The North Face Interval 25

[best mobility]

With a tall, narrow packbag and svelte shoulder straps and hipbelt, this pack excelled when testers needed maximum freedom of motion—like when stemming through slot canyons in Utah. “I carried about 35 pounds through some tight squeezes,” says one tester. “Arm movement was excellent and I could stand up straight, even with a full load.”

A stiffened backpanel surrounded by an aluminum frame effectively transfers weight to the dual-density hipbelt (with firmer foam outside for structure, and cushy foam inside for comfort). Unlike stripped-down climbing packs, it has ski, pole, and gear-racking loops, sleeping pad straps, daisy chains, and even a detachable camera/GPS pocket. “Gear swapping was a breeze,” wrote one tester after toy-intensive winter hikes in the Smokies. Caution: Don’t overload it; stability suffers if you max out the extendable top lidX-Vent Plus™ trampoline mesh back panel mapped with Airmesh pods + Sturdy, lightweight aluminum X-frame®
+ Large, easy-access panel load + Vertical zip stash pocket with organizer + Hypalon®, reinforced lash points
and compression + Hydration compatible with padded universal sleeve + Stretch woven side water-bottle
pockets + Stretch woven shoulder harness electronics pocket + Sliding sternum strap with Safe-T whistle
+ Refective hits