Choosing the Best Backpack for Your Outdoor Adventures

Backpacks are a ubiquitous piece of equipment for many outdoor enthusiasts. They can carry anything from a tent and sleeping bag to food and water, with many backpacks offering features to accommodate specific activities. The best backpacks are designed to be comfortable for long periods of time and carry weight evenly across the shoulders, hips, and torso. The best backpacks will also feature ergonomically padded straps and a supportive waist belt. The best backpacks will have pockets and compartments to organize gear, and some will include special features like a laptop pocket or daisy chain for attaching camping essentials.

The term backpacking typically refers to traveling long-ish distances on foot and staying in wilderness areas for camping. It's associated with outdoor adventure and budget travel, and backpacking can involve anything from quick weekend trips to month-long thru-hikes. A backpacking trip requires a large amount of gear and can be quite physically demanding, but choosing the right backpack can make all the difference in comfort, fit, and organization.

A good backpack will be made of high-quality materials that can stand up to the rigors of backcountry travel, but it's also important to consider how a pack is built and designed. For example, a backpack that puts heavy gear directly on the wearer's shoulders can cause shoulder and neck pain. The pressure of the backpack can also cause people to lean forward, which can lead to lower and upper back pain. Wider straps will help to spread the weight more evenly and reduce these types of problems.

Other design elements to consider are the number of pockets and the size of those pockets. Having lots of small pockets can be convenient, but they may not be easy to access when the backpack is full. It's also a good idea to have at least one zippered compartment that's big enough to store a tent or sleeping bag. The main compartment of a backpack is usually the largest pocket.

Lastly, it's worth considering how the backpack is closed and secured. Most backpacks use a zipper to close, and some offer additional closure options like a buckle mechanism or a dry-bag type of closure for the main compartment. The front pocket on a backpack is usually a smaller zippered compartment. It's a convenient place to stash trail snacks and headlamps, but it can be difficult to reach when the pack is fully loaded.

Our team has put countless backpacks to the test on everything from weekend backpacking adventures in the Rocky Mountains to months-long thru-hikes around the globe. We've drawn on these experiences, consulted industry experts, and attended gear shows to bring you this streamlined selection of the best backpacks for backpacking. We've focused on balancing storage capacity, organization, and carrying comfort to choose backpacks that can handle anything from a quick overnight hike to a long-distance expedition.