what it’s designed for—still leaves good space in the main compartment for what most hikers need on most dayhikes: Besides two liters of water, I fit all the food and layers I needed for hiking several miles up and down Zion’s West Rim Trail on a cloudy, cool, windy day, which delivered rain showers (as expected) on my descent, as well as my DSLR camera. But when I squeezed a full three-liter bladder inside—which barely fit in the bladder sleeve—that greatly limited cargo space in the main compartment.

The takeaway: The AC Lite 16 is designed for light outings that do not require a combination of three liters of water plus extra food and clothing or other gear. If you need ample space, size up to Deuter’s AC Lite 24 or AC Lite 22 SL.

The minimalist design features just three exterior pockets: a zippered lid pocket, a stretch-mesh side pocket large enough to fit a liter bottle, plus a zippered pocket on the other side that Deuter calls a cell phone pocket but can obviously be used for other small items. I like that you can reach those side pockets while wearing the pack. There’s another zippered pocket under the lid. But the AC Lite packs lack a front stuff pocket, hipbelt pockets, and side compression straps.

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There are convenient gear loops for attaching trekking poles to the outside of the pack and docking loops on the front to accommodate a mesh helmet holder (sold separately) for cyclists/bike commuters. The included detachable rain cover kept my pack’s contents dry through the rain showers in Zion.

The 210-denier polyamide fabric in the pack body and highly durable 600-denier polyester fabric in the bottom are abrasion-resistant, 50 percent recycled, and Bluesign approved.

Other models in the series are the AC Lite 24, AC Lite 14 SL and 22 SL, and the AC Lite 24 and 22 SL Hydro, which both come with a two-liter bladder.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Deuter AC Lite 23, AC Lite 21 SL, or another AC Lite model at summithut.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

See my picks for “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I reviewed gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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On dayhikes from Capitol Reef National Park to bagging Borah Peak, Idaho’s highest, Patagonia’s Terravia 28L stood out for having the capacity for longer outings, along with good access and durability, while weighing just over 1.5 pounds—a level of capacity and versatility not often seen at that weight.

I carried the Terravia 28L starting out with about 16 pounds inside on a more than eight-mile, nearly 5,300-vertical-foot dayhike of Idaho’s highest peak, 12,662-foot Borah Peak, which is steep much of the way and involves some third-class scrambling. I also carried this pack starting with 12 pounds inside on a 10-mile dayhike in Capitol Reef National Park from Grand Wash to the bottom of Cohab Canyon via the Frying Pan Trail (one of several outstanding dayhikes in a park that gets overlooked by many hikers and national park lovers).

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Most distinctive about the 28-liter/1,770-cubic-inch Terravia is that it has the capacity for all-day outings where you need extra layers, water, food, and gear—an unusual amount of volume and versatility for a pack that weighs just one pound, 10 ounces/737.1 grams (medium). Hiking Borah Peak on a windy and cool mid-July day, I packed a sun shirt, light insulation, a wind shell, pants (and wore all but the insulated pullover on the upper mountain), and a bulky fleece for my partner, and started with three liters of water plus a few energy bars inside the Terravia 28L—and I still had space to spare in the main compartment.

When trimming weight from a pack’s design, the obvious place to accomplish that is where most of a pack’s weight (empty) resides: in the frame that provides support for carrying weight. That explains the major compromise in the Terravia series.

With just a simple, foam back pad/framesheet that’s flexible enough to fold the pack in half like a slice of bread, the Terravia lacks a rigid frame or stiffeners in the hipbelt to provide structural support for carrying 20 pounds/9.1 kilos or more—the kind of weight that is common for many 28-liter daypacks, which are also heavier.

For many hikers, the Terravia 28L will comfortably carry about 15 pounds/6.8 kilos. While strong hikers could certainly carry more than 15 pounds comfortably enough—and 16 pounds felt absolutely fine to me, in part because the wide hipbelt and harness design help distribute most of the weight onto the hips—the lack of rigidity in the suspension system results in the pack’s weight hanging off your shoulders more noticeably, and growing uncomfortable, as it approaches 20 pounds/9.1 kilos.

But that design also keeps the pack light and makes it more packable—and, seeing it through a different lens, a nice size for a carry-on bag when flying.

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The breathable, perforated mesh back panel, shoulder straps and hipbelt, made from 100 percent recycled polyester, helped release moisture and cool my back when working up a sweat hiking in Capitol Reef on a sunny and hot day in April.

Organization is quite good for a pack this light. Access to the main compartment is via a somewhat unique cinch closure employing a drawcord that closes that compartment and pulls the lid down over its mouth, with a small, metal hook fed through a fabric loop on the lid’s front side to hold the lid in place. While I find the design easy to use—no buckles to deal with, resulting in very quick access to the inside—and functional, I also found that the metal hook easily slips out of the fabric loop whenever the pack is underfilled (whereas a full pack creates tension that holds that hook in the loop). That’s hardly noticeable and doesn’t create a problems, other than sometimes exposing the small hole of the main compartment’s mouth when it’s cinched shut. But an integrated rain cover that deploys quickly from a pocket on the pack’s bottom eliminates any concern about pack contents being exposed to precipitation.

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The Terravia sports an exterior, six-pocket setup that’s become virtually the default system in lighter daypacks and ultralight backpacks. Two zippered hipbelt pockets, each spacious enough for a smartphone and one or two bars, and two stretch-mesh side pockets that swallow a liter bottle and that I can reach into while wearing the pack, offer quick access to snacks and small items; I kept bars and my Garmin inReach Mini 2 in the hipbelt pockets. A large front stuff pocket easily holds a wet rain shell. And the zippered lid pocket similarly can fit a headlamp, gloves, hat, and sunglasses case with room to spare.

Even on the longest, most rigorous, done-in-a-day adventures that require being prepared for any weather, the Terravia has abundant capacity for holding everything you want to keep within reach while moving.

The only other exterior feature is attachments for trekking poles, which enabled me to tuck those away quickly when I had to use my hands scrambling on Borah Peak.

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Other than the vulnerability to tears in the mesh side pockets—common in daypacks—the Terravia is built for hard use while keeping a focus on low weight, with 70-denier nylon ripstop in the pack’s body and 200-denier in the lining, all derived from 100 percent recycled material, plus a PU coating and PFC-free DWR (durable, water-repellant) treatment.

The Terravia’s three unisex sizes fit a wide range of users with torsos measuring between 14 and 21 inches, according to Patagonia (and my 18-inch torso falls near the middle of the fit range for the medium pack, so it naturally fit me quite well). While there’s no women’s-specific sizing, that matters less in a daypack, especially one not intended for heavier dayhiking loads.

Patagonia also offers the Terravia 14L, Terravia 22L, and Terravia 36L—and in some respects, the Terravia’s design makes the most sense in the 14L and 22L packs because most users would have no intention of loading more than about 15 pounds in daypacks that size.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Patagonia Terravia 28L at backcountry.com or patagonia.com, or other Terravia versions at backcountry.com, patagonia.com, or rei.com.

See my picks for “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

Plan your next great backpacking trip in Yosemite, Grand Teton,
and other parks using my expert e-books.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I reviewed gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

You need a new backpack, backpacking tent, rain jacket, boots, or a sleeping bag. You’ve read reviews. You’ve winnowed your short list to a handful of possible choices—with a significant difference in prices. That’s when you struggle with the question that pushes the frugality button in all of us: Why should I spend more?

This story will explain why some gear is more expensive and give you specific advice on buying five big-ticket items: packs, tents, rain jackets, shoes and boots, and sleeping bags.

Over the past three decades of reviewing gear, including the 10 years I spent as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog, I’ve learned what separates the expensive from the moderately priced from the cheap.

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Should you always spend more? Certainly not, and this story will explain why and when it’s worth spending more and when it’s not. The insights below will help you make smarter buying choices, stretch your gear budget farther, and feel better about it when you do spend more. And my “10 Tips for Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear” shares specific strategies for saving money—even sometimes without compromising on quality.

Before you spend another dollar, read on.

Like many stories at The Big Outside, this one is partially free for anyone to read, but reading all of the tips below is an exclusive benefit of a paid subscription to The Big Outside.

Please share your thoughts on my tips or your own, best gear-buying advice in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

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What Makes Some Gear Expensive?

•    Lightweight: Lighter gear is often more expensive because of the materials used, like wafer-thin but strong fabrics in jackets, tents, and (sometimes) packs, and carbon fiber or high-grade aluminum tent poles.
•    Construction: Superior workmanship, materials, and technologies raise the price tag. Expect to pay more for, say, cutting-edge waterproof-breathable membranes in jackets and footwear, boots with one-piece or full-grain leather uppers, a super comfortable backpack suspension available in multiple sizes to achieve an optimal fit, or lamination used instead of stitching in jackets and footwear. But that also translates to high-level performance and, often, improved durability—which can save you money in the long run.

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•    Special Features: You want a rain jacket hood that stays in place in strong wind and when you turn your head? A pack with multiple backpacker- or climber-friendly features? Shoes with sticky outsoles? Or a sleeping bag or down jacket with the lightest and warmest insulation? Open your wallet.
•    Durability: Sometimes a higher price tag equates with materials and construction that translate to greater durability, but not always. Some lightweight materials are very strong and some are not. Especially with big-ticket items that receive heavy wear and tear—your pack, tent, shoes, and rain shell—low weight is sometimes achieved through, for example, the use of thinner fabrics that will tear more easily, or zippers that are less burly and will break sooner. Find out why one product is lighter than another and choose based on whether you’re willing to swap durability for lower weight.

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Packs

Why They’re Pricey The top pack makers—whose backpacks and daypacks generally cost the most—compete with one another primarily to make the most comfortable packs to carry. Beyond that objective, they try to distinguish their products through specialization (packs for specific purposes like climbing, ultralight backpacking, distance trail running or ultra-hiking, etc.), and through features, weight, and certainly superior construction that results in greater durability.

When They’re Worth the Price How important is comfort on the trail to you? How important is weight? How about specific features? Yes, you can make do with a pack whose fit is imperfect or that lacks a supportive hipbelt, a zipper offering quick access to the main compartment, or convenient, external pockets on the hipbelt and elsewhere.

But if you hike a lot of miles, the hours spent wearing and using a pack add up.

As anyone who’s upgraded knows, once you have a backpack that’s comfortable and designed for the way you use it, you’ll never go back to an inferior pack.

Get the right pack for you. See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks.”

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Gear up smartly for your trips.
See the best-in-category reviews and expert buying tips at The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page.

Why Spend More?

If you can’t afford more-expensive gear, just get cheap stuff and get outside. You’ll be fine. If you can afford better gear later, you’ll appreciate it that much more.

But if you’re an avid outdoorsperson and you can afford good gear, why settle for less?

No, price does not always correlate directly with quality—but it often does. Whenever a friend who can afford good gear asks for my advice, I always say that he or she would be foolish to buy cheap, because they don’t need to put up with inferior comfort or performance.

And ultimately, if you’re out regularly and buy good gear, the cost per day of use over the life of that gear will be low, more than justifying the enjoyment you gained from it.

See all reviews of backpacks, daypacks, backpacking tents, outdoor apparel, rain jackets, hiking shoes, backpacking boots, sleeping bags, down jackets and insulated jackets, and backpacking gear and hiking gear at The Big Outside, plus “5 Smart Steps to Lighten Your Backpacking Gear.”

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

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Choosing a daypack for hiking can seem overwhelming when you see the dozens of choices available today, which range all over the map in terms of volume, weight, carrying capacity, features, and cost—as well as fit and comfort. Look no further. This freshly updated review spotlights the best daypacks for hiking and offers expert buying tips that explain the subtle differences between packs to help you find the right one for your own adventures.

This article covers a wide range of daypacks, from 15 to 36 liters and 20 ounces to almost three-and-a-half pounds, each one a standout for different reasons and uses. My picks and buying tips are based on personally testing new daypacks constantly through thousands of miles of hiking and three decades of testing and reviewing gear—formerly for 10 years as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog.

I think this review will help you find a pack that’s perfect for you—plus you’ll usually find the best prices at affiliate links in this review (which support this blog when you make a purchase through them, at not cost to you, and thanks for doing that).

Please share your own experiences with any of these packs, suggest other daypacks, or ask questions in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

Buying Tips

Before buying, consider what you need a daypack for. How much stuff will you carry? That partly depends on where, when, and how far you hike. What kind of pack design suits your dayhiking style: low- or high-capacity? Lightweight and minimalist, or with an assortment of pockets and features? Built to carry plenty of gear, clothing, food, and water, or a light load? Armored for hard abuse, or needed mostly for cruising good trails?

Here are some details to consider when choosing a daypack:

• Volume/Capacity For most three-season dayhikes where you’re carrying the usual stuff (clothing, food, water, some incidentals like a camera), a daypack between 16 and 24 liters has enough space, with the lower end of that range best for hikers who prioritize a streamlined, lightweight design, and the upper end of that range for hikers who sometimes need extra capacity. For outings that are unusually gear-intensive—or carrying stuff for another person—look to a pack that’s 28 liters or more. For carrying bare essentials in good weather, a 12-liter daypack may be fine; but for trekking hut to hut for several days, you may need a pack in the 36-40L range.
• Suspension We all have our own idea of how much weight is comfortable in a daypack, but how much weight a pack can comfortably carry largely depends on its frame (if there is one) and suspension (the shoulder straps and waist belt). Very light daypacks—under roughly 1.5 pounds—offer minimal support and putting more than 10 to 12 pounds inside may compromise their comfort, which simply means that your body will feel the weight more. Daypacks designed to carry 15 to 20 pounds or more typically have padded shoulder straps and waist belt and a metal wire frame and/or a plastic framesheet to maintain the pack’s shape and direct most of the weight onto your hips.

