Topic: The Best Hiking Daypacks of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 32 times)
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Topic: The Best Hiking Daypacks of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 32 times)
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There are plenty of times that you’ll be carrying gear for more than just yourself, particularly if you have kids. In those situations, you’ll need more than 10 liters to fit all the layers and snacks you’re hauling into the backcountry.
The Gregory Zulu is a great solution for individuals hauling gear for the whole family. It’s so large that it could even be used as an overnight backpacking backpack by someone with some of the best ultralight backpacking gear. Along with the Mystery Ranch Coulee, it has a full suite of adjustments, including the back panel, waist belt, shoulder straps, load lifters, and sternum straps. During testing, the adjustability of this pack meant that it was one of the easiest to switch between different individuals (helpful if a kid needs a piggyback ride mid hike). While I appreciate its full-size hip belt pockets (just about any smartphone will fit fine in these), the lack of stretch in the front pouch pocket made it less versatile for stuffing extra layers on the go than I would have liked.
A best-in-class hiking daypack doesn’t always mean a zillion bells and whistles. The Black Diamond Trail Zip was the second lightest pack I looked at, but, when fully loaded, was as co*fortable as larger, heavier packs. Of course, part of that is because you really can’t fit much inside the Black Diamond Trail Zip—it just barely fit the items I was using for testing, with only a liter or so capacity to spare. That means this pack is best for experienced individuals that have their backcountry kit dialed down to the bare minimum—just what they need to have a co*fortable outing in the wilderness and nothing more.
It does however, boast a couple of features that avid hikers will appreciate, including protected side storage for trekking poles, a sleeve for one of the best hydration bladders along with an access point for the hydration tube, and a separate zip pocket for small items (like keys and a wallet) inside the main zip pocket. I also liked that it was made from a 100D nylon, meaning that it’s more than durable enough to stand up to the elements.
The Exped Splash 15 is a no-frills choice; it’s essentially a dry sack with nylon webbing straps attached—no hip belt or load lifters in sight. While this makes it a poor choice for the heavy loads of serious dayhikes, it shines in more everyday scenarios, like stashing a puffer coat along with some snacks and a water bottle.
Living in the soggy Pacific Northwest, I especially appreciated the Exped 15 for when I was caught unawares by a spring-time midday sprinkle. Its waterproofness, co*bined with its roll-top closure, makes this an excellent choice for longer backpacking trips, where it can be used to store extra clothing or one of the best camping quilts enroute, then transition to a daypack for shorter expeditions from basecamp.
Like the Exped Splash and Black Diamond Trail Zip, the Matador Freerain does not have a supportive back panel. The upside here is that this pack is very lightweight and extremely packable. The downside … well there isn’t really a downside. As long as you are reasonably careful with how you load the Matador Freerain, this pack carries typical daypack loads co*fortably. In fact, it was so co*fortable that the simple (and removable) nylon-webbing hip belt ended up being unnecessary—the chest strap alone was plenty to keep the pack secure against my body.
Like the Black Diamond Trail Zip, the Matador Freerain has fabric shoulder straps that conform to the shape of your shoulders. One difference between these two packs, however, is that the Freerain has load lifters, which allows you to choose how high or low to wear the pack—helpful for this long-torsoed tester.
During testing, I stuck one extra-tall full Nalgene bottle into the side to try to unbalance the pack. Impressively, and despite the minimal structure and overall weight of the pack, I could barely tell that there was any imbalance at all. That being said, it was somewhat difficult to get the bottle in there—to use on the trail you would need to stop and take off the pack to get the bottle in and out. Similarly, the sole front zip pocket just fit the snacks, map, headlamp, and filter I was using for testing, and it was a bit awkward to get items in and out. Plan to store the majority of your extra items in the main interior of this hiking daypack.
If you tend to work up a sweat on even mild day hikes, then it’s worth checking out the Osprey Syncro. Like other Osprey packs, the Sycnro features a ventilated back panel, which allows air to flow across your back, reducing moisture build up and minimizing the friction that can result in chafing and other disco*fort.
While other small-capacity packs tend to have a single large storage co*partment and not much else, the Osprey Syncro has a full suite of pockets, including two side mesh pockets, a small front storage pocket (perfect for your keys and wallet), a second front storage pocket with an internal mesh organization system, and a sleeve for your hydration bladder at the back. It also has an attachment buckle for a bicycle helmet.
While the Syncro does have a structured back panel, it does not have any adjustment points beyond the shoulder straps and sternum strap. Counterintuitively, this can actually cause the load to feel less balanced than if there was no back panel at all, as the top of the pack can pull away from the shoulders. Keep your heavier items packed at the bottom of this pack as much as possible.
The CamelBak Rim Runner is a great entry-level hiking daypack that includes the CamelBak Crux, OL’s pick for best hydration bladder for hiking. While other hiking daypacks have nothing more than a simple cloth sleeve for the hydration bladder, the Camelbak Rim Runner has a whole separate zip sleeve, in addition to the main zip pouch and smaller zip pocket at the front. (Strangely, the pack also has two side mesh bottle holders.)
The CamelBak Rim Runner is a middle of the road pack for adjustment points—with shoulders straps, a sternum strap, and a minimal hip belt—if you find that the fully featured back panels are overkill for you but you want something more supportive than a school pack, this pack is well-priced starting point.
The Hydroflask Day Escape was my best overall pick for the best backpack coolers, in large part due to its shape: It has a wider frame, with less depth, which holds the weight closer to your body than models that were free form or structured like a traditional cooler. While the backpack had (just) enough structure to support a heavier load, the lack of hip belt means that you should resist the urge to fully load this one up before heading out on a longer hike. One feature co*mon to backpacks but not to backpack coolers that the Day Escape included was a haul handle, which is handy for at-home storage.
In addition to being co*fortable, the Hydroflask Day Escape also has all the hallmarks of a great backpack cooler, being fully waterproof and holding ice for forty-eight hours during my insulation test. I also liked that it had an outside mesh pocket—useful for stashing small items or needing somewhere to stick your trail beer on the go.
Our pick for the best travel backpack, the Mountain Hardwear’s Redeye is built for speed. It’s slim for easy maneuvering in crowded spaces. It also has load lifters, a padded hipbelt, a padded back panel, padded straps, and a sternum strap to carry heavy weight co*fortably. You can easily access the main co*partment with a back panel zipper and U-shaped zipper on top. A long vertical side pocket features a lip of fabric over the top so that you can tuck or grab something from this pocket without unzipping anything.
A water bottle pocket on the opposite side has a cinch cord to keep items from falling out. The lid of the bag is also a pocket and there is a padded laptop sleeve. The thoughtful design of the many pockets make this bag the perfect carry on. The zipper pulls have loops making it quick and easy to access all zipper pockets. Handles on the front and back of the top make it easy to grab your luggage off a conveyor belt or out of a car or overhead bin. The removable hipbelt and tuckable straps can further streamline this pack for going through security or checking the bag.
It’s structured and co*fortable when carrying gear, heavy loads, and irregularly shaped objects, making it ideal for adventure travel too. The full back panel access is particularly convenient for car camping because you can access the contents of your bag without having to dump everything out or dig to the bottom. There are external attachment points for carabiners as well. Overall, this is the best carry-on backpack for almost any method of travel. —Ashley Thess
