Backpack Reviews

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 weighing half as much. The Mariposa is also …

The Outdoor Vitals ShadowLight 60 is a 31.5 oz ultralight-style backpack pack designed for multi-day backpacking and thru-hiking. It’s a rolltop backpack made with Robic nylon ripstop (details below) with an unusual external pocket system and a front zipper so you can access gear in the pack without unrolling the …

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 great mix of technical features with plenty of …

The Osprey Soelden 32 is a 2.5-lb pack designed for backcountry skiing and snowboarding. The Soelden, and its counterpart the women’s Osprey Sopris (20 or 30), feature options for carrying skis and boards, with reinforced areas to protect the packs from metal edges. A large front panel with a J-shaped …

The Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 Ultralight Backpack is a multi-day backpack that’s optimized for lightweight backpacking and thru-hiking. It’s a great backpack for people who want to transition from carrying a much heavier back to a lighter weight one, without having to replace all of their existing backpacking gear with …

The Fjallraven Bergtagen 38 is a waterproof mountaineering backpack that’s designed for winter hiking and climbing with modular components that added or removed depending on your needs. It has wooden frame stays, a lid, and hip belt that can all be removed for long approach hikes, ski tours, or summit …

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 absolutely loaded with features. It’s also made with XPac, a highly durable, lightweight, and waterproof fabric that’s a lower …

The Mountainsmith Zerk 40 is a speed hiking backpack designed for ultralight thru-hiking. Weighing 25 oz, it has a roll-top closure, removable, hip belt strap, a running vest-style shoulder strap system, and removable foam framesheet. Numerous open mesh pockets make it easy to store frequently accessed gear and food on …

The Osprey Talon 33 Backpack is a lightweight pack with an adjustable torso length that’s good for extended day hiking, peakbagging, and multi-sport use. Weighing 2 pounds 10 ounces, it can carry a remarkable amount of gear, it has useful pockets, and a body-hugging fit that provides excellent load control …

The Osprey Tempest 30 is a super comfortable, women’s specific lightweight pack with an adjustable torso length that is good for a variety of adventures from day hiking to ultralight backpacking trips. It has all of the typical features and useful pockets found in backpacks, combined with a female-friendly body-hugging …

The Osprey Aether 65 is a multi-day expedition-style backpack with an adjustable torso length frame, adjustable length shoulder straps, and an adjustable length hip belt length so you can dial in a custom fit without having to swap out components or heat them in an oven at a store. It’s …

The Cold Cold World Valdez is a 40L alpine backpack that’s great for winter day hiking, climbing, and ski touring. Weighing just 2 lbs 2 oz, it’s lower volume than Cold Cold World’s overnight and multiday alpine packs but still loaded with winter features from ski straps, dual ice ax …

The Gregory Paragon 58 Backpack (updated for 2020) is a lightweight multi-day backpack weighing just 3.5 lbs with an adjustable length torso and an adjustable length hip belt. It’s a top-loading backpack with a floating lid, a separate sleeping bag hatch, sleeping pad straps, and side zipper access. This new …

Elemental Horizons is a well-regarded cottage backpack manufacturer based in North Carolina with a small but loyal customer following. They’ve recently added XPac fabric as a material option to their backpacks, including the adjustable frame Kalais XT reviewed here. XPac is an ultralight waterproof laminate like cuben fiber (now called Dyneema …