Find a Pack That Fits Your Body, Your Trip and Your Budget

I read the manufacturer’s specs, the sizing charts and what owners report, then tell you plainly which packs suit you and which to skip.

Explore the Gear

Start with Fit

Most pack problems, from sore shoulders to a hip belt that slides up, come back to fit. These three guides are where I’d start.

How-To Guides

How to Measure Your Torso for a Hiking Backpack (Step-by-Step Fitting Guide)

Your height won’t tell you your pack size. Find your C7 and iliac crest, measure your torso at home, and match the number to the brand’s size chart.

Backpacks and Daypacks

Best Hiking Backpacks for Back Pain: 3 Packs That Put the Load on Your Hips

If your back aches after a hike, fit is the place to start. These three hiking packs are matched to how much you carry, each in a men’s and a women’s version, with the torso, hip belt and load numbers to check first.

Backpacks and Daypacks

Best Hiking Backpacks Under $100: Budget Picks Worth Carrying

Which pack under $100 fits your trip and your body? I sort five budget picks by job and say plainly what each one gives up.

How I Choose Gear

Founder & Gear Research Editor

Sonia Zannoni

Hi, I’m Sonia. I don’t test gear myself. I read the manufacturer’s specs and sizing charts and look for what owners report again and again. Then I tell you who each pick suits and who should skip it.

About the Founder

New on the site

Inspiration and Wellness

Benefits of Hiking for Everyday Hikers: What the Research Shows, and What It Can’t Promise

Some benefits of hiking rest on strong evidence and some don’t. Here’s how to tell them apart, and how much hiking a week, even Saturdays only, is enough to count.

Safety Tips

How to Prevent Blisters When Hiking (and Treat a Hot Spot on the Trail)

Blisters on long hikes usually trace back to socks, lacing or a hot spot left too long, not the boots. Here’s how to read yours, fix the cheap causes first and care for a blister the way medical sources advise.

Camping Gear

Best Sleeping Pads for Side Sleepers That Stay Quiet When You Roll Over

Five backpacking pads matched to the kind of side sleeper you are, with thickness, warmth and weight side by side and each maker’s quiet claim checked against what owners report.

Explore by Category

An Olive Green Hiking Daypack Resting on a Mossy Rock in a Sunlit Forest Trail