• Fit As with backpacks, fit is critical to carrying comfort, especially the more weight you’re putting inside the daypack. Low-capacity daypacks designed to carry no more than about 10 pounds often come in one size, while larger-capacity daypacks will come in two or three sizes and men’s and women’s models, to help you find a better fit. See my story “Top 5 Tips for Buying the Right Backpacking Pack” for instructions on how to measure your torso to fit a backpack or daypack.
• Organization Quick access to the main compartment—usually in the form of a clamshell-style zipper, or a vertical side zipper if the pack has a lid that buckles down—and multiple pockets on the outside offer great convenience. So do little details like attachments for trekking poles and an ice axe. Those features also add cost and some weight and bulk. Consider how important compartmentalization is to you and how much stuff you want to have within reach while wearing the pack.
• Materials Many daypacks for hiking are made with similar materials, from a reasonably durable body fabric and tougher fabric on the bottom to stretch-mesh external pockets that are more vulnerable to tearing and perforated, breathable foam in the back panel, shoulder straps, and waist belt. But some daypacks are built with tougher materials that will withstand hard use—sometimes (but not always) adding weight and cost. Again, this comes down to how you plan to use the pack.

The comparison chart lists the packs from lightest to heaviest and offers a quick look at features that distinguish these packs from one another; the overall ratings are based on criteria that tend to favor heavier daypacks, so they’re most helpful when comparing packs of similar weights. Each of the short reviews below the chart includes a link to my complete review of the pack.

The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak

$229, 17L/1,040 c.i., 1 lb. 4 oz./566.9g
hyperlitemountaingear.com

Lightweight and tough don’t always go together when describing gear, but they both apply to the Daybreak, which I’ve used dayhiking and on multi-pitch rock climbs. The ultralight, waterproof Dyneema fabric (the zipper’s also waterproof) has suffered years of abuse on numerous outings and still looks almost new.

With a thin, flexible back pad and no frame to direct weight onto your hips, the Daybreak carries 12 pounds comfortably and some hikers will easily load it up with more than that. Although very lightly padded, the wide mesh belt distributes weight around the hips, and the mesh shoulder straps have some padding. This minimalist bag has four pockets—including a large, front, bellows pocket—and comes in three sizes. The frameless design also means you can roll the Daybreak up and strap it to the outside of a backpack.

Read my complete review of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

Want a really ultralight, minimalist daypack?
See my review of the Black Diamond Trail Blitz 12 and REI Flash 18.

Black Diamond Pursuit 15

$170, 15L/915 c.i., 1 lb. 7 oz./652g
blackdiamondequipment.com

From dayhikes up to 16 miles with spurts of running in my local foothills to the steep, 13-mile, 3,500-foot Burgess Pass Loop in Yoho National Park and other trails in the Canadian Rockies, plus an 11-mile, 4,200-foot loop to Mounts Lafayette and Lincoln above Franconia Notch in the White Mountains, the Pursuit 15 struck an unusual but effective balance between traditional hiking daypacks and trail-running vests that may appeal to avid dayhikers and mountain scramblers who like to move fast and light.

Its non-adjustable harness consists of wide, unpadded shoulder straps with running-vest-style pockets and dual sternum straps to provide better stability and comfort when running, hiking fast, or scrambling. But it adds the kind of wide, lightly padded hipbelt typical of ultralight daypacks that imposes slight inhibition of movement as the price for more weight-carrying capacity than a running vest. It also has a compression system that’s much more efficient and versatile than you’ll find on many daypacks or vests. Three men’s and women’s sizes ensure a good fit.

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Pursuit 15.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Black Diamond Pursuit 15 at blackdiamondequipment.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

See “The 25 Best National Park Dayhikes”
and “Extreme Hiking: America’s Best Hard Dayhikes.”

Patagonia Terravia 28L

$169, 28L/1,770 c.i., 1 lb. 10 oz./737.1g
backcountry.com

On dayhikes from Capitol Reef National Park to a more than eight-mile, nearly 5,300-vertical-foot hike of Idaho’s highest peak, 12,662-foot Borah Peak, the Terravia 28L stood out for having the capacity for big days along with good access and durability that’s rare in a daypack weighing just over 1.5 pounds.

The 28-liter/1,770-cubic-inch Terravia has the capacity for all-day outings where you need extra layers, water, food, and gear. With just a foam back pad and no frame, the Terravia 28L will comfortably carry about 15 pounds/6.8 kilos, or more for strong hikers. Breathable shoulder straps and hipbelt and a mesh back panel keeps you cool when working up a sweat. A unique cinch closure quickly accesses the main compartment and pulls the lid down over its mouth, with a small, metal hook locking the lid in place. Hipbelt and mesh side pockets keep everything you want within reach while moving. As usual, kudos to Patagonia for the recycled and PFC-free materials.

See my complete review of the Patagonia Terravia 28L.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Patagonia Terravia 28L at backcountry.com or patagonia.com, or other Terravia versions at backcountry.com, patagonia.com, or rei.com.

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Osprey Talon 22/Tempest 20

$170, 20L/1,220 c.i., 1 lb., 11 oz./765.4g
ospreypacks.com

From a 14-mile, nearly 3,000-foot round-trip dayhike up 11,049-foot Telescope Peak, the highest in Death Valley National Park, to the rugged hike up Cerro Chato in Costa Rica and many other trails, the Talon 22 carried up to 15 pounds comfortably, thanks to a suspension featuring a flexible, plastic framesheet, and an adjustable harness with a seamless, foam hipbelt that forms one continuous piece with the nicely ventilated mesh back panel.

Unusually feature-rich for daypacks that weigh in well under two pounds, the men’s Talon and women’s Tempest sport easy access to the main compartment via a big clamshell zipper, and multiple pockets on the hipbelt, sides, top, and front, as well as handy attachments for trekking poles, a bike helmet, and a light. They’re among the most versatile multi-sport daypacks on the market.

Read my complete review of the Osprey Talon 22 and Tempest 20.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s Osprey Talon 22 or another size at ospreypacks.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Osprey Tempest 20 or another size at ospreypacks.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

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Deuter AC Lite 16 and AC Lite 14 SL

$100, 16L/976 c.i., 1 lb. 14.7 oz./870g
summithut.com

From the West Rim Trail in Zion National Park to a peak in my local foothills with 2,000 feet of vertical in just over two miles, I found Deuter’s AC Lite 16 quite comfortable with the type of loads that many dayhikers do not exceed. Plus, this daypack has a design and basic feature set that will please many hikers, and Deuter’s Aircomfort harness creates as much ventilation as you’ll find in a daypack.

At under two pounds, the AC Lite 16 delivers the support for carrying up to about 15 pounds/6.8 kilos comfortably, thanks to its spring steel perimeter frame. A top-loader with a main compartment accessed via a one-buckle lid and drawcord, the AC Lite has an attachment for poles and a rain cover, but just three exterior pockets (no front stuff pocket or hipbelt pockets). The 210-denier polyamidepack body and 600-denier polyester bottom rank the AC Lite daypacks among the most durable out there.

Read my complete review of the Deuter AC Lite 16.

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Deuter AC Lite 23, AC Lite 21 SL, or another AC Lite model at summithut.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

Arc’teryx Aerios 30

$190, 30L/1,831 c.i., 2 lbs./907.2g
rei.com

Marrying elements of traditional daypacks and running vests, the Aerios 30 has bountiful capacity, an inspired design, and superior durability—all at a modest weight. With a light but impressively supportive framesheet, fixed (non-adjustable), wide, padded shoulder straps and hipbelt, and a highly breathable, mesh-covered Aeroform back panel with a slightly concave shape that allows good air flow, it has the support and comfort for carrying 20 pounds.

The voluminous main compartment, accessed by a deep, clamshell zipper, and seven external pockets deliver excellent organization. Despite one flaw, the Aerios 30 ranks as one of today’s most versatile daypacks.

Read my complete review of the Arc’teryx Aerios 30.

BUY IT NOW  You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase the men’s or women’s Arc’teryx Aerios 30 at rei.com.

Plan your next great backpacking trip in Yosemite, Grand Teton,
or other parks using my expert e-books.

Gregory Miko 20/Maya 20

$150, 20L/1,220 c.i., 2 lbs. 1 oz./935.5g
Miko 20: backcountry.com
Maya 20: backcountry.com

Gregory’s Miko and Maya, the latest updates of the classic, lightweight men’s and women’s Miwok and Maya daypacks, retain all that made their predecessors outstanding. That begins with the comfortable, close-fitting, very breathable, adjustable BioSync suspension, featuring an elasticized shoulder harness and hipbelt that provide a very comfortable, body-hugging fit and a dynamic carry that flexes with your moving body. These packs offer quick access to the main compartment, six external pockets, and a zippered bladder sleeve outside the main compartment.

Carrying the Miko 20 on all-day, rugged hikes—including nearly 10 miles and 4,700 feet up and down 5,774-foot Mount Adams in New Hampshire’s rugged northern Presidential Range, and a mostly off-trail dayhike-scramble of 11,330-foot Twin Peaks in Utah’s Wasatch Range that spanned eight hours with 5,200 feet of up and down—I found this versatile bag remains a favorite for three-season, done-in-a-day, lightweight adventures.

Read my complete review of the Miko 20 and Maya 20.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory men’s Miko 20 or any Miko model at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Maya 20 or any Maya model at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com.

Want to hike the Teton Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, or another trip?
Click here for expert advice you won’t get elsewhere.

Gregory Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT

$170, 24L/1,465 c.i., 2 lbs. 5 oz./1.05kg
gregory.com

This first thing I noticed carrying Gregory’s Zulu 24 LT on dayhikes of up to 10 miles in southern Utah parks was its exceptional comfort with 20 pounds. Credit the alloy steel wire perimeter frame and the seamless wrap of the hipbelt, which integrates with the Vaporspan back panel to feel like it was custom-built for you. The back panel’s open mesh and wide space between it and the pack bag creates nice air flow.

But the more I used it—pulling stuff out, stuffing stuff back in, using its various pockets and smart features, including dayhiking New Zealand’s 12.6-mile/20.2-kilometer Tongariro Alpine Crossing, with more than 2,100 feet of uphill and 3,600 feet down—the more I liked its design. Access to the Zulu and Jade 24 LT packs is easy, fast, and convenient, with a U-shaped zipper into the main compartment and six external pockets that include a large, zippered front pocket. They’re also more durable than many packs, with 400-denier polyester ripstop body fabric and 420-denier nylon in the bottom.

Read my complete review of the Gregory Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory men’s Zulu 24 LT at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Jade 24 LT at gregory.com or rei.com, or other versions of the Zulu LT at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com or the Jade LT at gregory.com or rei.com.

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Mystery Ranch Coulee 30

$189, 29L/1,770 c.i., 2 lbs. 9 oz./1.2kg (men’s S/M)
backcountry.com

Sure, every ounce of gear weight should be justified. But that doesn’t mean heavier is bad. As I discovered carrying the Mystery Ranch Coulee 30 on hikes from Idaho to the steep Cory Pass-Edith Pass loop in Canada’s Banff National Park, its modest weight is more than validated by a design, comfort, capacity, and durability that make it one of today’s best daypacks.

Most uniquely, instead of a traditional, separate lid, a Y-shaped, three-zipper system provides quick and complete access to the main compartment. The well-padded, adjustable harness and HDPE framesheet enable the Coulee 30 to carry 25 pounds or more comfortably. In fact, I had no complaints carrying about 30 pounds of rock-climbing gear—including hardware, harness, shoes, and helmet, all of which fit inside the pack—several bars and over two liters of water at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve. And seven external pockets—one on top and two each on the sides, front, and hipbelt—provide excellent organization.

Read my complete review of the Mystery Ranch Coulee 30.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s Mystery Ranch Coulee 30 at backcountry.com or mysteryranch.com, a women’s Mystery Ranch Coulee 30 at backcountry.com or mysteryranch.com, or any other pack in the Coulee series at backcountry.com or mysteryranch.com.

Time for a better backpack?
See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and the best ultralight backpacks.

Deuter Trail Pro 36 and Trail Pro 34 SL

$185, 36L/2,197 c.i., 3 lbs. 7 oz./1.56kg
Trail Pro 36: backcountry.com
Women’s Trail Pro 34 SL: backcountry.com

Our second day on a five-day hut trek through Spain’s Picos de Europa Mountains was steep and hard from the get-go. As snow fell, later changing to rain, we hiked for miles over snow-covered talus and scree, finishing with a descent of almost 3,000 feet through innumerable switchbacks. On that day and throughout that trek, the Trail Pro 36 demonstrated the worth of a high-quality, versatile, large daypack.

Deuter’s Trail Pro 36 and women’s Trail Pro 34 SL are high-volume, feature-rich packs—making them uniquely suited to carrying heavier loads and more versatile than most of today’s daypacks. A spring-steel suspension and plastic framesheet give the Trail Pro a weight-carrying capacity comparable to many lightweight, 50-liter backpacks, and the suspension’s design enhances comfort. This top-loader has a U-shaped zipper to access the main compartment and abundant pockets, a rain cover, utilitarian features like ice axe and trekking poles attachments and a carabiner/gear loop. And it’s bomber.

Read my complete review of the Deuter Trail Pro 36 and Trail Pro 34 SL.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Deuter Trail Pro 36 at backcountry.com, or a women’s Trail Pro 34 SL at backcountry.com.

See all of my reviews of daypacks I like and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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This first thing I noticed about carrying Gregory’s Zulu 24 LT on spring dayhikes of up to about 12 miles from southern Utah parks to New Zealand, with plenty of uphill and downhill and a bit of scrambling thrown in, was its exceptional comfort even when testing its maximum weight capacity: This daypack does not wilt under loads that push some daypacks beyond their “I’m still liking this pack” limit. But the more I used it—and actually interacted with the pack, pulling stuff out, stuffing stuff back in, using its various pockets—the more I liked how its design constantly rose to my demands.

Which leads me to a larger observation: Once in a while, a piece of gear comes along that just seems ideally designed for one broad purpose, and that’s the case with the men’s Zulu LT and women’s Jade LT daypacks: They are perfectly suited for dayhiking. That may sound a little silly at face value, but with the ever-increasing specialization in outdoor gear and hyper-focus on marketing low weight, a broader perspective on purpose sometimes gets lost.

From where I stand, it looks like Gregory stayed focused on purpose with the Zulu LT and Jade LT packs and that’s good news for dayhikers. My positive impressions of the Zulu LT were only reinforced the more I used it, including on a 17-mile, 6,000-foot dayhike of 11,253-foot Lone Peak in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains in November, starting out with upwards of 20 pounds include, including food and four liters of water plus layers for cold temps; and dayhiking New Zealand’s 12.6-mile/20.2-kilometer Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which involved more than 2,100 feet of uphill and 3,600 feet down, again carrying everything needed for a full day with wind-driven rain.

