Introduction to the best day hiking backpack

What kind of sports backpack is the best day outdoor backpack? You may often hang out with equipment from morning to night, but when your clothes pocket can no longer satisfy the items you carry, it is a wise choice to put excess things in your backpack in a timely manner. Whether you are a backpacker or a student, you may use this versatile day backpack.

From hiking and climbing to cycling and running, even the use of computers is easy to consider.

One, how to choose a day hiking backpack

Whether you are a donkey friend or a student, you will need this kind of backpack in this life. There are too many such backpacks on the market, but how to choose a backpack that can meet your requirements?

When choosing a backpack, we mainly consider these two aspects: capacity and purpose.

Different backpacks have different functions, they are mainly aimed at your special needs. Capacity determines how many items you can carry and also determines the length of your activity. Adventure style backpacks are relatively large, this is to allow you to load warm clothing and climbing equipment so that you can stay in the mountains for a long time. Multi-day backpacks are mainly used for 2-7 days of travel, and their capacity is mostly between 30-80L. The capacity of a single day backpack is very small, basically around 20-30L. Sometimes when climbing lines or for light and fast use, their capacity will be smaller. These backpacks are mainly used to carry the necessary equipment for a day's activities. They mainly have a small amount of food and water plus some warm clothing.

Of course, remember to bring some items to deal with unexpected situations.

Second, the type of one-day package

Today, there are two main types of daypacks: one is more suitable for walking and the other is more suitable for daily use. Our review focused more on backpacks that can be used in combination. Therefore, when choosing, you should first meet your main goal, and then consider the versatility of the backpack.

01. Technical backpack

A backpack that is more designed for hiking and outdoor activities should have convenient functions such as trekking pole storage system and water bag storage. In the evaluation, there are backpacks suitable for this type of single use, such as Gregory Z25 and Marmot Kompressor Verve 26. Both backpacks have a very breathable back panel, but they lack the function of becoming the best urban backpack.

02. Leisure Backpack

Backpacks designed for daily use usually have better functions for storing items by category. For example, there should be a dedicated compartment for laptop computers. Kelty Redtail 27 and REI Trail 25 are representatives of such backpacks. They are designed with cushions on the back panel to prevent the corners of the contents of the bag from bumping back. All participating backpacks can be adapted to hiking activities, and only a few models have dedicated notebook compartments. If you need such a functional backpack, you can consider Patagonia Refugio and The North Face Recon two products.

3. Other uses of the one-day package

The attraction of daypacks is that they are too versatile. Few other types of backpacks can perfectly convert from outdoor to office. They are the kind of products that can always accompany you when you go out, whether it is short-line hiking, reading books on the beach in the afternoon, or going to the grocery store for shopping. Although we are primarily concerned about the performance of these backpacks during a day of hiking activities, they actually have many different uses.

01. Lightweight walking

Hiking equipment has become more and more lightweight and compact, and the current trend is also to carry less and lighter equipment. If you are the kind of backpacker who likes light weight, you will find that there is no need to carry that standard hiking backpack.

When the weight is less than 6KG, the backpack can be competent in a day.

Although some extreme lightweight players seek to design more simple backpacks, for the average backpacker, the participating backpacks can meet the needs of the use.

02. Personal belongings

With the increase in luggage shipping costs, more people are now looking for ways to replace luggage. One of the best ways is to find a backpack that can hold all your personal belongings. Most of the backpacks in this review can meet the airline ’s requirements for personal carry-on items, but please carefully check again whether these backpacks are consistent with the airline ’s requirements when purchasing.

Fourth, the evaluation criteria

01. Functionality

The similarities and differences between backpacks mainly depend on the various functions they have. Some backpacks have special functions that are more suitable for hiking, while others include some details that increase versatility.

Most backpacks contain a water pocket, belt and chest to tighten the webbing. In addition, most of them contain plug-in functions, which not only increases the number of equipment you can carry, but also makes your journey more convenient and fast.

For example, Osprey Talon, Gregory Z25 and Marmot Kompressor Verve 26 all contain a trekking pole storage system. Talon, Z25 and Deuter Speed Lite all contain ice pick rings. In addition, Talon is the only backpack with a bicycle helmet clip, but Deuter Speed Lite sells such accessories separately. If you plan to buy a multifunctional backpack suitable for outdoor, office and study, then REI Trail, Patagonia Refugio, Kelty Redtail and The North Face Recon are good choices. They all have a lot of separate pockets to store small items. And electronics. It must be mentioned here that Osprey Talon has also attached a stretch pocket on the shoulder strap that can accommodate mobile phones, GPS or MP3 electronic products.

