The Best Hiking Daypacks to Carry All Your Hiking Gear

Mammut's new Ducan Spine is the pack you need for more challenging terrain. This pack features the company's Active Spine technology — a design that hugs and adapts to your own spine. This feature allows greater freedom of movement at your hips and shoulders and encourages a more natural gait pattern, which is something you'll greatly appreciate on more physically demanding routes.

Everything else about this pack is designed for hiking fast over long distances with a heavy load. It has variable packing volumes, depending on how much gear you need, thanks to a pocket that can be removed and attached on either the back or the hip panel.

Extra storage comes from some bungee-style overflow straps, plus two hip belts and side pockets that you can easily access while you're walking.

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Stay light and move quickly with Gregory’s Arrio 22 — the perfect companion for fast-moving day hikers. You'll love the FreeSpan open-air suspension system, which makes the pack feel like an extension of your torso, minimizes undue stress on your body, and improves airflow to keep your back as dry as possible. 

The Arrio 22-liter has plenty of quick-access storage options that you can reach easily while on the move, including two internal zippered pockets, one side zippered pocket, one side mesh pocket, and an expandable bungee system for overflow storage. Plus, it’s hydration-compatible, but a reservoir is not included.

With a total weight under 1.5 pounds, you'll barely feel this pack on your back. It’s available in smaller 18-liter and larger 24-liter options and even offered with a bigger Plus Size fit for hikers with larger frames. 

The Talon is jam-packed with all the technical, load-dispersing, comfort-enhancing features that you need from an overnight pack. Osprey's AirScape suspension system literally lifts the pack off your back to distribute weight evenly while simultaneously providing a close-to-body fit and maximizing airflow to reduce swamp-back.

The Talon has all the features you would expect from a high-quality hiking daypack, including dual zippers for access to the main compartment, tuck-away ice ax attachment, trekking pole carriers, lower side compression straps, a bike helmet attachment point, an external hydration sleeve, and a large stretchy mesh front pocket for expandable overflow storage. 

The Talon line comes in a variety of sizes, from 11 to 44 liters. With such multisport versatility, this could be the last daypack you ever need.  

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Whether you over-pack for long day hikes or under-pack for quick overnights, Deuter's Futura has your back. Its new mesh AirComfort back system is incredibly comfortable for long distances, with excellent ventilation, lightweight, and an ergonomic fit. Plus, the FlexLite suspension system hugs your body perfectly, keeping you quick and nimble when the terrain is demanding. 

One unique feature of this pack is the wet and dry pockets that keep you gear organized, dry, and clean. This special pocket, plus the integrated rain cover, protects your essentials when the skies open up and it's raining buckets. 

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Mammut’s Lithium Speed 20L is the smallest in the Lithium family, which means it has plenty of comfort-enhancing, fun-maximizing features, with a slightly smaller carrying capacity. For us, it's the ideal blend of size and comfort, which is why we favor it for day hikes and long bike rides in warmer weather. 

Our favorite features are the well-padded hip and shoulder straps, which offer a bit more support, even load distribution, and overall comfort than a minimalist pack. While it may seem trivial, the extra cushion is oh, so necessary when your bag is jammed to the brim.

We're obsessed with the compact style, too, which hugs your body and will make you feel as balanced as a ballerina while you tip-toe overexposed blind ledges.

Sucking warm water through a plastic tube when you're dripping sweat during a hot hike isn't always the most satisfying way to hydrate. That's why Hydro Flask designed their first backpack to keep water chilled for more than 4 hours.

Their Cold Flow System is built to keep your water cool for much longer than a non-insulated option, which includes an insulated 2-liter reservoir, a neoprene reservoir sleeve with a reflective lining, and a back panel that improves airflow between your back and the bag.

The Down Shift 14-liter pack was designed specifically for cycling, with a lower reservoir position for a lower center of gravity, helmet attachment loops, and webbing for bike lights. But we love this bag for hiking, too, as it keeps water colder than any other pack we've tried — by a long shot.

The Archeon is Osprey's fashion-meets-function daypack. It's not the most technical or the lightest in weight, but it is a multipurpose pack that can handle daily commuting to and from work, sightseeing in a new city, and out-of-town exploration — all in style. 

The Archeon has a sleek roll-top closure with a classic style that we love, plus an extended front zipper that makes it easier to access the inner contents (when compared to other roll-top bags). The recycled nylon fabric is DWR-treated, and a rain cover is included for waterproofing.

Plus, a hydration sleeve, a fully adjustable harness, and trekking pole attachments ensure that you're always trail-ready.

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The Octane is Camelbak's marriage of a running vest and hiking backpack, and we think they really nailed this union. It's one of the most functional, well-designed packs we've worn, blending smart storage with a customizable fit to carry all the necessary gear without negatively impacting your mobility and speed.

Most notable about this pack is its remarkable similarity to a running vest. The stretchy mesh shoulder straps, dual sternum straps, and padded hip belt hug your body tightly so the Octane won't bounce around while you're hauling ass. Meanwhile, six easily accessible pockets keep essential fuel at hand.

Its main compartment has 25 liters of storage capacity, with eight internal sleeves for smart organization. It's the fit and convenience that endurance athletes love about a running vest, but with enough space to carry extra layers, a camera, and any other gear you need for long days outside.

Dakine's Seeker, with its 10-liter capacity, is ideal for quick hikes on the outskirts of town or for long mountain bike rides. This pack features a 3-liter Hydrapak reservoir that rests at the bottom of the pack. 

This lumbar positioning transitions the load-carrying duty to your hips, which we've found to be highly beneficial for biking, as the lower center of gravity really prevents your pack from sloshing around and throwing you off balance.

Other bike-specific features include a deployable helmet carry and compatibility with Dakine's Impact spine protector. And as always, Dakine's style is one that we can't get enough of. 

When you need a daypack that stuffs inside your suitcase for multiweek voyages across Thailand or a stashable pack for day hikes from base camp on longer backpacking trips, this is our first choice.

This 24-liter pack weighs a measly 14 ounces. A zippered compartment allows you to separate wet and dirty gear from your dry layers and lunch, while dual side pockets keep your hydration handy. 

Its ultralight shoulder straps are highly breathable, the back panel has a removable pad to reduce weight, and its hydration sleeve keeps a water reservoir (which is not included) from sloshing around.

Like everything else in their Del Dia Collection, Cotopaxi's Luzon is made from repurposed remnant fabrics with a one-of-a-kind color scheme that is uniquely yours. Want to do your part in reducing waste and get tons of compliments for doing so? The Luzon is your ticket.

When mornings are brisk, afternoons are sunny and steamy, and summits are wind-chilled, a pack with plenty of space for layers, snacks, and water — like CamelBak's Palisade 32 — is a must. Its Air Support back panel has channels that allow airflow while keeping the pack snug and tight on your back, which is non-negotiable when you're scrambling sketchy terrain from dusk till dawn.

With 32 liters of storage space and well-designed pockets, there's plenty of space for extra warm layers, lunch, and the 10 essentials for all of your one-day peak ascents.

A stretch overflow pocket caters to those of us who overpack for everything, smart compressibility reduces wasted space and keeps the load more centered to improve balance, and the 100-liter Crux reservoir is included.