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Most obviously, the Zulu 24 LT felt extraordinarily comfortable carrying up to 20 pounds inside while dayhiking the 9.4-mile Navajo Knobs Trail in Capitol Reef National Park, with about 2,400 feet of uphill and downhill, and the 8.6-mile Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park, with about 1,900 feet of uphill and downhill, in early May.

That comfort begins with the alloy steel wire perimeter internal frame with a stabilizing crossbar, which flexes enough to help the pack not feel heavy on your back while providing enough rigidity and support to keep most of the pack’s weight on your hips, not pulling against your shoulders.

Another distinguishing feature that you won’t find in daypacks that are even just a few ounces lighter is the seamless wrap of the hipbelt, which integrates with the back panel to enclose your hips so evenly that it feels like it was custom-built for your torso. I never felt any pressure points or sore spots from the hipbelt or the mesh shoulders straps. This harness helps distribute the pack’s weight evenly without feeling over-engineered or too bulky on my body or inhibiting movement.

And that Vaporspan ventilated back panel’s very open mesh and wide space between the tensioned panel and the pack bag creates excellent air flow that keeps your back cool on hot days while keeping the pack’s weight close enough to your spine to avoid the pack pulling against your shoulders, even when packed to the gills.

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Gregory rates the Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT packs for carrying up to 20 pounds/9.1 kilos (and 25 pounds/11.3 kilos in the 28 LT models). I’m confident some stronger hikers would find the 24 LT fine with well over 20 pounds, while some smaller hikers might prefer keeping the weight to around 15 pounds/6.8 kilos.

That comfort helps greatly to compensate for the fact that the Zulu LT and Jade LT packs—available in volumes of 20, 24, and 28 liters—come in just one non-adjustable size each for men and women. Gregory says the men’s packs will fit torsos ranging from 16 to 21 inches/40.6 to 53.3 centimeters and the women’s packs will fit torsos of 14 to 19 inches/35.6 to 48.3 centimeters. (Torso sizing is the same for the Zulu 28 LT and Jade 28 LT Plus Sizes.) My 18-inch/45.7cm torso falls right in the middle of the Zulu’s fit range, so not surprisingly, it feels great on me. I often find that people at the extremes of a pack’s fit range will not find the fit as ideal; I suggest choosing the pack with the better torso sizing for you rather than based on the gender model.

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With a capacity of 24 liters/1,465 cubic inches, the Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT have space for very long dayhikes, including adventures that require extra water, food, clothing layers, and gear—although these are definitely hiking packs, not to be mistaken for technical or climbing packs.

And for hikers who like to remain conscious of gear weight—and I do—for a pack with this much volume and weight-carrying capacity and features, its empty weight of two pounds five ounces/1.05 kilos is impressively light. Compare it against the best daypacks out there today and you may not find another that does this much and weighs less.

Access to the Zulu and Jade 24 LT packs is exactly what it should be in a daypack: easy, fast, convenient, and sufficiently abundant without superfluous excess. Rather than the multi-step process of opening and closing created by a traditional lid, a U-shaped zipper opens the main compartment up more widely than any lid—smart for a daypack.

Most useful of the six external pockets is a large, zippered, vertically aligned front pocket with space for a jacket or two and other lighter, bulkier items. Another, higher, smaller zippered front pocket replaces a traditional lid pocket, holding keys, sunglasses, sunblock, and such. Two stretch-mesh side pockets hold a liter bottle each and—worth noting—you can easily reach into them while wearing the pack. The two zippered hipbelt pockets will each hold four or five energy bars or a standard smartphone with room to spare.

Other nice details:

• You can run the bladder hose through a tiny loop or through a fabric tunnel, both positioned high on either shoulder strap, to control how the hose drops over your shoulder and how much it flops around; there’s also a clip at the sternum strap for the hose.
• You can easily grab the large, custom-molded pulls on all zippers with gloves on.
• The easy-to-adjust trekking poles attachment.
• The sternum strap’s one-hand buckle and easily adjustable fit.
• The internal hydration sleeve features Gregory’s SpeedClip hydration hanger that’s compatible with Gregory’s 3D Hydro and 3D Hydro Trek reservoirs.

Characteristic of Gregory packs, the Zulu LT and Jade LT are bomber, more durable than many packs (especially lighter ones) thanks to the 40 percent recycled, 400-denier polyester ripstop fabric in the body and 420-denier nylon in the bottom, all made without PFAS. As with many daypacks, the most vulnerable areas are the stretch-mesh side pockets, zippers, and seams; but Gregory has reinforced stress points and generally designed the pack to disperse weight evenly—good for the carrier and the pack’s lifespan.

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BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory men’s Zulu 24 LT at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Jade 24 LT at gregory.com or rei.com, or other versions of the Zulu LT at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com or the Jade LT at gregory.com or rei.com.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks), and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See the Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

From dayhikes up to 16 miles with spurts of running on trails in my local foothills to steep, hard dayhikes from Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies to New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the Pursuit 15 struck an unusually effective balance between traditional hiking daypacks and running vests that’s most useful to avid dayhikers and mountain scramblers moving fast and light.

Those dayhikes included the 13-mile, 3,500-foot Burgess Pass Loop in Yoho National Park—cranking up a steep 3,000 vertical feet in 4.5 miles to Burgess Pass and then trotting a fast-paced descent on the rocky and wet Yoho Pass Trail—and an even steeper and rockier, 11-mile, 4,200-foot loop to Mounts Lafayette and Lincoln above Franconia Notch in the White Mountains.

The pack’s design marries elements of ultralight daypacks and running vests, trading off some strengths and weaknesses of both to create a hybrid possessing laudable attributes of both pack categories—while keeping it simple, streamlined, and very light.

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The fixed, non-adjustable harness consists of wide, unpadded shoulder straps with running-vest-style dual sternum straps to provide better stability and keep the pack from bouncing around when either running, hiking fast, or scrambling in severe terrain. But it also adds the kind of wide, lightly padded hipbelt that’s anathema in the world of running vests but typical of ultralight daypacks. Unlike many hiking daypacks, though, this hipbelt lacks zippered pockets, which would add a bit of weight but especially more bulk to the belt; instead, the belt wraps snugly around your waist and, like the shoulder straps, has open mesh to maximize ventilation for users who anticipate sweating a lot.

The lower end of each shoulder strap anchors into the pack bag at two points—again, for maximum stability and comfort—and similarly, the belt adjusts via a nylon webbing strap that anchors into the wide part of the hipbelt at two points, creating a pulley benefit on each of the belt’s wide wings to better enable the flexible belt to mold itself to your waist. The thinly padded back pad—so flexiblethatyou can fold this daypack in half—also has breathable mesh for ventilation.

The overall design creates a pack that hugs your body nearly as inconspicuously as a running vest—the only difference being the hipbelt, for which you accept slight inhibition of movement for more weight-carrying capacity than a running vest.

True to the Pursuit 15’s focus on stability, thin straps threaded through the pack body and tightened and loosened via a drawcord on the front side create a compression system that’s much more efficient and versatile than you’ll find on many daypacks or vests. That, as much as any other feature, helps the Pursuit 15 stand out as a unique hybrid player in the evolving gray zone between traditional daypacks and running vests.

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The end result is that the Pursuit 15 carries about 15 pounds/6.8 kilos comfortably, which will probably satisfy many of the types of users who will be attracted to a pack this light and compact.

The three men’s and women’s sizes will allow most people to find one that fits comfortably. (The men’s medium fits my 18-inch torso well.) While the pack isn’t adjustable for torso length, you won’t find such adjustability in any packs this light.

With four vest-style pockets on the shoulder straps, three made with stretch-meshfor breathability and one of them zippered with a more dustproof outer fabric to protect a phone, fans of the Pursuit 15 likely won’t miss the lack of hipbelt pockets: The shoulder-strap pockets provide more storage that’s more easily accessible and carries your phone and snacks where they are least intrusive.

Hipbelt pockets on daypacks and backpacks are popular for good reasons, but those users are generally less bothered by having that weight and bulk at their waist—it’s still less than what’s on their back and they aren’t usually trying to maintain a fast pace with arms swinging poles quickly or the longer strides and greater range of hip and leg contortions that come with moving fast in all terrain, particularly steep and off-trail ground.

The Pursuit 15 also sports stretch side pockets that are easily reached while wearing the pack and can be clipped up against the pack bag to “compress” them to some extent. These aren’t deep enough for a liter bottle—again, for users who don’t want the bulk and weight of one or two liters of water on their hips; they want their water positioned close to the middle of their back, where it’s out of the way and least noticeable. These side pockets are for small items you might want handy: light gloves, a hat, maybe a sunglasses case, things you might put in the lid or a zipperd outside pocket on a traditional daypack.

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The thin compression straps on each side help secure trekking poles tucked into the side pockets, but that system will function best with folding poles (like BD’s Distance Carbon Z and Distance Carbon FLZ) and telescoping poles that pack small.

The pack bag has as simple a design as you’ll find on a daypack, with a deep, water-resistant clamshell zipper to access the main compartment, which has good space for a 15-liter pack, adequate for the layers, food, and some extras (I could always fit my DSLR and two lenses if I wanted both) for a full day’s outing in spring-summer-fall weather. A zippered, low-volume inside pocket holds small items. A deep, stretch-woven front pocket swallows a jacket and one or two other layers.

The hydration sleeve’s position behind the back pad, not inside the main compartment, enables refilling it without removing other pack contents; but the amount of water you carry unavoidably compromises the main compartment’s space for other stuff. The 100 percent recycled fabrics in the pack body look durable enough for the type of uses a pack like this is likely to see.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Black Diamond Pursuit 15 at blackdiamondequipment.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks), and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See the Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Let’s face it, we sometimes tend to act like unreasonable relationship partners in our expectations for our gear, including hiking daypacks: We want everything to be perfect all the time. And with gear, we can obsess a bit over weight. But as I discovered carrying the Mystery Ranch Coulee 30 on hikes from the trails of southern Idaho and Utah’s Wasatch to the Canadian Rockies, its reasonable weight is more than validated by a design, comfort, capacity, and durability that make it one of today’s best daypacks.

Among the biggest demands I placed on the Coulee 30, three days in particular stand out: I carried it with about 20 pounds/9 kilos inside, including extra layers, lunch for two, and a DSLR camera with two lenses, dayhiking the Cory Pass-Edith Pass loop in Canada’s Banff National Park, a nine-mile/14.5-kilometer loop with a steep 3,400 feet/1,036 meters of uphill and downhill. On another day, I carried it with about 30 pounds/13.6 kilos inside, including a rack of rock-climbing gear and my harness, shoes, and helmet—all of which fit inside the pack—and starting out with several bars and over two liters of water for about six miles/nearly 10 kilometers of hiking on and off-trail around Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve. But my biggest day with the Coulee 30 was an 18-mile, 7,300-foot, 13-hour, four-summit, partly off-trail dayhike with my 23-year-old son in Utah’s Wasatch Range in early October, carrying up to three liters of water, food for a big day, and layers for a big range of temps and finishing well after dark.

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At 2 lbs. 9 oz./1.2kg (for the men’s S/M), the Coulee 30 may not draw covetous gazes from dayhikers and mountain runners looking for the lightest, most streamlined daypack. But my point is, before you get too hung up on its weight, consider instead the reasons for it: a rare combination of superior access, capacity, durability, and comfort with a heavier load than most daypacks can handle. In that light, weighing just over 2.5 pounds looks quite moderate.

Most distinctively, the Coulee’s Y-shaped, three-zipper access quickly opens the main compartment from the top and front—you can open the interior completely or only as much as needed. That allows you to immediately grab virtually anything, anywhere inside it, virtually never digging around or pulling out other stuff and repacking it, as is common with many daypacks. That alone truly improves your experience with this pack.

I honestly cannot think of a better access system for packs that I’ve seen in more than 25 years of testing hiking and backpacking gear (and the Coulee 30 is the third pack in this series I’ve reviewed). Little wonder that Mystery Ranch offers the three-zipper design in four capacity sizes, including the Coulee 20, Coulee 40, and Coulee 50 (which I consider one of today’s best backpacking packs).

I chose the Coulee 30 thinking that, since I’m accepting a little extra pack weight, I might as well get a large-capacity daypack. Still, the fact that I used it as a crag pack for rock climbing (my partner had the rope plus his personal gear) speaks to how spacious it seems for 30 liters/1,770 cubic inches. Again, I would say that also spotlights another advantage of the three-zipper design: It helps you to load the pack very efficiently, using every cubic inch of space.

The Coulee 30 will carry at least 25 pounds/11.3kg comfortably—and as mentioned above, I found it comfortable hiking with about 30 pounds inside it in Idaho’s City of Rocks—thanks to the sturdyand supportive HDPE framesheet and more padding in the shoulder straps, removable waist belt, and lumbar than you’ll find in most hiking daypacks, and certainly than in lighter models.

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Less obvious but also extremely unique among daypacks: The Coulee 30 and 20 both come in two adjustable sizes for both men and women. (The Coulee 40 and 50 both come in four adjustable sizes for men and women.) Rarely are daypacks adjustable for torso length and available in multiple sizes for men and women. A superior fit and comfort provide yet more validation for a modest weight penalty (if you can even still call that a “penalty.”)

The adjustable Future Yoke fits torsos within a huge five- to seven-inch/13- to 18-centimeter range (varying with pack size). Adjust it by first pulling up on the yoke separator strap (behind the shoulders) and removing the framesheet, using it to separate the substantial hook-and-loop patch behind the shoulder straps; that allows you to slide the yoke panel up or down until the seam between the shoulder strap and the yoke body aligns with the top of your shoulder blades. Then it’s easy (while the pack is empty) to reinsert the framesheet—and necessary because it functions as the pack’s upper frame. With my torso (18 inches) and waist (30 inches) falling nearly in the middle of the men’s S/M fit range, I easily adjusted it to achieve a good fit.

The Coulee packs are built for hard use, with 100 percent recycled, tough, 210-denier Regen Robic dobby fabric and a double-layer bottom. These packs are among the most durable, tear- and abrasion-resistant daypacks you’ll find.

