Backpack Reviews

The OneTigris Black Orca LITE Roamer UL 55L+5L Backpack is a pretty good value for $80, provided it fits you and you’re willing to make a few small mods to it. Weighing 38.8 oz (2 lbs 6.8 oz), it’s an internal frame roll-top backpack that can be used for thru-hiking …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 Southwest Backpack is a 40L pack (with an additional 9.8L of external storage) that is suitable for ultralight backpacking trips, off-trail hiking through dense vegetation, or winter day hikes when you need to carry extra clothing layers. Made with Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s (HMG) ultralight Dyneema …

The Deuter Futura Vario 50+10 Backpack is a ventilated and adjustable length pack that’s well-sized for multi-day trips, hut-to-hut hikes, and pilgrimage style trips. While it’s loaded with convenience features and cushy padding, it’s comparatively lightweight at 4 lbs 9 oz providing a good balance between carrying comfort and ease …

The Gregory Jade 33 is a ventilated women’s backpack with an adjustable length frame that has enough volume for lengthy day hikes.  It has a women’s specific hip belt and shoulder harness.  It weighs 43 oz and has comfort features common to larger packs. Specs at a Glance Volume: 33L …

The Northern Ultralight Sundown Backpack is a modular 46-liter rolltop pack designed for ultralight-style thru-hiking. Weighing 25.8 oz ounces, it’s made with XPac, 210 Dyneema Grid, and heavy-duty mesh for extra durability. Northern Ultralight is a new Canadian cottage backpack manufacturer company founded by a husband and wife that met …

The ULA Ohm 2.0 is a high-capacity 63L ultralight style backpack that’s durable enough for rough and tough adventures. It’s also available with the same male and female shoulder straps and hip belt (available in multiple lengths) offered with ULA’s other lightweight backpacks, so you get a pack that fits you and …

The Osprey Kyte 46 is a women’s specific backpack that’s big enough for weekend backpacking trips, but nimble enough for long day hikes and peakbagging adventures. Being a women’s specific backpack, it has shoulder straps that won’t pinch or chafe your chest or underarms and a hip belt that flared …

The Elemental Horizons Women’s Aquilo Backpack (75L) is one of the first women’s ultralight-style backpacks made by a cottage backpack manufacturer. Weighing 43.8 oz, the Aquilo is a roll-top backpack with an adjustable length torso, another rarity amongst cottage gear makers, with female-specific shoulder pads, a female-friendly hip belt, and …

The North Face Phantom 50 is an ultralight, alpine-style backpack weighing 40 oz (max) that can be configured in different ways for different types of trips ranging from technical day hikes, backpacking, rock-climbing, ski mountaineering, or alpine climbing. For example, you can take off the top lid if you don’t need …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Junction is a Dyneema DCF backpack designed for multi-day backpacking trips and thru-hikes. Weighing 32 oz, it has a total capacity of 65L, including 55L of main compartment storage and 10L of space distributed between its front mesh and side bottle pockets. The 3400 Junction …

The Kelty Trekker 65 is an external frame backpack with an adjustable torso length and ventilated back. Weighing 5 lbs 2 oz, it’s better for carrying heavier loads, bulky, or awkwardly sized gear than most internal frame backpacks because you can lash gear to the frame instead of having to …

The Gregory Amber 44 is an adjustable-length women’s backpack that’s large enough for overnight backpacking trips but also suitable for more technical hikes when you need to carry extra gear or layers, such as winter hiking. Weighing just 2 lbs 11 oz, the Amber 44 is sized for a smaller …

The Mystery Ranch Scree is a 3.1 pound daypack with an adjustable length torso that’s designed for carrying heavy loads in rugged terrain. It’s made with burly fabrics to withstand serious abuse, with a unique frame system that won’t buckle if you have to haul heavy gear. External daisy chains, …

Thule, best known for their automobile luggage racks, makes overnight backpacks that are starting to appear in outdoor stores, side-by-side with packs from Osprey, Gregory, and Granite Gear. I’ve been tracking Thule’s packs for few years and decided it was time to take a closer look at one, especially since the Thule …