The 13 Best Hiking Backpacks of 2019

Our testers found load haulers for every trip and hiker. Pick yours and enjoy the spoils.

Author:: Nancy Bouchard
Publish date:: Mar 13, 2019

Sometimes it's a little. Sometimes it's a lot. But no matter what hike you're tackling, you're going to have to carry something. Do it in comfort (and style, even) with these 13 trail-tested backpacks, ranging from lightweight hydration packs to expedition-grade load-haulers.

The Rail’s speed-friendly design impressed our testers when they were legging it down the trail. It’s slim enough that it never interferes with arm swing, and despite the small volume the long, narrow packbag has plenty of room for the included 2.5-liter HydraPak reservoir, extra layers, and lunch. Buy Thule Rail 8L Now / Read the Full Review

With the Allpa’s organizational features, you’ll never lose track of your stuff. The main packbag hinges open like a suitcase: One half holds bigger items like pants and jackets and has two internal compression straps to keep clothes flat, while the other has two sandwich-size mesh compartments for underwear and socks, plus room for a pair of light boots and a puffy. Buy Cotopaxi Allpa 28L Travel Pack Now / Read the Full Review

Alpinists want two things in a pack: high durability and low weight. Unfortunately, they usually have to choose one or the other. Not so with the Whiteout, which uses a barely-there, 150-denier polyester fabric reinforced with Dyneema thread to make the pack ultralight and nearly indestructible. Buy EXPED Whiteout 30 Now / Read the Full Review

Testers called this pack “the favorite sweater” of the group—they were happy to leave the Eiger on all day. The S-shaped shoulder straps are more curved than normal, similar to those on women’s-specific packs, but testers of both genders reported that load distribution was perfect, with no hot spots or pinching under 30-pound loads. Buy Marmot Eiger 42 Now / Read the Full Review

If you go through packs like other hikers go through socks, the Alpha AR is for you. It’s made of nylon that’s reinforced with a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) grid, which increases the tear strength of the material by 30 percent. That means it can take some abuse—squeezing through chimneys, tossing it around at the crag, and sliding through slots. Buy Arc'teryx Alpha AR 35 Now / Read the Full Review

The best compression in the test, plus low weight, make the Ogre our favorite for fast-and-light missions and quick overnights. “With careful packing, and by extending the floating lid, I squeezed a tent, sleeping bag, food, and clothes for an overnight in the Eastern Sierra,” one tester says. Buy Mountain Equipment Ogre 33+ Now / Read the Full Review

The weight-to-capacity ratio of this hauler made it a favorite among testers. Designers trimmed fat by just using a thin steel perimeter frame, which still supported 30 pounds on a three-day trek through Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon. Buy REI Co-op Men's Flash 45 and REI Co-op Women's Flash 45 Now / Read the Full Review

You usually have to wait for close-out sales to get a pack like this at such an affordable price. How does Osprey keep the cost so low? Designers made cuts in key areas: no front stash pocket, a fixed lid instead of a floating one, static mesh instead of stretch side pockets, and one-way zippers. Buy Osprey Rook 50 and Renn 50 Now / Read the Full Review

Despite its light weight, the Blaze carries like a porter. You never really feel the pounds, even with north of 40 on board. The rigid support comes from the plastic framesheet—updated this year to be even more supportive—and the hipbelt foam is the exact right amounts of structure and cush. Buy Granite Gear Blaze 60 Now / Read the Full Review

Packs in this weight class are often stripped-down models with little in the way of organizational features and torso adjustments. Not so with the Banchee. A large shove-it pocket with two zippered compartments, bigger-than-average side pockets, a sleeping bag compartment, and a two-pocket lid make this pack easy to load and live out of. Buy The North Face Banchee 65 Now / Read the Full Review

The Zulu hits the trifecta of breathability, comfort, and organization, and it weighs less than 4 pounds. That, combined with the 65-liter capacity, makes it a top pick for anyone looking for a versatile multiday pack. Buy Gregory Zulu 65 and Jade 63 Now / Read the Full Review

No one likes sweat pouring down his or her back, which is why everyone should like the Zyro. The pack barely touches your back: A butterfly-shaped pad cushions your shoulder blades, but the lower pack rests well off your back. Buy Kelty Zyro 68 Now / Read the Full Review

If you have dreams of carrying 50 pounds in comfort, this 71-liter behemoth is your pack. Four vertical stays (rather than the usual two) give the Glacier best-in-test load transfer. Buy Mystery Ranch Men's Glacier and Women's Glacier Now / Read the Full Review

