The best hiking daypacks for your next outdoor adventure

What do you get in a daypack made by one of the world’s top-tier companies of thru-hiking backpacks and expedition gear? A rock-solid build in a featherweight package that’s easy to carry for miles on the trail.

Granite Gear, founded in 1986 by two outdoorsmen canoeing through the Boundary Waters near Canada, has decades of experience in the backpacking industry. Its Crown series is a frequent sight on the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails, and I myself have carried both the Leopard AC and the Nimbus Trace over many miles of unforgiving terrain on the PCT. The Scurry is a distillation of the features and capabilities of these proven packs into a compact, lightweight, and comfortable 24-liter package that will carry everything you need for a full day of hiking and exploring.

Weighing in at just 1.1 pounds, the Granite Gear Scurry is among the lightest packs for its volume due to the use of 100 and 210 denier Robic nylon. The Scurry uses a simple roll-top design, which provides superior weather resistance and eliminates the extra weight of a dedicated top lid. A roomy external pocket on the outside of the pack provides an ideal location for quick-grab items, and a complete set of horizontal compression straps allows you to securely lash down rain gear, a tripod, or other bulky items. The Scurry is also fully hydration-compatible with a bladder sleeve and hose ports. Yet, it also has dual mesh water bottle pockets on the sides of the pack to accommodate a one-liter water bottle.

Priced competitively and available on Amazon or direct from Granite Gear’s own website, the Scurry is our pick for the best overall hiking daypack.

With 25 liters of capacity and weighing in at two pounds when empty, the Trail 25 handily meets all of our design criteria for a hiking daypack. A sturdy high-density polyethylene (HDPE) frame sheet and generous padding on the back panel and shoulder straps ensure that heavy loads won’t wear you down. Also, thoughtful features like trekking pole clips and an included pack cover will keep you in good stead as you explore the wilderness.

Two combination stretch pockets are strategically located on each side of the pack and can hold up to four water bottles or a mix of water bottles and gear such as a camera tripod. The design includes a top pocket ideal for quick-grab items like granola bars, a headlamp, a map, and compass, and a bottom pocket that is ideal for rain gear or a first aid kit.

The interior of the pack features generous storage space with stretch mesh pockets on the sides and a dedicated pocket for a hydration bladder, plus another quick-grab pocket on the inside of the front panel.

Like all REI daypacks and products, the Trail 25 is backed by REI’s “satisfaction guaranteed” return policy, so you can’t go wrong giving this daypack a test drive. The REI Trek 25 is our pick for the best value in hiking daypacks.

Osprey’s Talon 22 is a multi-sport daypack suitable for hiking, cycling, and even cross-country skiing. Made from a mix of 100D and 210D wave check high-tenacity nylon with 410HD nylon in key stress areas, the Talon 22 is both durable and lightweight. The patented AirScape back panel with a continuous-wrap harness and hip belt promotes airflow between the pack and your body and is supremely comfortable.

The Talon 22 features dual water bottle and hip belt pockets, a stretch-mesh front panel pocket for stashing a light jacket, and a top pocket for storing snacks, a phone, and other quick-grab items. The outside of the pack also includes a helmet clip and taillight loop for cyclists.

The interior of the pack is accessed through dual zippers and includes a medium-sized mesh pocket for additional organization. Unlike many other packs, the hydration bladder sleeve is located between the body of the pack and the suspension system, ensuring that all of your gear stays dry even in the event of a catastrophic leak.

The Talon is part of an entire lineup of daypacks available in 11-, 22-, 26-, 33-, 36-, and 44-liter capacities, offering you the opportunity to find the perfect size for your outdoor needs.

For its versatility, feature set, and comfortable AirScape suspension system, the Talon 22 is our pick for the best day hiking backpack.

The Tempest 20 is identical to the Talon-series pack discussed above but with several modifications to accommodate women’s sizes and body types. Specifically, the pack shape is a bit narrower and deeper to shift the load downward towards your center of gravity. The shoulder harness curves are modified to create a better fit for a woman’s neck, shoulder, and chest, and the hip belt geometry is altered to account for the larger difference between women’s waist and hip measurements.

As with the Talon, the Tempest is available in a variety of capacities including 9, 20, 24, 30, 34, and 40 liters.

The Tempest provides the same great features and capabilities as the Talon, but is tailored specifically to women. For this reason, the Talon 20 is our choice for the best hiking daypack for women.

Mystery Ranch is yet another proven name in the outdoor gear industry with outstanding products for military, hunting, and general outdoor use. The Coulee series of packs, available in 25 and 40 liters, are rugged daypacks that feature a robust, adjustable suspension system that excels at carrying heavy loads.

Made entirely out of 330 denier high-tenacity Robic nylon and featuring Mystery Ranch’s signature 3-ZIP quick-access layout, the Coulee 25 offers dual water bottle pockets, two exterior stash pockets, loops for an ice ax or trekking poles, and a removable hip belt with built-in pockets on both sides. A top lid pocket provides quick access to small essentials such as a phone, compass, map, and headlamp. YKK zippers are used exclusively throughout, and zippers in leak-prone areas on the top of the pack are protected by Aquaguard water-repellent nylon.

The Coulee 25 incorporates an HDPE frame sheet and extra closed-cell foam on the shoulder pads to provide increased rigidity and comfort when fully loaded.

Although more expensive than most other options, the Granite Gear Coulee 25 is our best daypack for heavy loads.

If you need a single daypack to carry spelunking gear on the weekends and a MacBook Pro back and forth to work, then the Evergoods Civic Half Zip offers a no-compromise solution. Founded in 2016 by Jack Barley, one of the co-founders of Goruck, and Kevin Dee, a designer formerly with Patagonia, Evergoods focuses on crossover gear which spans the divide between rustic campgrounds and corporate boardrooms.

The Civic Half Zip provides 22 liters of space enclosed in a 500 denier high-tenacity, balanced weave nylon that is coated with a durable water-repellent (DWR) finish. Dual mesh water bottle pockets flank a single cavernous opening secured with durable YKK zippers. Two zippered compartments, one at the top of the bag and one on the interior of the front panel, provide sufficient organization without compromising the interior volume of the bag. A dual-purpose hydration bladder or laptop sleeve allows the Civic to transform between rustic and modern use cases with ease.

Although both pricier and heavier than other bags dedicated solely for use on the trail, the Evergoods Civic Half Zip is our choice for the best crossover daypack.