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Besides the excellent main compartment access, seven external pockets provide as much space and as many ways of grabbing stuff without having to open the pack (as easy as that is) as any hiker could need. Those include:

• Two side-by-side front drop pockets with stretch-woven side panels, protected by the tough Regen Robic fabric facing outward.
• Two side stretch-woven pockets that each hold a liter bottle.
• A zippered lid pocket with adequate space for all the little things.
• And two zippered waist belt pockets that will fit two or three bars but not a smartphone.

Dual side compression straps help keep the load stable when the pack is not full and integrate with the front pockets to help compress and contain their contents. Plus, their quick-release buckles mate with the compression strap buckles on the opposite side, for attaching large gear to the outside of the pack. The pack also has two adjustable tool attachments.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s Mystery Ranch Coulee 30 at backcountry.com or mysteryranch.com, a women’s Mystery Ranch Coulee 30 at backcountry.com or mysteryranch.com, or any other pack in the Coulee series at backcountry.com or mysteryranch.com.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks), and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See the Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

On a two-day hut trek in New Hampshire’s Presidential Range in June sunshine and high humidity, a friend and I hiked 21 miles with about 6,000 cumulative feet of elevation gain and loss each day, including scrambling up the steep slabs and talus of what’s widely recognized as the hardest trail in the White Mountains: Huntington Ravine, and descending some little-used trails in steep terrain and clambering over the broad, rock-strewn bed of the Dry River. Through the countless high-stepping and four-points-of-contact movement and the hours of streaming with sweat, the Deuter AC Lite 23 demonstrated its strengths of comfort and back-cooling ventilation.

The AC Lite daypacks come in four models—the AC Lite 23 and 24 and AC Lite 21 SL and 22 SL—each in one size with a fixed, or non-adjustable suspension, with the two larger packs designed for bigger torsos and marketed as men’s-fit (torsos 17-21 inches/44-54cm, according to Deuter) and the SL models designed for shorter torsos and built to fit women (torsos 15-19 inches/38-48cm. For some hikers, the fit may depend on your torso size more than gender. With an 18-inch torso, 38-inch chest, and 30-inch waist, I found the AC Lite 23 fits me well, even though I might wear a small or medium pack from other brands. Short story: Size it based on your torso, not gender.

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Deuter also offers the AC Lite packs in two different styles: top-loaders with a lid in the even-numbered packs (AC Lite 24 and 22 SL, $120) and panel access designs in the odd-numbered models (AC Lite 23 and 21 SL, $110). I chose the AC Lite 23 because I often prefer daypacks with one-step, single-zipper access to the main compartment to eliminate unnecessary steps because you might open it up multiple times on any dayhike.

These packs stand out most distinctively for Deuter’s Aircomfort harness and frame, which features a pronounced curve that creates enough separation to slip a fist in between the tensioned trampoline-style back panel and the back side of the pack bag. That’s about as much ventilation as you’ll find in a daypack, maximizing air flow over a sweaty back.

The design priority of maximum ventilation manifests in the AC Lite’s lumbar area—featuring a gap for air movement where many daypacks have a dense pad—the lightly padded shoulder straps, and the wide, nearly see-through mesh in the unpadded forward parts of the wide hipbelt. While the hot and humid days we hiked in the Presidentials would have left the back of my T-shirt and waist of my shorts quite wet from sweat, the AC Lite left me considerably cooler and allowed my next-to-skin layers to dry out at times of lesser exertion.

But the minimalist padding does not compromise on carrying comfort. I found the AC Lite 23 handled up to 20 pounds/9 kilos quite well, not shifting around even on the steepest trails and delivering enough comfort and stability for hauling at least that much weight (varying between people).

The frame’s elastic spring steel rods, crossing in an X shape between plastic framesheet pieces at top and bottom, allow a little flex while providing abundant rigidity that prevents a full load from overwhelming the frame—or the hiker. Two pads cushion the lower back on both sides of your spine (on either side of the lumbar gap) and attach to the lower framesheet and pack bag in a way that permits a bit of flex, dampening the pack bounce that can occur with some daypacks that hug your torso tightly.

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The 23 liters/1,404 cubic inches of capacity provide enough space for three-season dayhikes, while maintaining a moderate weight for a hiking daypack of two pounds, one ounce/920 grams (AC Lite 23). In the Presidential Range, I basically filled it starting out with my trail food for two days, more than two liters of water, various layers for a range of weather, a small DSLR camera and two lenses, and hut-specific items like a liner bag. The pack’s curved shape does compromise the ease of loading and unloading a bit when it’s full.

The long, front center zipper runs nearly the full length of the pack, exposing most of the contents from top to bottom; but with the pack filled to capacity, the increased tension on the fabric makes spreading the zipper opening widely for larger items like a jacket more difficult.

Notably in today’s hiking daypack universe, the four AC Lite packs have just three exterior pockets: one zippered top pocket for sunglasses and other small items and two stretch-mesh side pockets, one a drop-style that will hold a liter bottle, the other with a vertical zipper that you can reach while wearing the pack with a little arm twisting. The lack of hipbelt pockets—while definitely facilitating much better ventilation through the mesh fabric—may be missed by some hikers.

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Other than the light mesh fabric on the side pockets, the AC Lite packs are armored with fabric made from 600-denier polyester yarn and with a PU coating, giving them more durability than some of the top packs in this category.

Other features include a helmet holder ($20, sold separately) that attaches to docking loops on the front, a pole attachment on the front, and a sunglasses holder on the left shoulder strap. The pack’s internal sleeve accommodates a two-liter bladder and when it’s full; and that and the curved shape of the frame more noticeably eats into some of the main compartment’s capacity. It also lacks side compression straps, limiting options for attaching things to the outside.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Deuter AC Lite 23, AC Lite 21 SL, AC Lite 24, or AC Lite 22 SL at backcountry.com or rei.com.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks), and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See the Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-guide and member gear discounts!

Don’t fix what ain’t broke has proven a timeless rule to follow and Gregory seems to take it to heart with the Miko and Maya, the brand’s 2023 updates of its classic Miwok and Maya. Wearing the men’s Miko on dayhikes of nearly 10 miles and 4,700 feet up and down 5,774-foot Mount Adams in New Hampshire’s rugged northern Presidential Range and a mostly off-trail dayhike-scramble of 11,330-foot Twin Peaks in Utah’s Wasatch Range that spanned eight hours with 5,200 feet of up and down, I concluded that these daypacks remain true to a successful lineage while showing subtle improvements to excellent daypacks.

While there’s much that I like about the Miko and Maya (as I did the old Miwok and Maya)—and, really, nothing I find wrong with them—the story begins with their fit and comfort. The updated, close-fitting BioSync suspension features an elasticized shoulder harness and hipbelt that provide a very comfortable, body-hugging fit and a dynamic carry that stretches and flexes with your moving body.

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There’s no metal or plastic in these packs. The foam back panel distributes weight nicely and delivers a blend of flex and support that’s probably ideal for many dayhikers. You can see this when folding the pack in half to have the top kiss the bottom—it folds easily over that dimension. But it doesn’t yield as easily to attempts to fold it parallel to its long dimension—folding the two side edges together—and especially so at the top, behind the shoulders, illustrating how the bottom of the pack moves with the part of your body that moves the most on a trail, your hips, but the top end of the pack flexes less, delivering more stability behind your shoulders.

Even as the pack hugs your torso, breathability is very good, thanks to the back panel’s perforations and contoured shape, with channels to allow air flow, and the perforated foam in the shoulder straps and hipbelt.

On both packs, the torso length easily adjusts by repositioning the shoulder straps up or down using a hook-and-loop patch behind the back panel—a newly improved, simple and secure adjustment system that provides a 3.5-inch/9cm fit range while adding nominal weight to the pack. That’s actually less fit range than the previous Miwok and Maya, which had five inches/13cm of adjustability; but that large a range isn’t as likely to fit people at either end of it as well.

After hauling about 12 pounds inside the Miko 20 up and down the steep, rocky trails of Mount Adams and about 15 pounds of water, snacks, extra layers, and my camera up and down Twin Peaks, I found the pack clearly handles 15 pounds comfortably—and I suspect many hikers will find it comfortable carrying 20 pounds, as Gregory claims.

The Miko’s and Maya’s main compartment is quickly accessed via a U-shaped, two-way zipper that opens down as far as the side pockets. While the pack feels streamlined on your back, its 20 liters/1,220 cubic inches provide plenty of space for a three-season dayhike, fitting my rain shell, extra layers, a full day’s worth of trail food, three liters of water, small items like my headlamp, plus my DSLR and two lenses. People who bring more stuff will find these packs have abundant capacity and the larger sizes in the Miko and Maya lines would serve well on multi-day hut treks if you pack efficiently. The internal, zippered valuables pocket is larger than the similar pocket that was in the older Miwok and Maya.

In fact, I have not yet completely fill the Miko 20’s capacity. I think that, given the lack of a rigid frame, as you add more to this pack, it’s likely to perform and feel better if that added ballast does not push the weight well over 15 to 20 pounds. In other words, you can fit a fair amount of stuff in the Miko 20 and Maya 20; but in reality, these packs are made for most of their contents to be light and bulky, such as extra clothing layers, rather than dense and heavy, like significantly more water and food. That’s a particularly important consideration with the larger-volume models of the Miko and Maya.

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The six external pockets include:

• Two zippered hipbelt pockets large enough for a phone and a few bars.
• A zippered top pocket for sunglasses, headlamp, and smaller items you want to access quickly.
• A large stretch-mesh front pocket with a buckle securing its top to the pack body.
• Two stretch-mesh side pockets with space for a liter bottle each (as long as the pack isn’t fully jammed).

Typical of Gregory, the Miko and Maya are well constructed, with good durability for a typical dayhiker who spends most of their time on trails, with adequately tough but lightweight 100-denier, high-density nylon in the body and 210-denier nylon in some areas of the body as well as in the two-layer bottom, which will outlive parts like zippers and seams. The fabrics are up to 45 percent recycled materials, which Gregory says reduced the carbon footprint of each new pack by about 25 percent. As with many daypacks, the most vulnerable areas are the stretch-mesh side and front pockets, zippers, and seams; and Gregory has reinforced stress points and generally designed the pack to disperse its weight load evenly—good for the carrier and the pack’s lifespan.

In the Miko and Maya, Gregory displays its attention to the kind of small details that make a pack or any gear faster and more pleasant to deal with—details sometimes only noticed when they aren’t designed smartly.

Examples: the independent zippered pocket for a hydration bladder, eliminating the need to empty pack contents to refill your water, with its SpeedClip hydration hanger that’s compatible with Gregory’s 3D Hydro and 3D Hydro Trek reservoirs;the large, custom-molded pulls on all zippers that you can easily grab with gloves on; the sternum strap’s one-hand buckle and easily adjustable fit; and the easy-to-adjust trekking poles attachment and front pocket buckle.

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Available in four capacity versions from 15 to 30 liters—compared to the three models of their ancestors, the Miwok ranging from 12 to 24 liters and the Maya from 10 to 22 liters—the Miko-Maya series clearly aims to deliver a size that appeals to nearly every dayhiker, from minimalists to people who need extra space for cold-weather layers, extra food, water, and/or gear, and hikers whose pack must accommodate the needs of other people, like trip leaders, parents, or anyone with a partner who needs a little help with weight.

The other daypacks in the Miko-Maya series include the Miko 15 ($120, 1 lb., 15 oz./880g), Miko 20 Plus Size ($130, 2 lbs., 3 oz./1kg), Miko 25 ($140, 2 lbs., 2 oz./962g), Miko 30 ($150, 2 lbs., 2 oz./970g), and the Miko 15 ($120, 1 lb., 13 oz./834g), Maya 20 Plus Size ($130, 2 lbs., 3 oz./989g), Maya 25 ($140, 2 lbs./916g), and Maya 30 ($140, 2 lbs., 3 oz./984g).

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory men’s Miko 20 or any Miko model at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Maya 20 or any Maya model at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks), and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See the Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!

Even in the context of how much continued, impressive innovation has occurred in the category of hiking daypacks in recent years, the Arc’teryx Aerios 30 raises the bar for versatility and sheer ingenuity. Marrying the best elements of traditional daypacks and running vests, this comfortable sack combines a reasonable weight with bountiful capacity, a smart feature set, and top-shelf durability. It also has one flaw, though not one that constitutes a dealbreaker.

I loaded the Aerios 30 with 15 to 17 pounds of water, food, layers, and a camera for dayhikes of up to 11 miles with 5,000 cumulative vertical feet of up and down in my local foothills and found it carried very comfortably. Credit the light but impressively supportive framesheet, which resists barreling and maintains its shape with loads that would bend some lightweight daypacks, plus the fixed (non-adjustable), wide, padded shoulder straps and hipbelt. The curved hipbelt wraps around the hips more like a larger and heavier backpack—but without the bulky feeling of a large pack.

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Like a running vest, the Aerios’s shoulder straps sport two stretchy sternum cords (rather than one non-dynamic sternum strap) that can be repositioned through any of five small loops. Each sternum cord hooks into one of five loops on the opposite strap. The design improves the pack’s stability, especially when moving quickly or in rugged terrain.

One major shortcoming: Both sternum straps easily slip and loosen on their own. It appears the camming mechanism inside each is so tiny that it seems to not create much friction, a problem probably compounded by the bungee-like stretch in the sternum straps and the natural bouncing that occurs when hiking. Tightening the cord reduces slipping but doesn’t eliminate it; plus, overtightening those straps isn’t desirable and once they start slipping, it’s unstoppable. In terms of functionality and carrying comfort, I never really noticed any negative impacts of this flaw; in fact, it was only when looking down and seeing the loose sternum straps that I realized they kept loosening. You can knot the cord beyond the camming mechanism to prevent slipping, but the problem is annoying and warrants correcting.

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I like how the load lifters—traditionally positioned over the shoulder, where you have to grope around to find them—run through a protective nylon sleeve on each shoulder strap to a cordlock positioned lower on the shoulder strap, where you can see it to easily adjust the fit. And rather than the usual single strap, the Aerios load lifters consist of a thin cord run through an inch-long sleeve above the shoulders, effectively connecting each shoulder strap to the pack body at two points and distributing that weight more evenly over your upper back. The Aerios 30 can carry 20 pounds or more well (depending on the user).

