Backpack Reviews

The Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus is a frameless 58L backpack that weighs 16 ounces. With a max recommended load of 20-25 pounds, it’s well sized for three-season thru-hiking and ultralight backpacking, when you need a higher volume pack to carry a bear canister or bulky hammock insulation. But the thing that …

The Seek Outside Gila 3500 (57L) is an 2 pound 15 ounce external frame backpack capable of carrying heavy loads, up to 100 pounds. It’s made with a waterproof laminate fabric called XPac which is more durable than Dyneema Composite Fabric (formerly called cuben fiber) and less expensive. While the …

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 fills a niche that isn’t addressed by …

Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG) specializes in making backpacks and shelters with Dyneema Composite Fabrics (formerly called cuben fiber.) Their distinctive white and black colored backpacks are quite popular and easy to spot in the backcountry. One of the things that sets Hyperlite apart from other cottage ultralight gear manufacturers is their …

The Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor is a top-loading, minimalist backpack with a unique top lid and two side water bottle pockets. Designed by National Geographic’s 2007 Adventurer of the Year, Andrew Skurka, it has volume adjustment straps that let you shrink or expand its capacity from 40L to 60L so …

The Gregory Packs Paragon 48 is a lightweight, alpine-style backpack designed to fill the void between minimalist ultralight backpacks and the plush and deluxe, monster capacity backpacks that Gregory is known for like the Denali 100 or the Baltoro 85. Weighing 3 pounds (minus an optional rain cover), the Paragon 48 has …

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 unchanged. This is a backpack designed for people …

Granite Gear backpacks are popular packs for long distance backpacking in the United States and are a common sight on the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. I really like Granite Gear’s packs because I think they strike an excellent balance between weight and function, many have adjustable length frames and hip belts, and because they’re quite …

The ZPacks.com Arc Blast Backpack is an ultralight Dyneema DCF backpack with an external carbon fiber frame that is available in three sizes: 45L, 52L, and 60L. Weighing just 17.4 ounces in the 60L version (shown here in orange), the Arc Blast is rated for 30-pound loads making it ideal …

I like to carry a digital point and shoot camera in a shoulder strap pocket because I take better photos when it’s easily accessible. I also use the same pocket to carry my smartphone, which has some navigation apps that I like to use when I hike. I’ve found that …

The Gossamer Gear Gorilla Ultralight Backpack is designed for backpackers who have already gone through the transition from a heavier gear list to a base weight that is under 15 pounds (not including food, fuel, and water). While it can be used for shorter overnight backpacking trips, peakbagging, and even day hikes when …

The CamelBak Fourteener 24L Hydration Pack is a day hiking and peakbagging hydration pack capable of carrying lots of food, water, and extra layers. CamelBak has introduced a version of the Fourteener 24L which is a substantial design departure from the previous model with a very different look, more cargo pockets, …

The Gregory Alpinisto 50 is an alpine style winter backpack best used for backcountry skiing and ice climbing. It has a number of optional components that can be removed to save gear weight depending on your needs and is one of the few winter sports backpacks to have an external …

No doubt many hikers and backpackers who take up backcountry skiing or snowboarding initially make do with packs already on hand. In my case, those were a 30-liter Gregory daypack and a 65-liter Osprey backpack. But size matters, and the Gregory was too small and the Osprey too big. Plus, …