Thule Rail 8L

The Rail’s speed-friendly design impressed our testers when they were legging it down the trail. It’s slim enough that it never interferes with arm swing, and despite the small volume the long, narrow packbag has plenty of room for the included 2.5-liter HydraPak reservoir, extra layers, and lunch. Buy Thule Rail 8L Now / Read the Full Review

Bonus: Honorable Mentions

The 30-liter Ostra can comfortably handle dayhikes, ultralight overnights, and commuting. One tester liked its breathable backpanel as well as its chest and light hip straps for carrying loads up to 15 pounds. The pack easily handled her extra layers, snacks, and baby accessories on a hike to Rattlesnake Ledge in the Washington Cascades. However, she wanted more organization, noting that the single top pocket was small and didn’t allow easy access to items like sunscreen and snacks. $80; 2 lbs. 2 oz.; one size; 30 liters. Buy Cotopaxi Ostra Pack 30L Now

Testers praised this pack’s ability to make big loads disappear. On a four-day trek in Oregon’s Three Sisters Wilderness, one tester carried 50 pounds of winter camping gear in the Altus and said it only felt like 30 pounds, thanks to an EVA backpanel that curves into the hipbelt and a 15mm-thick aluminum frame. He also liked the organization on the front of the pack, which has a shove-it pocket, a zippered stow compartment, and zippered access to the main packbag. $220; 4 lbs. 1oz.; two m's sizes, one w's size; 57 liters. Buy Lowe Alpine Altus 52 : 57 Now

When you have a dense load of gear and a long approach, a minimalist alpine pack—with its minimalist suspension—won’t do. For those trips, we like the Trion. “The pivoting hipbelt provided solid distribution for my 50-pound load of ropes, gear, and food,” one Yosemite National Park ranger says. “Hiking down from Half Dome, I high-stepped over logs and scrambled down ledges, but the pack adjusted to my stride with every step.” Tradeoffs: A lack of organizing pockets (it does have ski carry straps, though), and the price is high for a pack this size. $350; 3 lbs. 4 oz.; one size; 50 liters. Buy Mammut Trion Spine 50 Now

This ultralight pack is designed for thru-hikers carrying minimalist loads of of gear and food. With no framesheet it requires careful packing to keep sharp objects away from your back, but thick, padded shoulder straps and hipbelt wings let us tote loads up to 25 pounds in comfort. The Burn’s Dyneema-composite fabric held up to a full summer of hiking in Oregon’s Deschutes National Forest. A large mesh pocket on the back can fit a tarp or small tent, and side pockets each fit a 1-liter water bottle. $275; 1 lb.; S-L; 38 liters Buy Mountain Laurel Designs Burn DCT 38L Now

The Mayhem is an affordable option for multiday trips that offers laudable access and organization. A gigantic zipper on the front let us flay the pack open to use as a rope bag during climbing excursions, and two organizing pockets on the toplid, as well as two on the hipbelt, two side pockets, and a kangaroo pocket, made sure we never lost track of smaller items. Its wide foam shoulder straps and hipbelt let us carry loads up to 35 pounds in comfort, and the backpanel’s foam pods allow enough air to circulate that our backs never got too sweaty. $180; 2 lbs. 15 oz.; one size; 45 liters. Buy Mountainsmith Mayhem 45 Now

The Atrack is a waterproof pack that carries much better than the usual drysacks-with-straps. A thick, padded hipbelt and similarly comfortable shoulder straps allowed one tester to carry 25 pounds on a two-day trip in Olympic National Park. And although the rain didn’t let up the entire time, his camera equipment stayed dry thoughout. Bonus: The submersible Atrack is easy to load and unload thanks to a waterproof zipper that splits the packbag down the middle. $285; 3 lbs. 6 oz.; one size; 45 liters. But Ortlieb Atrack 45 Now

This waterproof (but not submersible) pack is great for coastal adventures. With a large external mesh pocket, secured with a drawstring, you can keep wet gear separate while the rest goes in the waterproof main compartment. A light backpanel and a removable hipbelt strap mean it’s not meant for loads over 20 pounds, but testers appreciated its ability to fold up and stash in larger packs. $129; 1 lb. 11 oz.; one size; 35 liters. Buy Patagonia Planing Roll Top Pack 35 Now

Cotopaxi Ostra Pack 30L

The 30-liter Ostra can comfortably handle dayhikes, ultralight overnights, and commuting. One tester liked its breathable backpanel as well as its chest and light hip straps for carrying loads up to 15 pounds. The pack easily handled her extra layers, snacks, and baby accessories on a hike to Rattlesnake Ledge in the Washington Cascades. However, she wanted more organization, noting that the single top pocket was small and didn’t allow easy access to items like sunscreen and snacks. $80; 2 lbs. 2 oz.; one size; 30 liters. Buy Cotopaxi Ostra Pack 30L Now