The best backpack for trail running of 2021

Most customizable pack

This full-featured pack let us carry big loads in comfort.

This roomy option is a sweet deal for bargain hunters.

This all-around pack performed well in every category.

The biggest pack in the test also has one of the best-performing hydration systems.

A taut, trampoline-style backpanel provides best-in-test ventilation.

The test’s best trail running pack boasts smart pocket design.

Thanks to a form-hugging fit, the Salomon Agile 12 Set is the next best thing to wearing no pack at all.

The unique lumbar reservoir spreads water weight low across the hip shelf for improved stability.

In hot temps, this pack kept us coolest, thanks to max airflow across the back.

A drybag-style closure makes this pack the most functionally waterproof.

Plentiful pockets will please the most obsessive organizers.

A unique strap configuration obliterates pack sway and jiggle. Plus: great price.

Its triangular shape creates a snug, lumbar-hugging fit that eliminates all jostling—even while trail-running or mountain biking.

A hydration pack made for big days.

Use this streamlined chameleon as a stand-alone hydration daypack (it comes with a 2-liter reservoir) or slip it into the sleeve of your big pack and use it for day jaunts or summit sprints from basecamp.

A hearty hydration pack that's also water resistant.

Stay hydrated on the trail with these innovative filters and containers.

For sidecountry hikes and day tours from huts, the Gambler offers the next best thing to no pack at all.

Ultralight, affordable, and idiotproof. What's not to like?

Our favorite UV light water treatment tool just got lighter, smaller, and easier to recharge.

An all-in-one lightweight hydration system for snow lovers.

A gel/water system for those hard efforts when stopping and refueling isn't an option.

We ran this hydration bladder over with a truck...and nothing happened.

This digital device measures both how much you've drunk and how many ounces you have left in your hydration reservoir.

Quench your backcountry thirst with these new water (and wine!) products.

Keep your wine at the perfect temperature in the backcountry with this perfectly sized bottle.

Check out Bryan Bardley's author page.

Hate hoses? This bottle/filter combo is perfect for ultralighters in wet places

We tested more than 500 products–stoves, clothes, cameras, filters, tech tools, knives, and meals–to find these proven performers.

The year's best packs, boots, tents, jackets, and sleeping bags. Period. Plus, a never-die headlamp, a life-saving beacon, a back-saving ultralight chair, and more innovative, trail-tested gear.

Check out The Backpacker Editors, Photos by sethhughes.com's author page.

Not quite sure how to fit a pack, measure your torso, calculate your V02 max, patch a sleeping pad, or clean a funkified hydration unit? Watch and learn.

Prevent embarassing, water-wasting splashes by replacing your water bottle's lid with the Gription.

10 surprising uses for your water bottle.