A good daypack should be comfortable, carry everything you need and suit the kind of adventures you're heading out on. But that doesn't mean every good daypack looks the same.
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A lightweight pack designed for moving quickly with very little gear might have minimal structure and no real hipbelt. A pack designed for a long day in the hills might have a supportive harness, ventilated back panel and plenty of accessible storage. Head into rougher or more technical terrain and you might want something closer fitting, more durable and more stable again.
So rather than looking for the daypack with the longest feature list, start with three questions:
What are you doing? What are you carrying? And where are you taking it?
Start With What You'll Use It For
Think about the type of adventures you'll be doing most often.
Are you mainly heading out for shorter walks with a jacket, water and a few essentials?
Are you doing full days in the hills where you'll be carrying extra clothing, food, plenty of water and safety gear?
Or are your days likely to involve scrambling, climbing, alpine terrain or other more technical adventures?
You don't necessarily need a different pack for every activity. The goal is to choose something that works particularly well for the type of adventure you do most, while still giving you enough versatility for the other trips you're likely to take it on.
That first decision helps determine almost everything that follows.
Think About What You're Actually Carrying
Trip length gives you an idea of how much capacity you might need, but your actual gear matters more.
A short summer walk might only require a small pack. A full day in changeable New Zealand conditions can mean carrying a waterproof shell, warm layer, food, water, first aid and other safety essentials.
Add winter clothing, camera equipment, climbing gear or extra gear for the family and your requirements can change considerably.
What Size Daypack Do You Need?
Pack volume is measured in litres, and while there's no perfect size for every trip, these ranges are a useful starting point.
20L or Less
Shorter day walks and lighter loads. Enough space for water, food, a waterproof/extra layer without carrying much bulk.
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21 to 30L
A really useful range for general day hiking. Usually enough room for food, water, spare layers and safety gear for a full day outside.
31 to 40L
Better suited to bigger days, winter conditions, alpine trips or carrying extra gear. Also useful if you're carrying gear for kids or more technical equipment.
40L+
More specialised territory for long alpine days, climbing or trips where bulky clothing and technical gear take up a lot of space. At this point you're getting close to small overnight-pack capacity.
These are only rough guidelines.
Two people heading out for exactly the same day can need very different pack volumes depending on the conditions, the gear they own and what they're carrying.
A compact down jacket and lightweight shell take up far less room than bulkier alternatives. Winter gear, camera equipment, climbing hardware or extra clothing for the family can push you into a larger pack surprisingly quickly.
So use litres as a starting point, not the final answer.
How Much Support Do You Need?
This is one of the biggest differences between daypacks, and one that's easy to overlook.
At the lightweight end, some packs are essentially a simple bag with shoulder straps and a basic back panel.
That can be exactly what you want when your load is light. There's less weight, less bulk and often more freedom of movement.
As the load increases, however, structure becomes much more valuable.
A more substantial back panel or internal frame can give the pack shape and help manage the load. More supportive shoulder straps become useful, and a proper hipbelt can transfer some of the weight from your shoulders onto your hips.
So a daypack without a hipbelt isn't necessarily missing something.
If you're carrying a light load and want to move freely, you may prefer the simplicity.
But once you're carrying more water, food, clothing or technical gear for a long day, a supportive hipbelt can make the pack more comfortable and help keep it stable.
Comfort Isn't Just Padding
It's easy to look at thick shoulder straps and assume they'll automatically make a pack comfortable.
There's more to it than that.
The shape and length of the pack need to suit your body, the harness should sit comfortably around your shoulders, and if the pack has a supportive hipbelt, it needs to sit in the right place.
Ventilation is worth considering too.
Some hiking packs use suspended mesh back panels that hold the pack away from your back and allow more airflow. These can be great for long days where comfort and ventilation are priorities.
Other packs deliberately sit much closer to your body.
Neither approach is automatically better.
Where Are You Taking It?
It's not just how much you're carrying. It's also where you're carrying it.
For straightforward hiking and well-formed tracks, comfort and ventilation might be high on your priority list.
If you're scrambling, climbing, bush-bashing or moving through more technical terrain, the priorities can change.
A pack that sits closer to your body can feel more stable as you're moving around. A narrower profile is less likely to catch on obstacles, and tougher materials can be valuable where your pack is likely to come into contact with rock, branches or equipment.
You may also prefer fewer loose straps and external pockets, keeping everything compact and secure.
This is why two 25L packs can look and feel completely different.
One might prioritise ventilation, accessible pockets and all-day walking comfort. Another might prioritise stability, durability and freedom of movement in more technical terrain.
Think About How You'll Access Your Gear
Once you've worked out the basic size and style of pack you need, start looking at organisation.
For outdoor adventures, quick access can make a big difference.
Large stretch pockets can be handy for stashing a waterproof jacket or insulating layer without opening the main compartment.
Side pockets give you somewhere to carry water bottles. Hipbelt pockets are useful for snacks, sunscreen or other small items you want while you're moving. Hydration reservoir compatibility can make drinking on the move easier, particularly on longer days.
But again, more isn't necessarily better.
Lots of compartments and pockets can be useful if you like keeping everything organised. If you'd rather keep things simple, you may prefer one main compartment and only a few well-placed pockets.
Think about how you actually use your gear rather than counting features.
Look for Features That Suit Your Adventures
Once you know what you'll be doing, certain features start to make more sense.
Depending on your adventures, you might look for:
- Trekking pole attachments
- Ice axe attachment points
- Helmet carry
- Compression straps
- Hydration reservoir compatibility
- An included rain cover
- Reinforced fabrics
- Gear loops or lash points
For someone mainly walking established tracks, many of these may be unnecessary.
For someone heading into alpine or technical terrain, some could be very useful.
The right feature is one you'll actually use.
Durability or Low Weight?
There's always a trade-off between weight, structure and durability.
Lightweight packs can be fantastic when keeping your overall load down matters. Removing frames, heavy fabrics, padding and extra features all reduces weight.
But those decisions can also reduce carrying support or abrasion resistance.
If most of your adventures are on tracks with relatively light loads, you may happily prioritise weight.
If you're regularly pushing through scrub, putting your pack down on rough rock or carrying technical equipment, durability and structure may be worth a little extra weight.
Again, it comes back to what you're actually going to do with it.
So, What Makes a Good Daypack?
There isn't one feature, capacity or style that makes a daypack good.
A good daypack is one that's appropriate for the job.
What are you doing?
Think about the adventures you'll use it for most.
What are you carrying?
This helps determine the capacity and amount of support you'll need.
Where are you taking it?
This influences how much stability, durability and technical functionality matters.
From there, you can decide whether you need something lightweight and simple, comfortable and ventilated for long days on the trail, or closer-fitting and more technical for rugged terrain.
And once you've narrowed it down, try it on with some weight inside.
The differences between harnesses, back panels and hipbelts can be difficult to judge until the pack is actually on your back.
