Best Backpacks of 2024

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 2024:

Ultimate Direction Xodus Vesta Women’s and Xodus Vest

What do they say, build a better mousetrap or something like that? Instead of sticking to the same lookalike design as many running vests, the Xodus Vest and women’s-specific Xodus Vesta have a zip-up front that…

Sierra Designs Nexus Lite 40-50L

We’re not sure we’ve ever seen a backpacking pack as innovatively modular as the Nexus Lite. First off, it’s completely zipperless and, when done right, this design is hugely appealing in its removing one of the…

Salomon Women’s Active Skin 4 and Active Skin 4

We’ve always loved the way Salomon sends their athletes out onto the trails and takes their input to build cutting edge gear that meets the exacting standards of these elite performers. Know what we like even…

Osprey Tempest Velocity 30 Women’s and Talon Velocity 30

Wow, are these awesome packs! We’ve been beating up Tempests and Talons for years and years or trying to at least and we’ve always loved the way those ultra-lightweight packs hold up like heavyweights. The new…

Osprey Renn 65 Women’s and Rook 65

Tried-and-true performance at an affordable price sounds like a great combination to us. The Renn and the Rook deliver just that, giving you the carrying capability and comfort you knew you were going to get from…

NEMO Vantage 20L

Loudly and proudly, NEMO has been leading the charge on creating products intended to never ever end up in a landfill. The commute-ready and trail-capable Vantage 20L Endless Promise is built to last in the first…

Mystery Ranch Radix 47

People are quick to give Mystery Ranch credit for their sturdy, heavy-hauling packs and deservedly so, but their designers cover a lot more ground than that. The Radix 47 is an awesome example of the highly…

Mountainsmith Zerk 25

You often have to scrimp and save to get reliable gear at an ultralight weight, but that’s not the case with the gear fostered by the collaboration between Mountainsmith and The Real Hiking Viking. The Zerk…

Kelty Glendale 65

Last year Kelty introduced their Glendale packs, and we applauded the combination of load-hauling capability, a broad range of fit adjustability, smart organizational features, and an approachable price that together is exactly what we know we…

Gregory Jade 24 LT Women’s and Zulu 24 LT

Jades and Zulus have been some of our favorite backpacking packs over the years and we’re stoked to see Gregory unveil these sleeker, day-hiking oriented versions. If Gregory built it, you know it can carry weight…

Granite Gear Crown 40 ECO

A smaller version of the iconic and award-winning Crown 60, the Crown 40 ECO takes a big step forward on the trail of environmentally friendly construction. Like it’s larger sibling, it utilizes ultra-lightweight fabrication and a…

Fjallraven Kajka 55

The Kajka 55 doesn’t just look the part of a bring-it-on trekking pack, it stands up to that claim. It blends old world craftsmanship with modern updates, using a burly fabric that is free of nasty…

Deuter Aircontact Ultra 35+5 SL Women’s and Aircontact Ultra 40+5

German engineering has long been celebrated for the road but the Aircontact Ultra shows that it shines on the trail too! This pack checks all of a thru hiker’s boxes coming in at a weight of…