Backpack Reviews

The Deuter Futura Air Trek 45 +10 SL is an adjustable-length ventilated trekking backpack, designed to carry heavy loads over long distances. Its ease of use and multiple entry points makes it an ideal pack for traveling and long tour trekking and …

The Gregory Arrio 24 is a lightweight ad streamlined, ventilated daypack. With three external zippered pockets and hydration compatible sleeve, it’s a solid all-around choice for local hikes, peakbagging, and hut-to-hut trips. Specs at a Glance Volume: 24 L / 1356 cu …

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 …

The Six Moon Designs Flight 30 Ultra Running Pack is a 30L frameless backpack that is made for runners and ultralight backpackers. It has a lightweight body-hugging pack that is great for fastpacking, as there is very little bounce once it’s loaded …

The Six Moon Designs Minimalist V2 is a fully-featured, high volume, comfortable, and overbuilt backpack marketed for thru-hiking. It’s a good pack, but its name is misleading because nothing about this pack is minimal. There are 15 external storage pockets (including 8 …

Nashville Packs is a new cottage backpack manufacturer that’s fundamentally reinventing the way that vest-style backpacks are sized and made. I’ve been testing out their flagship product, the Cutaway Backpack, which is a frameless rolltop pack that’s hands-down the most comfortable, best-fitting, …

The Granite Gear Perimeter 50 is a lightweight backpack that weighs slightly more than 3 lbs and has an adjustable torso length, an adjustable length hip belt, and an internal frame capable of carrying 40-pound loads with ease. It’s set up like …

The Seek Outside Divide is a 4500 cubic inch (74L) lightweight external frame backpack capable of hauling 50, 60, and even 70-pound loads even though it only weighs 44 ounces. Best suited for backpacking, packrafting, hunting, fishing, and expedition-style trips, the Divide …

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 Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 (55L) Southwest Backpack is a durable Dyneema DCF (formerly called cuben fiber) backpack that’s good for thru-hiking and multi-day backpacking trips in rugged terrain. The 3400 Southwest is basically the same pack as the smaller volume Hyperlite …

Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s small and large packing pods are the ultralight equivalent of the luggage packing cubes that people use to pack travel bags. They’re U-shaped to fit snugly into Hyperlite’s backpacks and can be used in place of a white plastic compactor …

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 …

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 Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak daypack is a 17L backpack made with two layers of black Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF), a waterproof laminate that makes the Daybreak lightweight, durable, and highly water-resistant. The Daybreak is laid out very much like HMG’s overnight backpacks …