The highly breathable, mesh-covered Aeroform back panel, with a slightly concave shape, allows good air flow to prevent a sweaty back and moves moisture off your back when it does build up—without pushing the pack’s weight so far off your spine that it feels like it hangs off your shoulders. The suspension and frame shift weight largely onto the hips, as it should.

See “The 25 Best National Park Dayhikes”
and “Extreme Hiking: America’s Best Hard Dayhikes.”

A deep clamshell zipper provides easy and convenient access to the voluminous main compartment, which has abundant space for all the water, food, clothing, and gear you could need on long days in the backcountry in any weather—or even extremely ultralight overnight trips; and yet, with its streamlined design and weighing just two pounds, it isn’t too heavy or bulky for shorter, lighter dayhikes.

The pack’s design also raises the bar for organization. Modeled on running vests, zippered pockets on each shoulder strap fit a smartphone with room to spare or a soft water flask stuffed in the top with gels in the zippered pocket (although the volume does not permit both a phone and a flask). Deep, adjustable side pockets each hold a liter bottle and then some; I tucked two folding trekking poles into one and they stayed put. The two stretch-mesh hipbelt pockets have good space for snacks and a phone; one is zippered and the other open on the top for small snacks, although when I bent over once a bar fell out of that pocket. There’s also a small, zippered valuables/key pocket inside the main compartment.

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The front bungee cord is adjusted from inside the large, zippered front pocket, and when tightened, it compresses the pack body significantly, reducing volume to keep it from shifting when underfilled. The bungee and two ice-axe loops facilitate attaching gear to the outside.

While many daypacks sport materials vulnerable to tearing, like stretch-mesh pockets, the Aerios’s exterior consists entirely of very durable, 210-denier and 100-denier, high-tenacity fabric with a liquid crystal polymer ripstop grid that appears impervious to the hardest abuse.

If you have no need for 30 liters of capacity, the significantly lighter Arc’teryx Aerios 15 ($130, 1 lb. 4 oz.), comes in one size and has a webbing belt rather than the padded hipbelt of the Aerios 30.

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See my picks for “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

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You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

With the Speed Lite 24, Deuter set out to make a pack that does it all. Weighing well under two pounds—low for a pack with this much capacity—it’s marketed as an ultralight, all-around daypack for long trail days, technical rock climbing, and even snow climbing. I wanted to see if such a light pack could fill all those roles, so I tested it extensively, including a 4500-foot, eight-mile hike up Ferguson Canyon and a 3,000-foot scramble up the South Ridge of Mount Superior in Utah’s Wasatch Range.

The Speed Lite 24 immediately impressed me with its comfort carrying weight on strenuous hikes. Despite its low weight, it features a padded hipbelt, flexible U-shaped Delrin frame, and adjustable load-lifter straps. This combo gives the pack an outsize carrying capacity—I had no issue carrying 15-20 pounds while soloing fourth- and easy fifth-class rock, as the harness controlled the weight well and prevented the pack from moving around on my torso. I’ve also carried up to 25 pounds comfortably in it while hiking, and yet the frame is still flexible enough to bend in half, making it very packable. 

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The pack also features zippered mesh hipbelt pockets, each large enough to hold a couple bars. Deuter uses a novel system to angle the hipbelt buckles slightly upwards, which made the buckles easier to clip and helped prevent my shirt getting caught in them. Finally, I found that the mesh and perforated-foam back panel does a pretty good job of wicking sweat and allowing airflow, similar to other packs with those materials and a body-hugging design.

The main compartment, readily accessed via a large, clamshell-style, U-shaped top zipper with large pull loops for use with gloves, easily carries everything necessary for a full day in the mountains with space for cold-weather layers, plenty of food and water and even some specialized gear. An elastic mesh inner compartment holds a three-liter bladder. 

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A top pocket, also accessed via a zipper with large pull loops, provides ample room for valuables, and contains an internal key clip. The front stuff pocket, tightened with two buckled compression straps that wrap around from the sides of the pack, has just enough space for a compressible layer (such as a wind shell) or two. However, the relative lack of elasticity on the mesh sides of the front pocket limits its capacity, especially when the pack’s main compartment is full. I mostly used the front pocket for trash.

The mesh side pockets each hold a liter bottle. Those represent the only relatively vulnerable parts of the pack’s exterior. The 100-denier high-tenacity pack fabric used throughout withstands significant abuse, yet is lighter than other fabrics, keeping the Speed Lite’s overall weight low.

Twin side compression straps allow carrying skis, although the pack’s somewhat small volume and flexible frame (compared to backcountry touring packs) means that the weight of skis can overwhelm the pack: They will shift around a lot, especially when the pack is not fully loaded. 

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Daisy-chain loops with a larger bottom loop sit on both sides of the front pocket, conceivably allowing the wearer to clip a substantial amount of climbing gear to the outside of the pack. More importantly, each daisy chain is topped with an elastic, tightenable, and unclippable loop which can be used to carry poles or an ice axe. 

I found that the pack carries two collapsible trekking poles very well, not allowing either to move around on my back even while climbing fifth-class terrain. This setup even allows two poles to be carried on one side with an ice axe on the other—useful for mixing hiking, snow, and rock climbing. While the pack lacks any specific method to carry crampons, they could easily be attached to the exterior gear loops (but you’d want something covering the sharp points). Finally, there are loops at the four corners of the front side for attaching an optional helmet carrier.

While one could ski tour or snowshoe with this daypack in avalanche-free terrain, it lacks many of the features I consider essential in a touring pack, such as a separate avalanche gear pocket and durable side straps for attaching skis.

The Speed Lite series comes in several capacity options, all available in one unisex size, and the Speed Lite SL packs, designed specifically to fit women.

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—Nate Lanza

NOTE from Michael Lanza: Nate Lanza has many years of experience as a backpacker, dayhiker, rock climber, whitewater kayaker, and skier, and as my son, he has experience beyond his years on wilderness adventures.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all my reviews and expert buying tips.

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NOTE: See my new review of the update to the Coulee 25, the Mystery Ranch Coulee 30.

The long arc toward lighter gear in the outdoor industry has undeniably brought many benefits to those of us who love going into the backcountry. But the flip side of that trend sometimes manifests in compromises in comfort, features, and durability. The Mystery Ranch Coulee 25 represents a very impressive balance between achieving all of those laudable traits while keeping the weight modest—making it one of the best daypacks on the market today.

I used the Coulee 25 on steep dayhikes of up to 10 miles and 4,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain and loss in Idaho’s Boulder Mountains and Boise Mountains, including going up and down one steep trail with nearly 1,000 feet of vertical per mile.

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The Coulee’s most unique feature is its three-zipper system accessing the main compartment: Instead of a traditional, separate lid, the Coulee has a cover that flips open more like a clamshell-style opening. Two zippers open each side of the top of the main compartment and meet at the lid’s front side, overlapping a vertical front zipper that completely fillets the main compartment open. The system provides both rapid and easy access to everything inside and eliminates the extra steps inherent to a lid that closes with two buckles and a cord cinch.

The 25 liters/1,525 cubic inches of capacity provide ample space for dayhikes at any time of year, including when carrying layers for cold weather or extra gear, food, and water. Even with a DSLR camera and two lenses, I did not fill the Coulee 25 on my dayhikes with it.

Part of the reason the Coulee weighs a bit more than some packs of comparable capacity is the very comfortable, well-padded harness—the pre-curved waist belt, shoulder straps, and back padding, which enable the Coulee 25 to carry 20 pounds or more comfortably for hours in rugged terrain. The removable Redirect waist belt adjusts easily with a belt that pulls forward to tighten.

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The Future Yoke adjusts to fit a range of torso lengths by separating the substantial hook-and-loop patch behind the shoulder straps. That takes a bit of work, and I found it much easier to do by first pulling up on the yoke separator strap behind the shoulders and removing the HDPE framesheet, giving your hand more space to work back there. Then it’s easy to reinsert the framesheet (while the pack is empty).

Besides the three-zipper design to enter the main compartment, the Coulee’s access is among the best for daypacks. Two deep, stretch-woven, front pockets each hold a lightweight shell or other layer and smaller items like gloves and even climbing skins for backcountry skiing. Stretch-woven pockets on each side hold a water bottle. The flip-top main compartment cover has a small pocket with a urethane-coated zipper for smaller items.

Dual quick-release side compression straps shrink the pack down for stability when under-filled and allow you to easily attach trekking poles or other things. The 330-denier Robic nylon fabric withstands a lot of hard use and is more durable than you’ll find in many lighter daypacks.

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That durability and the pack’s multiple features, including ways to attach climbing gear and skis, make it more versatile for a variety of activities beyond dayhiking—and that’s especially true of the larger version, the Mystery Ranch Coulee 40 ($229, 3 lbs. 13 oz.), which is large enough for gear-intensive dayhikes in any season, ultralight backpacking, or backcountry skiing.

Lastly, while some of the best daypacks available today weigh in a pound or more less, the Coulee 25’s weight is still modest at barely north of two-and-a-half pounds.

Mystery Ranch has updated the Coulee packs with a Coulee 20 ($179), Coulee 30 ($189), Coulee 40 ($239), and Coulee 50 ($249). See them all at mysteryranch.com.

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BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the men’s or women’s Mystery Ranch Coulee 25 or other sizes of the Coulee pack at backcountry.com, Moosejaw.com, or rei.com.

Was this review helpful?

If so, would you like to support my work by clicking here to leave a tip for The Big Outside?

Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

See my “Review: The Best Hiking Daypacks” and my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,”

my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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REI Flash 18
$40, 18L/1,100 c.i., 9 oz.
One size
rei.com

When considering whether to carry a light daypack or summit pack for side hikes or peakbagging on a backpacking trip, I’d normally weigh the length of the side hikes—i.e., how far I’d have to carry my backpack as an oversized daypack—versus the weight the daypack adds to my backpack. But with these two frameless, ultralight packs, each weighing no more than about three fingers of water in a liter bottle and packing away as small as an ultralight rain shell, that’s an easy decision: I take one of them.

I carried the Black Diamond Trail Blitz 12 with about eight pounds of layers, snacks, and water inside on a 13-mile dayhike from a campsite above Bechler Canyon to the Shoshone geyser basin during a five-day, 56-mile backpacking trip in Yellowstone National Park.

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A top-loading pack without a lid, the Trail Blitz 12 has a simple, adjustable strap with a hook that attaches to a fabric loop on the front to quickly access and seal up the main compartment. With no frame, padding, or even a waist belt, the pack can carry essentially as much weight as you’re willing to bear on your shoulders and back—which for most people will be 10 pounds or less. The shoulder and sternum straps keep it fairly stable on your torso when hiking and scrambling (but it’s definitely not made for running—the Black Diamond Distance 15 is much better suited to that).

At 12 liters/732 cubic inches, it has the capacity for a few extra layers and some food and a water bottle or two—what you’d carry on a side hike or an ultralight dayhike or scramble. I found it perfectly comfortable with about eight pounds inside, including water, food, layers, and a DSLR camera, on a roughly six-hour, 13-mile dayhike while backpacking in Yellowstone. One zippered internal pocket holds small valuables like keys, sunglasses, etc.

Side sleeves on the Trail Blitz each hold one compact trekking pole like the various models of Black Diamond Distance Z poles. But poles that aren’t as compact when collapsed or folded will stick out too far above these side sleeves, potentially falling out easily. Four small loops on the back panel allow for attacking it to larger packs—but the Trail Blitz also simply rolls up so small that it’s easier to just jam it inside a backpack’s main compartment or an external pocket.

It turns inside-out to store in its internal pocket—which is remarkably easy to do, and reduces its bulk as well as getting its pack straps out of the way when storing it inside a larger pack. The very light N210-denier mini-ripstop pack fabric still looks new after hard abuse and will last for years—in fact, with essentially no vulnerable parts except one zipper that’s internal and not used frequently, it’s hard to imagine this pack not lasting longer than most of your gear.

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I carried the REI Flash 18 on an 18-mile, out-and-back dayhike on the Beamer Trail during a six-day, 74-mile backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. A friend carried it on the previously mentioned 13-mile dayhike while backpacking in Yellowstone, and found it adequately comfortable with about five pounds of layers, snacks, and water inside.

With more space at 18 liters/1,100 cubic inches (and weighing a few ounces more) than the Trail Blitz 12, the top-loading Flash 18 can fit everything one person would need on an all-day hike even in cold weather, or probably fit everything that two people would need on a side hike during a backpacking trip—limited only by how much weight, especially in food and water, that the person carrying it is willing to haul with a minimalist daypack.

That said, the Flash 18 design, while still minimalist, also offers slightly more comfort than the ultra-minimalist Trail Blitz, with a thin, flexible, removable foam back pad, stretch-mesh shoulder straps that are more shaped and wider than those on the Trail Blitz, and a removable webbing waist belt (the sternum strap is also removable).

While it lacks the Trail Blitz’s side sleeves, the Flash 18 has a zippered front pocket with space for small items like map, gloves, hat, headlamp, and map—although that pocket has no bellows to it, reducing its space when the main compartment is stuffed to capacity. Without a lid, the Flash 18 has a drawcord top closure with a small nylon flap to keep light precipitation out of the interior. A daisy chain strip on the front facilitates lowering the pack (off a short cliff when scrambling, for instance) or attaching items to the outside, and there’s an ice axe loop, though you’ll need to add at least one strap for those purposes.

Turn it inside-out—easily done, even with the back pad inside—and it converts to a stuff sack large enough for a three-season sleeping bag. There’s an internal bladder sleeve and a port, both lacking in the Trail Blitz.

Given its larger capacity and nominally more “featured” design, the Flash 18 also occupies about twice the space inside a backpack as the smaller Trail Blitz 12—its weight and bulk compare to an ultralight rain shell. The ripstop nylon fabric is tough, and with one lightly used zipper, you can also expect the Flash 18 to endure many years of hard use.

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Both packs come in one size that fits my 18-inch torso fine; given that they’re intended for light loads, and have no suspension or padding, they’ll “fit” torsos roughly 16 to 20 inches, or all but very short or very tall hikers.

