Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Join Outside+ Create Free Account
Already have an account? Sign In
Outside Watch
Premium Films and Live TV
Campfire
Outside Learn
Expand your Skills with Online Courses
Podcasts
The Outside Podcast
Maps
Get the Free Gaia GPS App
Get the Free Trailforks App
Events
Find Your Event
New NFTs
Discover NFT Market
Outside+
See Membership Programs
Shop
Discover Outdoor Products
Advocacy
Find Your Good

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Join Outside+ Create Free Account
Already have an account? Sign In

Brands

Outdoor
Healthy Living
Endurance
Industry

Peace Out, Paywall

Unlock world-class adventure journalism.

Subscribe Now

Videos
Video loading...
Gear Videos

How to Pick the Perfect Hiking Backpack

Join Backpacker

Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites.

Join for free

Already have an account?

Sign In

Join Backpacker

Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites.

Join for free

Already have an account?

Sign In

Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional videos when you sign up for Outside+ Sign up for Outside+ today.

There are hundreds of backpacks on the market. Picking one requires juggling everything from capacity to weight to frame style. Our gear editor explains the basics of shopping for your next pack.