Backpack Reviews

The Gossamer Gear Murmur is one of oldest continuously made frameless ultralight backpacks available today. While the materials it’s made with have evolved over the years (this is the third time I’ve reviewed the Murmur since 2009), the basic ultralight design remains …

The Mystery Ranch In and Out 22L is a lightweight and highly versatile packable day pack. Designed and built to be a fully functioning daypack, this pack is also light enough and packable enough to be your summit pack or “go” pack …

Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG) specializes in making rugged multi-sport backpacks and shelters with Dyneema Composite Fabrics. Their distinctive white and black backpacks are quite popular and easy to spot on National Scenic Trails and in the backcountry. One of the things that …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint 35 is a Dyneema DCF daypack designed for rugged adventure hiking, peak bagging, and backpacking with very low-volume ultralight loads. The Waypoint is a classically designed roll-top backpack with a stretch mesh front pocket, side water bottle …

The REI Flash 55 Backpack is an ultralight, roll-top backpack with an optional top lid pocket.  Weighing 2 lbs 13 oz, it has a mesh back panel to help keep your shirt dry in warm weather and numerous pockets and straps, called …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Elevate 22 Daypack is a downsized frameless version of the company’s multi-day Dyneema DCF roll-top backpacks. It has some external storage including a front stretch mesh pocket and two side water bottle pockets, but they’re on the small …

The Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60L Backpack is an ultralight, ventilated, and adjustable-length backpack made with Ultra, a woven fabric made from Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers that is ultralight, waterproof, and more durable than Dyneema DCF. Weighing 21.7 oz …

The Mystery Ranch Blitz 30 is a great day pack for hiking, work, travel, school, and commuting. It is bomber tough like a lot of Mystery Ranch Packs and has a multitude of functional pockets and PALS (Pouch Attachment Ladder System) attachment …

The Six Moon Designs Swift X is a 45L liter roll-top backpack with an adjustable torso length that will appeal to any lightweight backpacker or thru-hiker. It carries great and is loaded with features. It’s also made with XPac (a Liteskin model …

The Deuter Guide Lite 24 is an ultralight, streamlined backpack designed for alpine hiking and climbing. Weighing just 1 lb and 7 oz (650 grams), it’s a real departure for Deuter in terms of looks, features, and materials. The pack has a …

The Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Long Haul 50 Backpack is a lightweight backpack that’s built to handle anything, from off-trail bushwhacking and desert travel to regular backpacking and thru-hiking. There’s no exposed mesh on the exterior of the pack to rip and …

The ULA Ultra 24 Circuit (68L) is an ultralight-style roll-top backpack made using a new ultralight waterproof fabric called Ultra that’s significantly more abrasion resistant than Dyneema DCF or the Robic Nylon used in other lightweight backpacks. If you’ve already been evaluating …

The Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 is a lightweight ultralight-style backpack that weighs 30.5 oz. It’s ideal for weekend backpacking and long-distance trips, particularly if you prefer a backpack that has lots of pockets and a frame, like a more conventional backpack, but …

The Osprey Mutant 52 is a winter backpack suitable for four-season overnight hiking, climbing, or backcountry ski trips. It’s the big brother to the Osprey Mutant 38 which I reviewed at the beginning of the winter which has less volume and is …