02. Weight

Function and weight are always contradictory options.

REI Flash weighs only 340 grams and is the only backpack with only one storage compartment. It adopts an upper-opening main warehouse design similar to a multi-day hiking backpack, and all equipment can only be stored in this only space. The other backpacks are U-shaped zippered main compartments, and there are many compartments with zippers to increase weight. Marmot Kompressor Verve 26 uses a D-shaped zipper design similar to a suitcase, which provides great convenience for carrying climbing equipment. Gregory Z25 (850g) is the heaviest player in the backpack due to the design of the net-back aluminum bracket. It is followed by Marmot Kompressor Verve 26 of 770 grams. The lightest backpacks are the award-winning REI Flash 18 (340g), Deuter Speed Lite 20 (510g) and Osprey Talon 22 (680g).

03. Comfort

The comfort of the backpack depends on the three aspects of adjustability, carrying capacity and breathability.

Since Osprey Talon 22 has a complete cushion at the waistband, it increases overall comfort. In addition, this backpack is also ahead of other competitors in terms of ease of use and adjustability. The worst performer in this regard is REI Flash 18, which has neither a comfortable belt nor a good carrying capacity. Gregory Z25 has excellent carrying performance and breathability due to the use of a carrying system with a mesh back aluminum bracket. However, because the back of the net separates the backpack from the body by a large distance, it will cause a backward pull on the body when carrying a heavy object. The back plates of Osprey Talon 22 and Marmot Kompressor Verve 26 also have good ventilation effects. They can bring better comfort to users in the hot season like Gregory Z25. Although Deuter Speed Lite, REI Trail 25 and Kelty Redtail all use padding with mesh on the back panel, they are mainly to prevent the items in the backpack from hitting the human body, so they are still the same as the previous three backpacks in terms of ventilation There is a big gap.

04. Versatility

Unlike special-purpose backpacks such as rock climbing and skiing, day backpacks usually have functions to meet various usage requirements.

Osprey Talon 22 is most suitable for sports activities, it can be well adapted to cycling, hiking and mountaineering. The REI Trail 25 is more suitable for travel, work and study. Backpacks like Marmot Kompressor Verve and Gregory Z25 can only use their best performance when hiking. REI Flash 18 is a backpack with the best versatility. It can not only meet the needs of urban commuting, but also a great storage bag in outdoor activities.

05. Durability

Durability depends mainly on the materials used in the backpack. Most of them use strong nylon or torn nylon fabric.

The only thing that may affect durability is the fasteners on the backpack. Brands like Deuter and Gregory use patented fasteners, which means that once damaged, it is difficult to replace them. Ordinary fasteners are easy to purchase and only need to replace the damaged end, while patented fasteners mean that you must replace damaged fasteners in their entirety.

06. Ease of use

10 types of necessities

1. Navigation equipment-map, compass, mobile phone and GPS.

2. Help-seeking device-Personal positioning help-seeking equipment and the whistle included with the package. Although Gregory Z25 and Kelty Redtail are not equipped, you can use your mobile phone to call for help when there is a signal.

3. Water bags-All backpacks have a water bag compartment, but some small-capacity backpacks are more suitable for carrying about 1L of water bags.
4. Nutrition-beef jerky, energy bars and other snacks.

5. Sunscreen products-sunglasses, sunscreen, and caps.

6. Clothing-a technical soft shell that can withstand wind and water splashes.

7. Shelter-emergency camping bags, first aid blankets, etc.

8. Lighting device-first class and battery etc.

9. First aid kit

10. Fire-fighting device-a lighter stick and a short candle.

07. Other accessories

Most manufacturers provide rain covers that are compatible with backpacks. The rain cover can provide good protection for the backpack when you encounter heavy rain. REI Trail 25 is the only backpack with its own rain cover. It is placed in a special storage bag. A 24-hour waterproof test was carried out on the recommended backpacks. Although the design did not take into account the full waterproof capacity of the backpack, they are only good against water splashes. But after 24 hours of testing, we were pleasantly surprised to find that all backpacks can basically keep most of the items in the bag dry. Do n’t forget the water bag mentioned above, of course you have to buy it separately. Here we recommend the Geigerrig Hydration Engine, which is versatile, easy to clean and durable.