Best of Backpacks 2023

A pack can make or break your time outside whether you are living out of it for days on end in the backcountry, counting on it to perform during a trail race, or just asking it to haul what you need for a few hours on the trail. Whatever your intended use, have a look at our top backpack picks for Spring/Summer 2023:

Osprey Atmos AG LT 50 and Aura AG LT 50 Women’s

Good luck doing a long hike anywhere in the world and not bumping into an Atmos or an Aura. They’re everywhere and with good reason, but they’re about to have company from a slimmed down sibling.…

UltrAspire Bronco

Ultrarunner Jeff Browning has won more than 25 100-mile races including some of the toughest and most competitive in the world, so you can imagine he has a pretty strong opinion about what a running pack…

Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest 6.0 and Women’s Mountain Vesta 6.0

Sure, super versatile “generalist” packs that are serviceable in any situation are great, but some adventures require the help of a true specialist. Running long in the mountains is just such an adventure and the Mountain…

Topo Designs Mountain Waist Pack

Call it a waist pack, a fanny pack, a hip bag, a sling. Honestly, call it whatever you like, but the Mountain Waist Pack is one good looking little carry solution and we’re big fans. We…

Sea to Summit Big River Dry Pack

We dare you to try to destroy the Big River Dry Pack. No, not really, but, trust us, this thing can shrug off a good beating and look good as new. Calling the 420D nylon fabric…

Salomon XT 15 2L

The XT 15 2L hydration pack clearly borrows from Salomon’s athletic heritage but detunes things a bit to better suit the needs of day hikers rather than just catering to runners. It fits closer to the…

Sierra Designs Flex Hike 20L-30L

We’ve been big fans of the horizontal compression system that Sierra Designs has been using on its large-sized Flex Capacitor packs and we’re excited to see that same innovative approach applied to a smaller offering. This…

Osprey Manta 24 and Mira 22 Women’s

The days of having to settle for a subpar pack in order to get something that came with a hydration system are long gone. The Manta 24 and Mira 22 Women’s packs are top-notch daypacks all…

Mystery Ranch Coulee 20

The Coulee 20 features one of our favorite Mystery Ranch designs, a 3-zip entry that really lets you crack the pack open wide to get hands on whatever you need. Another signature Mystery Ranch feature is…

Mountainsmith Tour

The iconic Tour lumbar pack refuses to go out of style. In fact, we don’t think it could care less about style one way or the other. It’s been going about its business of providing a…

Kelty Glendale 85

Over the years Kelty has built some of the most tried-and-true big backpacking packs and the latest iteration, the Glendale 85, lives up to that beloved heritage. When a pack says Kelty on it, you know…

Gregory Miko 25 and Maya 25 Women’s

The Miko and the women’s specific Maya are size-right daypacks that offer versatility for any variety of technical or laid-back adventures. We love the BioSync suspension system which allows the packs to hug your body instead…

Granite Gear Virga3 55

One of our most fickle ounce-counting Gear Specialists has long been a fan of Granite Gear’s super-streamlined and stripped down Virga packs. These frameless packs have always been designed with a completely minimalist mindset and a…

Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L

The folks at Eagle Creek are committed to helping folks “find your unknown” so it’s hardly a surprise that the Tour Travel Pack 55L has every little design touch and special feature you’d want for hosteling,…

Deuter Vertrail 16

For every alpinist, hiker, and trail runner who starts heading for home when weather takes a turn for the worse, there are others who relish the opportunity to test themselves in the elements or at least…

Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack

Tired of an endless parade of black or gray or some other drab color of travel packs? So are we and that’s just one of the many reasons we’re so fond of the Allpa 35L Travel…