By the way, both of these packs fit a 15-inch laptop and function well as a convenient, packable, light carry-on for flying—albeit lacking the features, like external pockets and other organization, of many carry-ons.

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The Verdict

There’s nothing fancy about these ultralight daypacks—and that’s precisely their appeal. The Black Diamond Trail Blitz 12 and REI Flash 18 are simply two no-frills, minimalist, inexpensive, ultralight daypacks that can carry several pounds and are light and packable enough to take anywhere, from backpacking trips where you plan to take side hikes to bike commuting and as a flight carry-on.

They differ only in capacity and slightly in features. For just an extra 2.5 ounces and noticeably more bulk, the Flash 18 offers measurably more capacity and a bit more comfort than the Trail Blitz 12—a reasonable tradeoff, unless you simply want the lightest and most compact ultralight daypack.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Black Diamond Trail Blitz 12 at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com, or blackdiamondequipment.com, or an REI Flash 18 at rei.com.

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Thank you.

See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” which includes my expert buying tips, and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

See also my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Look at a row of modern daypacks in any store or at an online retailer and you’ll see an increasing number that strive to strike a balance between good carrying comfort and capacity, with a smart feature set that’s not over-engineered, and low weight. Many of them are using the template employed by Gregory’s Miwok and Maya daypack series for years. Carrying the recently updated Miwok 18 on sections of a five-day trek through northern Spain’s Picos de Europa Mountains, and on an eight-mile, 5,200-vertical-foot dayhike of Idaho’s 12,662-foot Borah Peak—with some third-class scrambling—I was reminded of everything I’ve liked about this pack for a long time, and had an opportunity to evaluate a fine, major improvement these outstanding daypacks have just received.

The most significant change in the design of the men’s Miwok and women’s Maya daypacks is that the torso length adjusts by repositioning the shoulder straps up or down using a hook-and-loop patch behind the back panel—a simple and secure adjustment system that provides a five-inch fit range while adding nominal weight to the pack. On our trek through Spain’s Picos, my 18-year-old son (five feet 11 inches, with a 19-inch torso) and I (five feet eight inches, with an 18-inch torso) alternated carrying the Miwok 18 and a larger daypack, and the adjustability range gave us both an excellent fit. In fact, at times during our Picos trek, my wife, who’s five feet 10 inches, carried the Miwok 18 and it fit her perfectly well (although the Maya would undoubtedly fit most women better than the Miwok).

There’s no aluminum frame or plastic framesheet in the Miwok/Maya to lend it the rigidity and stability found in some daypacks; the perforated, 3D EVA foam of the Bio Sync suspension easily flexes in your hands and while the pack is on your back. The Miwok and Maya compensate for that frameless design with a torso-hugging fit and relatively wide, padded shoulder straps and hipbelt to disperse the weight. The packs handle up to about 15 pounds comfortably, although strong hikers would easily carry more than that without discomfort.

In fact, one of the nicest aspects of this suspension is how the shoulder straps and hipbelt wrap around your torso and waist, creating a fit so close it makes the pack feel like an extension of your body rather than something you’re carrying. The back panel hugs your back, keeping the pack’s weight close to your spine, which improves carrying comfort compared to some trampoline-style daypacks whose frame creates a gap between your back and the pack (to allow cooling air flow). The Miwok/Maya moves with your body and never feels like it’s pulling back against your shoulders.

The Miwok and Maya also compromise very little by eliminating the gap that allows air flow across your back, because the foam back pad and its mesh covering breathe very well, feeling cool even on hot hikes.

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Rather than a traditional lid with two buckles, the Miwok/Maya has a U-shaped, two-way zipper that opens down as far as the side pockets, enabling instant access to basically the entire main compartment—no digging for buried stuff in this pack. There’s one small, zippered valuables pocket inside. While the pack doesn’t feel bulky, its 18 liters/1,098 cubic inches easily fit my rain shell, extra layers, a full day’s worth of trail food, three liters of water in a bladder, small items like my headlamp, plus my DSLR and two lenses. (In the Picos, the Miwok 18 didn’t have the capacity to carry all of one person’s stuff for a five-day trek, of course, which is why my son and I also had a larger daypack to share between us.)

A zippered top pocket with a soft lining for sunglasses and electronics is one of six external pockets. The stretch-mesh front pocket, which has a small buckle securing its top to the pack body, will swallow an ultralight rain shell, and two stretch-mesh side pockets have the space for a liter bottle each (as long as the pack isn’t fully jammed). The two zippered hipbelt pockets have the capacity for a large smartphone and at least a couple of bars.

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Typical of Gregory, the Miwok/Maya nail the details, including:

• A separate, zippered bladder sleeve (compatible with Gregory’s excellent 3D Hydro reservoir—not included—which I write about in my review of the best backpacking accessories), located between the main compartment and the back panel, for refilling a bladder without having to remove pack contents.

• A bungee-like strap on the left shoulder strap for stowing sunglasses or collapsed trekking poles while on the move.

• A front attachment for an ice axe or trekking poles that secures easily with a tuckaway bungee closure.

• A clip for a hydration bladder hose on the left shoulder strap.

• A loop to attach a light below the front pocket for biking at night.

• And large, molded zipper pulls that are a cinch to grab and operate even wearing warm gloves.

In terms of durability, the Miwok and Maya are nearly identical to many daypacks, with much of the pack body made of durable, 210-denier fabric and the bottom comprised of 420-denier, high-density nylon, while the lighter stretch-mesh used in the front and side pockets is more vulnerable to tears. Notably, the hipbelt pockets are made with tougher nylon rather than mesh.

These packs both come in two other volume sizes, the Miwok 12 ($90) and Miwok 24 ($120), and the Maya 10 ($90) and Maya 22 ($120).

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BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a men’s Gregory Miwok 18 or another size at backcountry.com or moosejaw.com, or a women’s Maya 16 or another size at backcountry.com or moosejaw.com.

Was this review helpful? If so, would you like to support my work by clicking here to leave a tip for The Big Outside?

Thank you.

See my “Gear Review: The 8 Best Hiking Daypacks” and all of my reviews of daypacks I like, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

On the second day of a five-day hut trek through Spain’s Picos de Europa Mountains, the trail immediately grew steep and remained steep for most of the day. We hiked long stretches over snow-covered talus and scree—and concluded the day’s hiking with a descent of almost 3,000 feet through innumerable switchbacks. On top of that, the skies rained and snowed on us virtually all day. Sometimes, you just get lucky with conditions that put a pack through a testing gantlet. Throughout that Picos trek, the Trail Pro 36 demonstrated that it’s a high-quality, versatile, large daypack.

Deuter’s Trail Pro 36, designed for men and women with longer torsos, and the women’s-specific Trail Pro 34 SL are high-volume, feature-rich daypacks that diverge from the current trend toward lighter, minimalist gear—making them uniquely suited to carrying heavier loads and serving a wider range of functions than many of today’s daypacks. Here’s why.

The slightly flexible, spring-steel frame and plastic framesheet give the Trail Pro more weight-carrying capacity than most daypacks—actually comparable to many lightweight, 50-liter backpacks. Comfort is enhanced by the shoulder straps connecting directly to fins at the bottom corners of the pack bag, plus the curved shape of the frame, both of which help pull the pack closer to your hips and transfer the pack’s weight onto them.

The wide hipbelt padding wraps smoothly around the waist nearly to the base of the spine, while the belt itself is sewn directly into the bottom corners of the pack bag (inside the fin where the shoulder straps connect). Both design features help distribute weight evenly for all-day comfort even with a fully loaded pack. I hauled 25 or more pounds comfortably in steep, rugged terrain for several hours a day, with ascents and descents of more than 3,000 vertical feet. I’m confident it would handle 30 pounds well, and perhaps more for some users.

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The suspension and frame also make the Trail Pro significantly heavier than most daypacks: At nearly 3.5 pounds, it’s even heavier than lightweight backpacks that have about 50 percent more capacity—so there are better backpacks if your intended use is strictly lightweight or ultralight backpacking. (See my “Gear Review: The 10 Best Backpacking Packs.”)

Two curved, perforated, mesh back pads breathe well and wick moisture, as do the identical and adequately padded hipbelt and shoulder straps, and a channel separating the two vertically aligned back pads promotes air flow (which is also aided by the curved frame). Deuter’s hollow-chamber Aircontact foam feels very soft and creates a “pump effect” when you move.

All of those design elements illustrate how the various features of the pack intersect in performance to improve comfort.

According to Deuter, the Trail Pro’s fixed (non-adjustable) suspension fits torsos ranging from 16 to 21 inches in the two men’s/non-SL models, and 14 to 19 inches in the SL (women’s-specific) models. With my 18-inch torso falling in the middle of the range for the men’s pack, it fit me quite well, as it did my son, who’s skinnier and three inches taller than me. 

But as with any fixed-suspension pack, I would expect the fit to grow less ideal at either end of the claimed fit range; and the Trail Pro comes in just one women’s/SL size and one non-SL size.

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A top loader with a fixed lid, the Trail Pro has a wide mouth that makes loading and finding contents easy, and a spacious main compartment where I fit all of my clothes, gear, and day food and water for a five-day hut trek, plus some of a family member’s clothes. A U-shaped front zipper opens up the main compartment—a really nice feature on a daypack, commonly only seen in better backpacking packs.

The one stretch side pocket fits a liter bottle, unless the pack is fully loaded—as it was for me in the Picos—in which case the pocket stretches only enough to hold small items like gloves and a hat. It’s a little hard to reach into the pocket when wearing the pack.

Instead of another stretch pocket on the other side, the Trail Pro has a vertical, narrow, zippered pocket for tent poles—which I found of dubious value for its intended purpose, given that a 36-liter pack is likely to be used more for day trips and hut treks than backpacking. Still, having a zippered side pocket is useful for keeping small items both accessible (though you have to remove the pack to get at them) and secure.

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There’s also a capacious front stuff pocket that’s smartly integrated into the pack’s side compression and can hold a climbing helmet; a zippered lid pocket of average size; and two zippered hipbelt pockets each large enough for about four energy bars or a large smartphone and one or two bars.

The pack comes with a rain cover that stores in a zippered pocket on the pack’s bottom; it kept the pack’s contents dry and resisted being torn off by wind gusts over 40 mph when we hiked for several hours through a rain and snowstorm. 

The Trail Pro also sports utilitarian features like ice axe and trekking poles attachments and a carabiner/gear loop on each shoulder strap. Lastly, it’s made with a combination of tear-resistant, 210-denier polyamide fabric and super tough, 600-denier polyester with a thick PU coating for added durability and water resistance. This pack should last years of hard use.

The slightly smaller versions are the Trail 30 and women’s Trail Pro 31 SL (both $175).

Planning your next big adventure? See “America’s Top 10 Best Backpacking Trips”
and “The 25 Best National Park Dayhikes.”

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Deuter Trail Pro 36 at backcountry.com, or a women’s Trail Pro 34 SL at backcountry.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my “Gear Review: The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and all of my reviews of daypacks I like, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Strip away all that’s not absolutely necessary in gear and the result often is something you use over and over again. From a 23.5-mile, rim-to-rim dayhike across the Grand Canyon and a 13-hour, mostly off-trail dayhike of around 20 miles in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, to shorter dayhikes in Zion National Park, as well as a seven-mile trail run-hike outside Ketchum, Idaho, and rock climbing at Idaho’s City of Rocks (carrying just water on the run and climbs), I kept slipping BD’s Magnum 20 onto my back—just for its simplicity and, of course, because it weighs barely more than half as much as a liter of water.

With no rigid structure to it, only a very flexible plastic framesheet and breathable, perforated foam back panel, and just a 20mm webbing belt (that’s removable to shave a few more grams), the Magnum trades off support for carrying more than about 10 to 12 pounds comfortably for a sleek and light design—it’s one of the lightest daypacks that still sports a basic but utilitarian feature set. It doesn’t compare with the best daypacks for comfort (see my picks for the seven best hiking daypacks). Still, I carried it across the Grand Canyon starting out with about 15 pounds inside (including water, food, clothing, and my DSLR), and the weight never felt onerous or imbalanced, or tugged unpleasantly against my shoulders.

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The fit of this unisex pack’s one size seems pushed to the upper end of its range on my 18-inch torso. The thin shoulder straps, made of breathable, perforated foam, don’t extend quite far enough to let the pack’s weight ride primarily on my hips when the pack is fully loaded—I loosened the straps as far as they would go. Taller hikers may find it too small, but it may fit many average-height to smaller men and women well.

Apropos of a daypack made for going light, a deep clamshell zipper that opens widely for quick access to the main compartment, which at 20 liters has plenty of capacity for all-day, three-season hikes.

The Magnum’s features include stretch pockets on each side that hold a liter bottle securely; a front stuff-it pocket large enough for a rain shell with room to spare, and a bungee on the outside of that pocket; zippered top and front accessories pockets; side compression straps; trekking poles/ice axe attachments; and a bike light clip as well as a bladder sleeve and port. With the exception of the side pockets—which could tear easily if you’re not reasonably careful—most of the pack is made with a ripstop nylon fabric that endures abuse as well as many heavier competitors.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

The Verdict

It’s not the pack to grab for maximum comfort when carrying more than 10 to 12 pounds, or if you prefer a fuller feature set. But weighing—and costing—less than most daypacks, Black Diamond’s Magnum 20 is a relatively inexpensive, no-frills pack for hikers and peak scramblers focused on minimizing weight on adventures from a few hours to a long day, and pulls double duty for bike commuting (although not highly water resistant), as a carry-on when flying (large enough for a laptop), or as a light, unobtrusive pack for multi-pitch rock climbs.

There’s also a Magnum 16 ($70, 16L/976 c.i., 1 lb. 1 oz.) that has adequate space for most dayhikers and will save you 20 bucks.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Black Diamond Magnum 20 at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or blackdiamond.com, or a Magnum 16 at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or blackdiamond.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my “Gear Review: The 7 Best Hiking Daypacks” and all of my reviews of daypacks I like, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

For many dayhikes, the best daypack is one that’s light, carries only what you need without superfluous capacity, and remains mostly unnoticeable on your back. I carried The North Face’s new and interesting Chimera 18 on several hikes, including a 21-mile, 10,500-vertical-foot, rim-to-rim dayhike across the Grand Canyon, and came away very impressed by its comfort with more weight than expected for a 17-ounce pack, plus its stability and surprising versatility for a range of hikers.

