How to choose a Hiking Backpack

Being lifelong travelers, all of us love our lightweight, multipurpose gear that will withstand the rigors of the road. Gear needs to be dependable, multifunctional, durable and perform beyond expectations. Nothing could be truer in terms of purchasing a good hiking backpack, especially considering it will likely be your own home away from home. Traveling, especially long-term, will literally test the bounds of your bag plus your body, therefore this decision won’t be made impulsively. Buying your backpack should not be a rushed decision and factors like trip length, capacity, material, functionally and luxury should invariably be considered. When I first got serious about getting a good pack, I became at REI for a good Three hours -I think they did start to suspect I became trying to get employment.


If my three hours was any suggestion, purchasing a good backpack is not an easy task. With countless Backpack Manufacturers and styles, it may understandably be overwhelming. Anything you do, don’t go cheap. You will be doing yourself a disservice and buy a new one anyways. A great backpack is definitely an investment. You should not spend $500 on the backpack, but be skeptical of cheap, no-frills, mediocre $70 brands, as you’ll regret the look flaws and deficiency of extras. Spend more for a good backpack coming from a trusted brand, and will also become your companion for most trips into the future. The Osprey pack I eventually settled on has traveled when camping in the U.S to the Middle East for 10 awesome years and I know it has one other good 10 years to look.

Travel Backpack or Hiking Backpack

Before you start searching for the correct pack, it is critical to understand the difference between travel backpacks and hiking backpacks. A travel backpack is often a backpack-suitcase hybrid having a zippered side panel much like a suitcase. Hiking backpacks include the additionally seen cylindrical top loading packs with straps, clips along with a top lid. Many people provide an opinion that hiking backpacks are just suited to the backcountry and contains room to the backpacker, I disagree. What works for you personally ultimately depends upon personal preference and type of travel. Travel backpacks are great for easy, organized entry to gear and transporting from hostel to hostel. Additionally they work well for short walks or even being a daypack.

Conversely, in case you possibly have camping or long treks inside your travel plans, you might want to consider a hiking backpack. Hiking backpacks are designed for comfort, proper weight distribution, and toughness. Unlike a travel backpack, hiking backpacks can have enhancements like full-sized hip belts, shoulder and back suspension systems in addition to plenty of load bearing straps to mitigate discomfort. Granted the very best down packing isn’t as on the way of access your gear, but that is part in parcel to proper weight distribution. A great compromise is usually to get yourself a hiking backpack with side load access.

I’m generalizing a lttle bit since they will have travel backpacks which might be inside the upper capacity range with an increase of advanced suspension systems, but if you’ll receive a 70L travel backpack, you might at the same time opt for a hiking backpack. Trust me, you will end up glad in college for your unexpected 20 mile trek to another location town.

Personal Backpacking Style

Next, determine the style of travel you normally enjoy. Unless you’re willing to buy a different backpack for each trip, figuring out your travel style could save you a lot of money over time and give you a piece of foundation gear that’s ready for any trip. As an illustration, in case you generally go on week long trips don’t need to get yourself a high capacity bag and may probably make do with a 35 liter to 50 liter (L) pack, whereas living long-term on the road may require 65L or greater.

Dimensions are pretty subjective though and shouldn’t be the sole determining factor. Many people can pack very simplistic, where others require a extra. To understand factors:

Just how long is the trip:

With regards to the length of your vacation the proportions and overall weight of your pack will be different. Short trips require less capacity, and long trips typically want more. But bear in mind that the larger the pack the heavier it can be. 50lbs may not seem a whole lot initially, but 2 months in and will also seem like a huge amount of bricks.

What sort of Activities will you do:

I believe that one bag can rule them all since i have generally use my pack for everything. However, it isn’t really the situation for all. Knowing what kind of activity you will end up doing will help you zero in on that perfect backpack. If you aren’t intending on carrying it around much, consider a travel backpack or perhaps a wheeled backpack, whereas in case you foresee yourself doing long treks then the hiking backpack may be far better. I enjoy then come almost any spontaneous activity, so I lean more towards hiking backpacks. Also, hiking backpacks are often made a bit tougher, so take into account that the harder challenging the activity, the better the force on the bag.

Lightweight or the kitchen sink:

Although I pointed out earlier that dimension is not the principle determining factor, it’s still imperative that you consider capacity based on that which you plan to bring. If ultra light is the goal, avoid high capacity backpacks as you’ll invariably bring a lot of or you do find a way to pack light your backpack won’t distribute the extra weight properly. Conversely, should your backpack is just too small, you’ll not be able to you must do everything. Know the gear you’re bringing and pick the capacity of your bag accordingly. Please take the circumstances to a store to view how it fits in the packs. An established retailer, like REI, do not possess a problem with this.

Things to look for In A Hiking Backpack

Backpacks vary in functionality as much as they do in look, using the higher priced models keeping the most great features. Just like everything, your selection this is closely related to what type of traveling you like to do.

Water-resistant

Your pack is typically not gonna be completely waterproof. Meaning, if submerged, or perhaps a torrential downpour your clothing and equipment will get wet. Although most backpacks now have a rain cover, you still would like it to be generated of an tough, rip proof, and light-weight silicone coated nylon or Cordura type material that permits rain or water to bead off and not soak through.
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About the Author: Annette Nardecchia

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