How to Buy a Great Daypack for Hiking
Daypacks come in all shapes and sizes, so it can be hard to know where to start when shopping for one. That’s why Matt Connors, director of product creation at Gregory Mountain Products, says to focus on what’s comfortable and long-lasting.
For instance, a padded back will help you carry your load in comfort. To keep you cooler, look for open mesh and perforations on the back panel and shoulder straps, which add breathability.
YOUR FIRST QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU NEED A DAYPACK FOR?
Determining when, where and how far you hike — and how much gear you’ll carry — is a first step toward narrowing choices. Do you want to go lightweight and minimalist or have abundant capacity and an assortment of pockets and features? Should your daypack be built for toughness or be lighter for trekking easygoing trails?
Then, of course, there’s price.
After answering those questions, look at these factors when choosing a daypack:
SUSPENSION
“Lots of daypacks can have too much structure,” Connors says. “When you’re carrying 10 pounds or less, you don’t need a lot of support.”
So save weight with a pack that’s not overbuilt. A webbing waist belt will help stabilize your load when you’re scrambling around on rocks, for example.
OSPREY DAYLITE ($65, osprey.com) and DAYLITE JR. ($45, osprey.com) are sturdy daypacks made for Scouts of all sizes. The Daylite has a spacious main compartment with a hydration sleeve and a clip so your reservoir doesn’t slouch. The front pocket is also big, with open inner organization pockets plus a key clip. Stretchy mesh pockets hold different sizes of water bottles. The shoulder straps and back are also made with mesh so they don’t soak up your sweat. A little bit of foam gives the back some structure without adding a lot of weight. And the waist strap keeps the load in place. (Waist strap not included on the Daylite Jr.)
MATERIALS
Fabric is key when it comes to long-lasting daypacks. For instance, a heavier fabric will resist rocks and abrasion; a wear-resistant fabric will feel solid to the touch. And you shouldn’t be able to see light through the stitching at the seams. If you do, they’ll likely rip out.
ORGANIZATION
Connor advises choosing a pack with good organization, but not one with tons of tiny pockets. And how you organize matters.
When you’re packing, put in your hydration reservoir first and bulky gear next. Store your compass, knife, headlamp and snacks in a smaller pocket for quick access. And always carry the heaviest weight, like water, low on your body.
GREGORY NANO 18 ($74.95, gregory.com) is the most spacious of these daypacks. I love the foam and mesh back and shoulder straps, as well as the ultratough nylon fabric on the front and bottom. The Nano’s hydration pocket separates your water from the rest of your gear, and elastic on both shoulder straps lets you thread your drinking hose through either side. The big zippered front pocket has mesh organization and a key clip, while the spacious main compartment has space for a puffy jacket and lunch, with room to spare.
CAPACITY
A daypack that can hold between 16 and 22 liters has enough space for most dayhikes for which you’re carrying extra layers of clothes, food, water and a few incidentals (camera, first-aid kit, fishing pole). If you want to carry more, especially in wintry conditions, look at packs with 28-40 liters of space. For a quick hike in good weather, a 12-liter pack works.
FIT
As with larger backpacks, the fit affects comfort, especially with more weight in the pack. Models made for youth have smaller, narrower suspensions. Teens can often wear adult models, in which small daypacks designed for 10 pounds or less often come in one size, while larger daypacks often come in two or three sizes and in men’s and women’s models.
THE NORTH FACE BOREALIS CONVERTIBLE PACK ($89, thenorthface.com) has less structure in the body of the bag, but it can be carried as a daypack or hip pack. As a daypack, it has two zippered pockets in addition to the main compartment, as well as a bungee cord system and a small stuff pouch. As a hip pack, the bag has a stuff pouch and a zippered front pocket. The backpack shoulder straps unclip so they can be stashed inside the bottom of the pack, which becomes the hip pack. It’s a clever system with good support.
Ask the Gear Guy
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Where to Find an Inexpensive and Comfortable Daypack
What to pack in a daypack?
Whoa!!!!! That scooter backpack is sooo me. I would always be using the scooter mode.