I also tested it on late-summer and fall dayhikes of several miles and more than 2,000 vertical feet in Zion and Glacier national parks and Idaho’s Boise Foothills—and once with only water and a long-sleeve shirt inside on a 14-mile trail run in the Boise Foothills, when it proved more stable for running than most daypacks (albeit with very little weight inside; I don’t see it as primarily a running pack).

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Most uniquely, TNF’s DynoCinch System—also featured on some larger, new packs from The North Face—consists of cords over one shoulder and below both elbows that you can pull on-the-fly to compress the pack without taking it off. Besides minimizing shifting and bounce, it makes the pack more stable and pulls its weight closer to your back—improving carrying comfort, even with more weight inside than you’d expect to stuff into a pack weighing a mere 17 ounces.

The simple harness consists only of shoulder straps and a thin webbing belt; and with only a foam back panel flexible enough to fold in half, the Chimera lacks the rigidity and structure seen in daypacks designed for carrying 12 to 15 pounds or more. Still, the pack rides higher on the torso than many daypacks, hugging your upper back, a close fit enhanced when you tighten up the DynoCinch System to pull the contents inward; and the wide shoulder straps disperse weight. I was surprised to find the Chimera reasonably comfortable even with more than 15 pounds inside—very atypical of ultralight daypacks. The perforated, mesh-covered FlashDry back panel offers good breathability and dries fast, too.

I had close to 20 pounds in it at the outset of my Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike—including water, food, layers, and a DSLR with two zoom lenses—and never felt like it was severely overloaded or pulling on my shoulders, the way some packs feel when stuffed beyond their comfortable capacity. Still, I’d recommend it for up to 15 pounds, and that you experiment with how it feels with more weight inside. On most hikes with it, I kept the weight under 15 pounds.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

The Chimera’s fairly unique organization offers quick, convenient access to the two zippered compartments and abundant space in exterior stuff-it pockets—a design with the added benefit of reducing the pack’s weight and profile while keeping it close to your back. More similar to a clamshell-style opening than a top-loading pack, it has a two-way zipper arcing from the top-middle of the pack down one side that accesses the main compartment, which has plenty of space for all the stuff most hikers would need even on very long days in the mountains. (If you like to use a daypack as a plane carry-on, I found that a 15-inch laptop easily slides inside this compartment.)

A smaller compartment/pocket, accessed by a one-way zipper arcing from the top down the pack’s other side, functions like a traditional lid pocket, with space for smaller items like sunglasses and light gloves. But unlike a traditional lid pocket, which rides higher and can seem like a floppy, ill-matched accessory atop the partly filled main compartment of a top-loading pack, this pocket’s weight and bulk ride beside the main compartment, entirely unobtrusively.

See “The 25 Best National Park Dayhikes” and “Extreme Hiking: America’s Best Hard Dayhikes.”

With only minor contortions, I could reach into the two stretchy side pockets—each large enough for a liter bottle—while wearing the pack. The stretchy front stash pocket easily swallows a shell or insulation layer plus smaller items. The DynoCinch compression squeezes the mouths of those three zipperless pockets to prevent anything from inadvertently falling out.

Borrowing from running vests, each shoulder strap features two stretch-mesh pockets for gels, bars, a phone, or small, flexible water bottles. The hydration sleeve’s location between the back panel and the main compartment enables refilling a bladder without having to open the main compartment or remove any contents from it.

The Chimera 18 has all the capacity I needed for food, water, layers, camera gear, and incidentals even on 12-hour dayhikes. But there’s also a larger version, the Chimera 24, for hikers who need greater capacity.

Other daypack models that feature the DynoCinch System include the men’s and women’s Chimera 24 ($110) and the men’s and women’s Hydra 38 ($170) and Hydra 26 ($150).

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or women’s The North Face Chimera 18 or Chimera 24 at backcountry.com or moosejaw.com.

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See my “Gear Review: The 8 Best Hiking Daypacks” and all of my reviews of daypacks I like, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

What if every time you laid down money for hiking, backpacking, or other outdoors gear, you always knew exactly what you needed and were invariably satisfied with your purchase for years afterward? What if you knew every time whether it was smarter to spring for the pricier piece of gear or go for the cheaper model? What if you always knew when and where to find the best gear at rock-bottom sale prices?

Read on to learn how you can become that expert gear buyer—just in time for ongoing gear sales at many online retailers.

Like me, you love getting out dayhiking, backpacking, climbing, and/or trail running. We need the right gear and apparel for those activities. That stuff costs money. So we have to make choices over what we need, the best products among myriad models, which of them represent the best value, and ultimately, what we can afford.

More than two decades as a professional gear tester and reviewer have taught me a lot about making informed gear choices and when and where to shop for gear. Here are my tips for becoming a smarter gear consumer who understands how to get the best value for your buck. Please share your thoughts on my tips or your own best tips in the comments section at the bottom of this story.

Top 3 Tips For Buying Gear

For starters, my three top rules about buying outdoor gear would apply to buying almost any consumer product:

1. Do some research to understand what you need and the differences between choices available. (Start with the categorized menus and buying tips at my Gear Reviews page.)

2. Don’t buy at the last minute. Planning ahead usually gives you more choices and opportunities to find discounted prices. (Save money and support my work on this blog by making purchases through these links at moosejaw.com and rei.com, as well as links you find in the many gear reviews at The Big Outside.)

3. Assess price in terms of the gear’s value to you. If you use it infrequently, perhaps less-expensive gear (assuming it’s of adequate quality) will suit your needs just fine. But if you use it a lot and can afford it, high-quality gear pays for itself many times over in the currency of your quality of experience. And that matters.

Buy smartly. Read my “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear” and
“Why and When to Spend More on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Use These Expert Gear-Buying Tips

Shop for any gear and you will quickly discover: There are a lot of choices out there. Sometimes it can be difficult or even overwhelming to sort through them all and discern which product is best for your needs—which is critical, because we all have individual needs and purposes for gear.

See my pro tips on finding the right backpack, backcountry tent, shoes or boots, sleeping bag, rain jacket, and sleeping bag in these articles:

5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack
5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent
How to Choose the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent for You
Pro Tips For Buying the Right Boots
Pro Tips: How to Choose a Sleeping Bag
5 Pro Tips For Buying the Right Rain Jacket For the Backcountry

Those articles are premium content, which means that reading them requires a full paid subscription to The Big Outside, which costs as little as five bucks for a month, or pennies over four bucks a month for a full year. That’s a great value when you consider how much you will save as a more-informed gear consumer. Read more about subscribing here.

In the left sidebar, you’ll find a tag cloud with links to all reviews in categories like backpacking gear and backpacks.

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No Time? Cut to the Chase

If you simply want my recommendations on the best gear, you can find a long list of Best in Class reviews at my Gear Reviews page, including the 10 best backpacking packs and down jackets; the best ultralight backpacks; the five best backpacking tents, rain jackets, and headlamps; and the best daypacks for hiking. (All of those articles are free content, and you support my work on this blog anytime you make a purchase through a link to an online retailer in any of my reviews.)

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You’ll also find hundreds of reviews at The Big Outside, ranging from the best new stuff on the market to gear and apparel that’s a year or more old but still of high quality—and may be available now at a price steeply discounted from its original price, simply because it’s no longer new. As I point out in my “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear,” this is stuff that went on sale new at higher prices just months earlier—it’s current technology, not ancient crap.

Looking for great prices soon? Bookmark sites like moosejaw.com, REI Garage, Sierra Trading Post, and theclymb.com, and watch for seasonal sales going on now or coming up soon.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

What’s an ideal daypack for three-season hikes? When you’re only carrying food, water, extra clothing, and perhaps some incidentals like camera gear (as I do), a daypack of 15 to 20 liters is ideal for most dayhikers in three-season conditions: They’re light on your back but offer all the space and features you need. Sometimes the story behind a piece of gear will appear sparse, precisely because it dispenses with the superfluous in service to functionality. On various dayhikes from Zion National Park to a 27-mile, 16-hour traverse of western Maine’s Mahoosuc Range, I found the Nine Trails 20L hits a sweet spot for supremely easy access, low weight, capacity, and comfort.

Simplicity and quick access take top priority in the men’s Nine Trails 20L and the women’s Nine Trails 18L. Rather than having a traditional lid with two buckles and a drawcord to open underneath it, a U-shaped top zipper quickly opens up the main compartment. While the zipper does not extend down along the pack’s sides, the way some clamshell-style daypack zippers expose much of their contents, this one offers a reasonably wide mouth for seeing and accessing what’s inside, without any danger of contents falling out of it. The main compartment has adequate space for everything needed on an all-day, three-season hike: food, water, extra clothing, and it fit my DSLR and two lenses, in addition to three liters of water and everything else I needed for multi-hour hikes.

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The large front pocket holds a jacket and smaller items, and the two side pockets each hold a liter bottle. But I found it difficult to reach into the side pockets while wearing the pack, and basically impossible to replace a bottle in one of those pockets with the pack on—especially when the pack is stuffed full, reducing the space in the side pockets. The two hipbelt pockets swallow two or three energy bars each, but not a large smartphone.

Under a storm flap on the pack’s front side, there’s also a zippered pocket for smaller items like a map and sunglasses, and there’s a smaller, zippered valuables pocket inside the main compartment. However, when the front pocket and inside pocket are both filled nearly to capacity, their bulk effectively shrinks the pack’s mouth opening, making it a bit more difficult to pull bulkier items (like a DSLR camera) out of (or place items in) the main compartment.

The Nine Trails probably most stands out from comparable daypacks for its highly breathable, three-layer back panel. The outermost layer, against your back, is comprised of monofilament mesh with molded dimples for moving sweat and promoting air flow. A middle layer of perforated foam boosts breathability, while the innermost layer consists of a PE framesheet that flexes to move with your torso along its vertical axis, but has more rigidity along its horizontal axis—especially, I found, when the pack is stuffed full—giving it the support to carry at least 15 pounds comfortably. The well-padded, perforated (for breathability) shoulder straps and lightly padded hipbelt carry a load of that size well.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Available in two sizes, the Nine Trail S/M, designed for torsos measuring 16 to 19 inches, fit my 18-inch torso quite well.

A single, horizontal compression strap on each side shrinks the pack when underfilled and is positioned to secure collapsed trekking poles tucked into either side pocket. The 210-denier nylon ripstop fabric in the pack bag—durable enough for most situations that dayhikers encounter—is tougher than some models of comparable weight and capacity. That fabric is treated with a polyurethane coating and a DWR (durable, water-repellent finish) for enhanced durability and a high degree of water resistance.

Like many lightweight daypacks, the “softest” parts of the Nine Trails 20—the external areas most susceptible to damage—are the stretch pockets on the front, sides, and hipbelt. But unlike daypacks that use lighter stretch-mesh fabric, these consist of a solid fabric that should prove more durable. It showed no damage from Zion’s coarse rock.

The Patagonia Nine Trails 20L lacks some of the bells and whistles found on larger or heavier models—and that’s exactly its strength. It’s no more and no less than a comfortable, relatively light, and highly accessible pack ideal for hikers who prefer simplicity.

There’s also a men’s Nine Trails 28L ($159) and Nine Trails 14L ($139), and two women’s versions, the Nine Trails 26L ($159) and Nine Trails 18L ($129).

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a men’s Patagonia Nine Trails 20L at backcountry.com or patagonia.com, the men’s Nine Trails 28L at backcountry.com, patagonia.com, or the men’s Nine Trails 14L at backcountry.com or patagonia.com. Or buy the women’s Nine Trails 26L at backcountry.com or patagonia.com, or the women’s Nine Trails 18L at backcountry.com or patagonia.com.

See all of my reviews of daypacks I like and my picks for the eight best hiking daypacks, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Join now and a get free e-guide!

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

On a 16-mile, roughly 5,000-vertical-foot October dayhike of 11,749-foot Mount Timpanogos in Utah’s Wasatch Range, on a day when I needed clothes for temperatures ranging from around 50 to the 30s Fahrenheit, with strong, cold winds at higher elevations, I carried the Citro 20 for several hours with about 15 pounds of water, food, clothing, and camera gear inside. That day convinced me that many hikers would like the men’s Citro 20 and women’s Juno 20. Here’s why.

Weighing just a few ounces over two pounds, with 20 liters of capacity, these packs are designed for dayhikes of any distance, including long days. While not the lightest packs of this capacity, and too heavy and bulky for trail running, their weight is largely explained by good organization and features that allow them to cross over well to activities like bike commuting.

A lightweight, wire perimeter frame with a leaf-spring in the lumbar area—as well as a foam pad for comfort—provides rigidity along the vertical axis and slight flex along the horizontal axis, and helps transfer much of the pack weight onto your hips. That translates to the Citro 20 and Juno 20 easily carrying 15 pounds, and some hikers will find them comfortable hauling up to 20 pounds.

Gregory’s moisture-wicking, VaporSpan back panel’s open mesh pattern ventilates well. But although they both have the concave shape to lift the pack off of your back, it’s not a typical trampoline-style back panel, which allows air to flow easily through from both open sides. Instead, the back panel’s mesh sides have a slight backward angle to them, to facilitate air flow—which works decently, but not as well as completely open sides. However, the benefit of the VaporSpan’s design is a closer, low-profile fit that’s more stable and avoids the tendency of some trampoline-style packs to feel as if the load is pulling backward against your shoulders.

The perforated mesh and soft, EVA foam shoulder straps compare for comfort with the best hiking daypacks. The mesh waist belt lacks any padding, relying on its width to disperse pack weight over the hips; consequently, it’s the limiting feature determining the maximum weight the Citro or Juno will carry before feeling like too much on your hips, but keeps pack weight down and minimizes the waistbelt’s bulk, keeping you cooler and giving the packs a lighter feel.

Besides, most dayhikers have no need to carry more than 15 pounds: Even with my DSLR camera and two lenses inside, as well as food, three liters of water, and clothing for an all-day hike in cold temps, I didn’t exceed 15 pounds and had space to spare.

