AMC Outdoors, June 2002

By Michael Lanza

Some people look at the number of packs in my closet and scratch their heads. I try to explain, but they just don't understand. I use every pack I own. Really.

There's my full-size backpack, capacity about 5,500 cubic inches (ci), for week-long, three-season trips and winter multi-days. There's my weekend backpack, about 3,500 ci, for one- or two-night outings when I'm not carrying much. There's my stalwart first climbing pack, about 2,500 ci, into which I can fit a rack, rope, and everything I need for a full-day rock climb. Of course, I also have a lighter (under 2 lbs.) and slightly smaller (2,200 ci) technical day pack ideal for an ultralight day of backcountry skiing or climbing. Oh, yes, and there's my really tiny and lightweight day pack (1,200 ci), for warm-weather hikes or half-day rock climbs when I need only water, a snack, and a jacket. And last, naturally, I have a nice lumbar pack—well, two of them, actually—of just under 1,000 ci, with bottle holders, great for a variety of short outings.

Are you in the market for a pack—or seven? There are many more choices out there today than you'll find even in my crowded closet, from small day packs to expedition backpacks, with highly specialized models designed for specific activities, from hiking to rock and ice climbing, skiing, and snowboarding. The plethora of models means this: You can probably find a pack with the fit, price, capacity, and features you want, without having to accept features that, for your purposes, add nothing more than cost, weight, and bulk.

You may find packs categorized in any number of ways, but for this article, I'll divide them into three basic types: day packs, specialized technical packs, and multi-day backpacks.

Day Packs
This is a broad category with a huge number of products. For starters, eliminate from consideration anything intended primarily as a book bag, travel pack, or for any purpose other than hiking. Many of these are less expensive than hiking day packs because they're not built for the amount of use and abuse that hiking packs take; they'll fall apart.

How big a day pack do you need? If you're carrying only water, snack bars, and a light wind shell for a trail run or short hike, there's an abundance of choices, from packs with hydration systems and pockets in various sizes to small fanny packs with a thin belt, a bottle holder or two and a few hundred cubic inches of storage space. I prefer a hydration pack for something like a trail run or mountain biking. Price range: $15 to $100-plus.

To carry food, water, and clothing for yourself only, on an all-day hike from spring through fall, look for a day pack or lumbar pack with a capacity of about 600 to 1,200 ci. A lumbar pack has no shoulder straps, so all the weight rides on your hips, which is fine for carrying up to about 10 pounds but can get uncomfortable for your lower back with more weight. A lumbar pack should have decent padding in the hipbelt, and side stabilizer straps to pull the load into your hips. Similarly, most day packs of this size are comfortable carrying up to about 15 pounds, but lack the padding and support for heavier loads. Most have pockets for organizing your stuff and basic exterior features like an ax loop or daisy chains, the nylon loops to which you can hook items such as water bottles or other gear. Price range: usually under $100.

Specialized Technical Packs
I lump into this category packs intended for day trips, but designed with the support to comfortably carry up to 20 or 30 pounds, enough capacity (about 2,000 to 3,500 ci) for gear-intensive outings, and features specific to activities like hiking (longer three-season and winter outings), mountaineering, rock and ice climbing, and backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Designs and features vary tremendously, as do capacity, the pack's empty weight, the suspension system (hipbelt and shoulder straps), organization, and access.

Some of the specialized features on these packs include external pockets for a snowboard; compression straps for skis or to stabilize contents when the pack's not full; double ax loops; loops and straps for attaching trekking/ski poles; climbing-gear loops on the hipbelt; removable stays and back pad to let you reduce the weight or give you a pad to bivy on; loops and tough nylon packcloth for hauling up a cliff; and removable pockets and shovel flaps. Some packs are designed for multiple activities, others primarily for one activity. Think about how much weight you'll carry and how much support, access, and capacity you need. Some models adjust to different torso lengths, others come in a few sizes to meet the same need. Price range: $100 to $200-plus.

Multi-day Backpacks
Manufacturers keep making these packs more comfortable, even with loads up to 40 or 50 pounds. They have suspension systems that adjust to a wide range of torso lengths, and you can often swap out items like the hipbelt to customize fit. Some companies are trying to distinguish their products from the competition with features like see-through map windows, exterior mesh pockets, internal hydration systems, organizational or removable pockets, varied ways to access the main compartment, internal compression to keep contents from shifting, and lid pockets that convert to lumbar packs, among other things.

The capacity you need depends on how light you travel, but here's a rough correlation of capacity with trip length: weekend packs generally range from 3,500 to 4,500 ci; packs for trips up to a week long, 4,500 to 6,000 ci; expedition packs, more than 6,000 ci. Some packs in this category have been getting lighter, thanks in part to lighter materials. But weight reduction is sometimes achieved through cutting back on the suspension system. If you're buying a pack for multi-day trips and expect to haul a heavy load, an extra pound or two in the weight of your pack won't be noticed, but you will notice the compromised comfort of a minimalist suspension system. Price range: $150 to $350-plus.

How Much Should I Spend?
That's the question on everyone's mind—especially if you're thinking you might need two, three, or more different packs. Besides the obvious consideration—your budget—think about how important performance is to you. Whatever type of pack you're buying, an expensive model should give you nothing less than a perfect, very comfortable fit and the features you want. A mid-priced pack should still provide pretty good comfort and fit, though its adjustability may be limited, and it may have fewer features. Low-priced packs always sacrifice somewhere, usually in comfort, fit, and variety of features, but may still be a good bargain as long as they're made well enough to survive hard use.

If you can afford a high-end pack and expect to get plenty of use out of it, you'll find it worth the money, especially if you tend to hike several miles a day (when good fit is really appreciated). If you expect to use a pack only occasionally, or if it's your first pack and you're not certain how much you'll use it or what you want, it doesn't make sense to take out a second mortgage to finance it. Save your pennies for your second pack ... or seventh.

—Michael Lanza is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Travel, from AMC Books.