BootsnAll Travel Community

What do you think are the best.. and worst.. brands of backpacks and why?

Personally I like MacPac

The best brand is:
1) the one that fits your body
2) the one that fits your hobby
3) the one that's %40 off.

But generally, for backpacks I like:

Arc'teryx

Gregory

Osprey

GoLite

MacPac

Dana Designs (now aka: Marmot)

These brands win on durability, fit, value and weight.

I've been less-than-impressed by backpacks from:

The North Face

Mountain Hardwear (sorry Static, the rest of yer stuff is great)

Kelty

REI

(No offense taken: I had not been recommending the MHW Exodus series at backpacks for several reasons, but the climbing packs and daypacks are pretty good. MHW does not make a travelpack, so I use an Eagle Creek)

Kathmandu??

i wouldnt rate Kathmandu in that list - whilst i dont mind their travel gear, as a company they are more fashion oriented and i would stay away from their technical gear ie backpacks and boots -

I noticed your Oz based so a lot of the brands that SKIM has listed will likely not be available in OZ.

IMHO, the top of the pyramid here is brands like Macpac, Wilderness Equipment and One Planet. Arc'teryx and Osprey are also good if you can get them (we struggle to get the full range of either of these in Perth).

Big difference between Aussie packs and North American packs is that we use mostly canvas here for packs - whereas northern hemisphere has gone towards synthetic materials.

You'll notice a big difference in weights between Aussie brands and their N.american/european counterparts.

Harnesses - Probably the most important part of a backpack - this one is entirely relative to you, your body shape and what feels comfortable to you. My own pack (a Wilderness Equipment) has a harness that moulds over my back like a glove - your experience may differ.

Stick with any of the brands listed by the first poster and above here and you really cant go wrong.

Good luck with your purchase

cheers
Jeelan

Well, the best brand of backpack is probably the one that fits your body the best!

That said, I came across these top three lists when doing some of my own research:

Hiking backpacks: http://www.3luxe.com/category/Camping_and_Hiking/Hiking_Backpacks

Travel backpacks:
http://www.3luxe.com/category/Luggage/Travel_Backpacks

Hope that helps someone!

Here is a great deal on a great travel pack.

I like Osprey and Eagle Creek backpacks. My 59 litre Eagle Creek is what I travel with and it has served me very well! One of the best purchases I have ever made!

Eagle Creek!

Ive been dragging my new macpac around Africa for the ladt four weeks and its been briliant. Handels all kinds of misuse really well. And even though I was never a fan of the way travel packs look, they sure are practical.

Not the best pack, not the worst one either, but this travelpack from Jansport is a bargain.

I've got one of these and while I gather deuter is not necessarily easily available in the US, this bag does rule quite a lot. Very versatile in terms of size, top and panel loading, lots of compression straps, bombproof construction, very adjustable back length (also available in women's fit), comfy harness. The only two criticisms I could possibly aim at it are 1) a bit heavy (but then it's a well-built trekking pack so...) and 2) no way to (easily) lock the top load, erm, orifice, but then no different to other packs there and a problem that can be overcome, fwiw.

My £0.01 worth.