With no lid on the pack, the main compartment is accessed via a single, clamshell-style zipper—much more convenient than having to release one or more buckles and flip a lid open. Inside, there’s a zippered mesh pocket for valuables, as well as a zippered, external sunglasses pocket that has extra space for a hat and light gloves. Two spacious, zippered hipbelt pockets fit three bars each or any phone or GPS.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

The feature set will appeal to many dayhikers. The Citro and Juno packs come standard with Gregory’s excellent, three-liter 3D Hydro bladder (a $36 value; read my detailed thoughts on it in my review of essential backpacking gear accessories). The bladder slides into a separate, zippered pocket behind the back panel, for easy refilling without having to empty other pack contents.

Deep, stretch-mesh pockets on each side swallow a liter bottle, and I can reach into them while wearing the Citro; the stretch-mesh front pocket is large enough for a rain shell. Magnetic clips quickly snap and hold the sternum strap buckle in place and secure the hydration hose to that strap; but as I’ve experienced with other magnetized hydration hoses, this one occasionally pops off when I’m moving fast or going through rough terrain.

Exterior stow options include attachments for two ice axes or poles, side compression straps, and a smart elasticized loop on the left shoulder strap to stash sunglasses or collapsed poles to free up your hands for scrambling or firing off some photos.

The biggest ding against the Citro and Juno is that each comes in just one size—meaning they will best fit men and women who fall into the middle of the range of torso sizes. The Citro 20 fit my 18-inch torso well.

There are two larger-capacity versions: the Citro 25 ($130) and Citro 30 ($150).

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory Citro 20 or another size at backcountry.com or gregorypacks.com, or the Gregory Juno 20 or another size at backcountry.com or gregorypacks.com.

Gregory has updated the Citro and Juno packs with a Citro 20 H2O($170), Citro 30 H2O ($180, also in Plus size), Juno 24 H2O ($170), and Juno 30 H2O ($180, also in Plus size). See them all at gregorypacks.com.

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there.
Join now and a get free e-guide!

See my “Gear Review: The 8 Best Hiking Daypacks” and all of my reviews of daypacks I like, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack” (which apply to daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

Climbing Pack
Patagonia Linked Pack 16L
$79, 16L/976 c.i., 1 lb. 4 oz.
One size
moosejaw.com

On multi-pitch rock climbs, trad or sport, we unfortunately have to carry stuff on our backs—water, a bit of food, some extra layers. If we had the power to shape-shift objects, we’d make a pack large enough to hold our gear while hiking, then shrink it down for climbing. Short of that, though, the best option is a compact, lightweight, tough pack. Using Patagonia’s Linked Pack 16L on a trad route up Slickrock, a 1,200-foot cliff outside McCall, Idaho, including approach and descent hikes, convinced me this just may be the ideal little pack for such missions. Here’s why.

A multi-pitch climbing pack has to be efficiently designed, and the Linked Pack is intentionally very minimalist to keep it light even while employing very durable (read: heavier) fabrics. A top-loader with a drawcord closure, it has a 20-inch-long top strap (the pack’s only compression) that holds a rope and allows overloading the main compartment—ideal for multi-pitch routes with an approach hike that’s not longer than your tolerance for carrying an overloaded pack.

I carried it with about 35 pounds inside or attached to the outside on the Slickrock approach and descent hikes, which took more than an hour each. That’s definitely more weight than a pack this small and light is designed to carry, and it felt top-heavy with a 70-meter rope under the top strap; the moderately breathable, padded, mesh shoulder straps pulled against my shoulders a bit, and the thin, removable webbing waist belt doesn’t provide any support, merely helping to keep the pack from shifting. But the point of a climbing pack like this is to have something you can overload for the hike, a good tradeoff for the convenience of not wearing a larger pack on the climb (or having to retrieve it from the cliff base afterward). With its slim profile and low volume, the Linked Pack was hardly noticeable with about 12 pounds inside (water, approach shoes, DSLR, clothes) while I led six of Slickrock’s eight pitches. I have an 18-inch torso and the Linked Pack 16L comes in one, non-adjustable size, meaning very tall or short people may find the fit too small or big for them.

The main compartment has adequate volume to swallow half the climbing rack, two liters of water, a light wind shell and middle layer, a handful of energy bars, and my DSLR camera; I strapped our rope onto the top and clipped my rock shoes to the daisy chains on the pack front. This pack isn’t big enough for alpine routes (and it lacks tool attachments) or bringing enough clothes for colder temps. On the climb itself, with a smaller load, the pack was slightly underfilled but the top strap compressed the contents well enough to prevent any shifting.

With 630-denier nylon fabric in the body and a 940-denier ballistic nylon base, both treated with a highly water-resistant polyurethane coating, the pack is built for hard use—from scraping up a chimney to lowering down a cliff—and will shed all but the heaviest rain. Clipping the two burly, reinforced haul straps on top helps ensure the main compartment stays closed when hauling or lowering the pack. For its size, the pack has a spacious zippered outside pocket that holds smaller items like snacks, a headlamp, gloves, hat. There’s an internal hydration sleeve and a port, and even convenient daisy chains on the shoulder straps for temporarily clipping gear.

The Patagonia Linked Pack 16L’s smart design and tough construction make it an ideal, light pack for multi-pitch rock climbs.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Patagonia Linked Pack 16L at moosejaw.com, rei.com, or patagonia.com.

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See all of my reviews of daypacks I like and my six favorite hiking daypacks, all of my reviews of climbing gear, including “Gear Review: A Complete Rock Climbing Kit for Climbers With a Real Life,” plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by USA Today and others. I invite you to get email updates about new stories and gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box in the left sidebar, at the bottom of this post, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Daypacks come in many sizes and designs these days, some for multi-sport use, some more specialized. But real technological innovation happens rarely in that market. Now comes Exped’s new Skyline 15, which, with one simple adjustment that takes a few seconds, essentially shape-shifts between two different types of pack. To see whether it really measures up to its promise, I took it out for a true test on a rugged dayhike in New Hampshire’s White Mountains on a day of hot temperatures and humidity.

I wore the Skyline 15 on a 12-mile dayhike over Cannon Mountain and North Kinsman Mountain, sweating profusely in the humidity on some notoriously steep and rocky trails, because it would test this daypack’s most unique design element: Exped’s Switchback suspension. With many daypacks, you choose between two basic designs: Either a suspension system with a gap between your back and the pack, maximizing air flow to keep you cool; or a spine-hugging back panel to deliver the most stability when scrambling off-trail or in any difficult terrain that demands movement more precise than simply walking a trail.

The Skyline transforms in seconds between both types of pack. An adjustable band, aligned vertically in the middle of the back padding, can be repositioned using a hook-and-loop strip to customize the amount of arc (or bowing) in the back pad—kind of like pulling back the string on a bow. The design allows you to either have the pack hug your spine for optimum stability, or create a gap for optimum air flow. And it works: I liked the air flow when I had the Switchback suspension bowed, and the stability on very steep, rocky trails with the suspension flush against my back. The one, non-adjustable size fits torsos 16.5 to 20.5 inches, and not surprisingly, fit my 18-inch torso well because I’m right in the middle of its range.

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Weighing under 2.5 pounds, the pack carries at least 20 pounds comfortably, thanks to a flexible, plastic framesheet with spring steel reinforcement, and adequate—but not overdone—EVA padding on the back pads, shoulder straps, and the wide hipbelt, which distributes weight to prevent pressure points; that EVA padding is also mesh-covered to ventilate and dry quickly.

Access is fast, with a single, panel-loading zipper providing a wide mouth into the main compartment, which has space for food, a three-liter bladder, extra clothes, plus the DSLR and two lenses I carried. A second, door-like front zipper opens into the main compartment, so you can yank out a jacket instantly. The two side pockets are deep and wide enough for a liter bottle, with a compression strap that helps secure their contents. The two zippered hipbelt pockets may be the most voluminous I’ve seen on any daypack—holding multiple bars, or a large smartphone with room to spare—without getting in the way of swinging arms while hiking. On the inside, there are two zippered mesh pockets and two stash pockets for bottles or an ultralight umbrella. The pack’s also a good size for a plane carry-on.

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Adjustable front attachments secure trekking poles or an ice axe. The included rain cover tucks into a zippered bottom pocket. PU-coated, 210-denier high-tenacity ripstop nylon fabric gives it a durable exterior.

The Verdict

The well-organized, streamlined Skyline 15’s innovative design offers great versatility for dayhikes of any distance (including ultra-hikes), mountain biking, one-day peak climbs, and bike commuting. I hope it’s not too techy for the hiking market to appreciate.

The larger Skyline 25 ($139) is just an ounce heavier.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking either of these links to purchase an Exped Skyline 15 at moosejaw.com or an Exped Skyline 25 at moosejaw.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of daypacks I like and my six favorite daypacks, plus my “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack” (which includes daypacks) and all of my reviews of hiking gear.

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NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Daypacks are a little like flavors of ice cream—there’s something for everyone’s taste, and they vary so greatly that you can get to feel like one isn’t nearly enough. So how do you find the right model when you want a quiver of one daypack for all purposes? In pursuit of the answer to that enduring philosophical conundrum, I carried Osprey’s Talon 22 on a dayhike to the highest point in California’s Death Valley National Park, 11,049-foot Telescope Peak, on dayhikes in Costa Rica, including the crazily steep and rugged peak Cerro Chato, and numerous other hikes.

Updated for 2021, the men’s Talon and women’s Tempest suspension is constructed around a flexible, lightweight, plastic framesheet. A seamless, wide, foam hipbelt forms one continuous piece with the mesh back panel, wrapping around the hips and lumbar to distribute pack weight very evenly, without pressure points.

The position of the soft, foam shoulder straps adjusts in a range of about three inches to customize the fit to your torso. It delivered good comfort and stability for carrying up to about 15 pounds (some people might even carry more weight), whether I was hiking, scrambling, or running—although with less weight when running, and it’s larger than I’d normally use for running. (The Talon 44 and Tempest 40 also have an aluminum peripheral frame for supporting more weight.)

The AirScape back panel and perforated foam padding in the hipbelt and shoulder straps create excellent ventilation, which kept my back cool in the smothering heat and humidity of Costa Rica.

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These packs have more organization than you’d find in many competitors in this weight class. A clamshell zipper opens halfway down the pack to give wide access to the main compartment, which has adequate space for food, water, and clothes for a long day in the mountains. The packs have stretch side pockets big enough for a liter bottle; two spacious, zippered hipbelt pockets that each fit a larger phone and a fat energy bar; a zippered top pocket larger than you’ll find on many mid-size daypacks; and a stretch-mesh front pocket that swallows a jacket and gloves. Side compression straps shrink the pack to stabilize contents with a partial load.

An external sleeve for the hydration bladder—slotted between the framesheet and main compartment—adds the convenience of not having to empty the pack to refill water. I like the useful little features, especially the trekking pole attachment strap on the left shoulder strap, to quickly stash poles and free my hands to shoot photos, eat on the move, or scramble. A loop with a bungee tie-off holds an ice axe.

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A small, stretch-mesh pocket on the left shoulder strap holds a couple gel packets, and there are attachments on the front for a bike helmet and a light and an emergency whistle in the sternum strap. Durability compares with many lightweight daypacks: While mesh pockets are always vulnerable to tearing if you’re not careful, the 70-denier by 100-denier nylon body fabric, with 420-denier nylon on the bottom, won’t bruise easily.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s Osprey Talon 22 or another size at ospreypacks.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Osprey Tempest 20 or another size at ospreypacks.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

See my picks for “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks” and all reviews of daypacks and reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I reviewed gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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At first glance, Deuter’s Speed Lite 20 struck me as a daypack with the right capacity and features for virtually any adventure—and super lightweight, which I like. So I decided to put it to a serious test, on an 8.5-hour, 20-mile, 4,500-foot, mid-September trail run-hike of the Alice Lake-Toxaway Lake Loop in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, including a 1,400-foot, third-class scramble up 10,651-foot Snowyside Peak. And there’s much to like about the Speed Lite 20.

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I also carried it with about 12 pounds inside (including two liters of water, a DSLR camera and two lenses, and a couple of jackets) hiking the 10-mile Around the Mountain Trail in Idaho’s Boise National Forest.

With a minimalist, highly flexible, U-shaped, Delrin frame, a half-inch of perforated mesh padding in the shoulder straps, and an unpadded, removable, webbing waist belt, it carries 10 to 12 pounds comfortably. Given that simple harness, I found it fairly stable when running at a slow, long-distance pace, but it started bouncing a bit when I had 2.5 liters of water or my camera gear inside. The thin back pad of perforated mesh breathes well, but being right up against your back, it still traps perspiration. Still, the hugging-the-torso fit and the tapered shape, which stays out of the way of arm movement, made the pack hardly noticeable on my back while running with poles or scrambling third-class rock. Another benefit of such a lightweight and flexible harness: You can fold the Speed Lite 20 in half, making it very packable.

The main compartment—accessed quickly via a deep, U-shaped, top zipper with big pull loops for grabbing with gloves on—has adequate space for food, water, and clothing for an all-day hike in the mountains (and it’s a good size for an airplane carry-on, fitting a large laptop). There’s a zippered top pocket that fits a sunglasses case plus small items, and the mesh side pockets can hold a liter bottle or snacks, gloves, map, etc. Most prominently, the front pocket—sewn into the pack at the top and bottom, with stretch mesh and partial openings on both sides, but no zippers—swallows a rain jacket and then some. Given the zipper-less, open sides on the front pocket, the sewn top makes it more secure than an open stuff-it pocket (and no zippers means one less part that can break); but the openings are a bit small for pulling out a jacket with gloves and a hat in there, too.

Two compression straps on each side hold trekking poles or skis, and they smartly can be extended around the front to clip on the opposite side, for maximum compression.

The PU-coated, 210-denier ripstop pack fabric is pretty tough; the external mesh represents the only durability concern. Other nice features include a tuckaway ice-axe loop, a light attachment on the front, and loops at the four corners of the front side for attaching an optional helmet carrier.

I give this pack one demerit for lacking hipbelt pockets—a detail I value especially in an ultralight daypack because I’m choosing it for long outings where I want the convenience of having much within reach without having to take the pack off.

But the mesh side pockets are within reach while wearing the pack, which partly makes up for the omission of hipbelt pockets.

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