I got the army one
Those are very expensive options. I recommend going for something reasonable ones like Serbags Backpacks, if you’re in canvas material.
I use a Maxpedition bag. Pricey, but the very best quality bag you can buy. Will last you years.
thanks for my camping backpack
Man I really love packs with hip belts. The equal distribution of weight is so important for distance hiking, if you’re a car camper it is not needed however.
I prefer backpacks without any hip belts, I really like all the weight on my shoulders instead, it feels good.
i really want gear but my dad says no
Why??
Just bought a Duluth Pack; Sahara daypack. This is really cool and talk about being made tough, wow! Thanks for the suggestion. Love the life time warranty too.
I have the REI Lookout 40 pack which is a very comfortable and durable pack with a full frame (HDPE frame sheet, aluminum stay) for only $100.
Scout Direct sells Alps Mountaineering packs for 40% off to scouts; really nice packs and tents too. I have the Solitude 3300 ci model w/ waist belt. Give it a peek.
I just got a new day pack called The Compact Assault Pack b Condor. It has a little over 1000 C.U.I (cubic inches). It will be my primary hunting back pack as well as a day pack.
Am I the only one who uses High Sierra?
Yup!
My son uses a small High Sierra day pack when we go on bike rides. I just stick with my Black Hawk pack though. If its lasted me this long then why buy something else?
nope i use high sierra i have one for school one as a day pack and one as a hunting and backpacking bag
Yuppers
I really have so many backpacks, I won’t need another till I’m 40! I love my New Balance bag, but the elastics on the front are a breaking hazard!
If you can afford $100.00 a Duluth Pack Daypack is great and guaranteed for life; find that anywhere else. I have two: blue for summer and orange for winter. Made with thick waterproof canvas, leather straps (Padded if desired) and rivits.
I love the duluth pack backpacks! They are incredibly durable, strong and many are quite big. My only complaint is the dye used to color the fabric stains everything in the backpack when it gets wet. You might want a pack cover if you use it outdoors or where it might get wet
They are supposted to be sealed in Canvac before outdoor use. This prevent color bleeding.
My old day pack is falling apart time to find a new one.
I have the Flash 18. It holds a bladder, has lots of space, has a hip belt and a sternum strap,and it turns inside out becoming a sleeping bag stuff sack. It is $30 at REI.
Try a Teton Sports The Executive pack. I don’t actually own it but I do have the Explorer 4000 and the Scout 3400 and both are great packs so I highly recommend any Teton products they are cheap but reliable. P.S. Go to Gear Guy backpacks and see my comment on the Explorer 4000. Hope you like it.
Man try other packs instead of just Tetons!
I did I tried i tinny Remington pack and that was terrible! I guess I love tetons so much because I had such a bad pack before i got a good one
maxpedition all the way. I own a Falcon 2. it may seem expensive, but it is worth the price.
North Face makes some good day packs, but unlike Camelbak, it doesn’t have good space for a waterbladder. I just got a Camelbak daypack for x-mas and just looking at it I can tell it is awesome.
Your right camelbaks are great.
North face makes horrible packs
I just use my hunting pack for scouting activities. I have a Cabela’s Scout Elite pack. its got enough room for the essentials, plus anything else I want to throw in there. Plus they come in lots of different camo patterns, so can pick the one that looks most like where you hunt. Mine’s a sagebrush pattern, and it blends in really well.
The name sounds sweet but how much $ is it?
camelbak is good for a camp daypack
Sometimes the Walmart brand is a good choice for a cheap day pack. They are very good.
That’s true, I just bought a daypack from Wal-mart and it works just as well as the more expensive sports store variety~~~worked much better on my pocketbook, too.
i have a real good element pak
DON`T OVER PACK!!!!
I want a durable daypac
Guys, they’re day packs! They’re aren’t meant to look cool. They are just meant to carry your simple small gear, water, and stuff you’d use for the day. And they are NOT YOUR SCHOOL BACKPACK!!! They don’t cost that much, the most expensive one I’ve seen was like $15. Unless you mean Camel-Backs and stuff like that, those can be a little pricy.