Trekking packs are similar to travel packs, but puts more of an emphasis on carry comfort and typically optimizes the volume to weight ratio. Trekking packs are often a bit narrower and taller than travel packs. Travel packs typically prioritize organizational features, ease of access, rectangular shape to optimally fit in carry-on spaces, and “clean lines” – making the pack attractive, visually appropriate for urban settings, and easy to slide in and out of luggage compartments without getting snagged. Classic backcountry backpack tend to be larger than trekking packs. Ultralight backpackers who use low volume gear can use “trekking” packs for fully self supported back country trips / wild camping. Later in the post are some notes about “wild” backpacking in a carry-on bag.

My Definition of Trekking

I think of trekking as travel which involves a significant amount of walking while carrying all the gear you will need. Nights are typically spent in huts, hostels, guest houses, inns, or yurts. These trips might be a few days or be longer such as walking the full length of the Camino De Santiago, Kumano Kodo, or the Alpe Adria Trail. Unlike classic wild / wilderness / backcountry backpacking, you typically don’t need carry a shelter or cooking gear. Food and water are typically easily acquired. Sometimes you don’t even need to carry your next meal because there will be a cafe or pub between your day’s start and stop points.

Being carry on, or even personal size is highly desirable for a trek pack to reduce the risk of loss, and to enable using budget airline tickets. There is a summary of common carry one restrictions, and an exhaustive periodical table of carry on size limitation. When it doubt, check with your carrier.

My Choice

When I can keep the weight of my gear to below 9lbs I use a Gossamer Gear Vagabond (my review). When I need more volume, or carry more than 14 lbs I have been using a Hanchor TUFA. The Tufa, when the extension collar is rolled down works as carry-on bag for all the airlines I fly, and when it’s under-filled, can fit into larger personal item sizers such as Spirit Airlines. The Tufa is too big for daily urban use. I pair it with a very inexpensive Decathalon Packable 15L Courier Bag. This year I am experimenting with a Durston Wapta which might replace the Tufa. If I needed to regularly carrying more than 17 pounds or 35L I would pick up a ULA Camino, a customized KS Ultralight pack, or ZPacks Arc Hauler if it can actually fit as carry-on.

I sometimes encounter people who are looking for what I call the unicorn bag. One that is comfort to carry for multiple hours when fully packed, large enough to carry all gear for an extended trip in the back country, compact enough for daily urban use, and sleek enough for business meetings. I know of no bag that fits all those criteria. The ULA Dragonfly is the closest in my mind. The SMD All Day Pack would be worth a look if load transferring hip belt is a priority.

Minimizing Weight

Before talking about packs, a few words about what you put into the pack when trekking. I strongly encourage people to adopt a minimalist, ultralight, or pilgrim approach. I have some notes about traveling light and some traveling tips which captures lessons I have learned over the years. Rather than bringing lots of luxuries, bring only the essentials. Let being unencumbered be your luxury. My Camino packing list is an example of a pilgrim approach.

Conventional wisdom is that people should carry a backpack that’s <25% of their body weight. This is reasonable for moderate distances but will be fatiguing on a longer hike. There were several experiments run various militaries. A key finding was that on an all day exercises, fit/trained soldiers had a measurable increase of fatigue and a drop in agility when they carries more than 10-12% of their lean body weight. This matches my personal experience: I feel no more tired at the end of a 20 miles carrying 17lb as compared to carrying no pack. My one caveat that when over 8 lbs I need to shift some weight to my hips or shoulder pain will be fatiguing through the day. My wife found her sweet spot is around 6lb.

Roughly Personal Size Packs

Generally when trekking, I recommend people to keep their load as light as possible with a volume <=30L which would allow the pack to qualify as a carry-on, if not personal size item. I would recommend looking at:

• Gossamer Gear Vagabond Jet: at 46x27x15cm 18/10.75/5.75 inches carry-on acceptable all airlines and if you don’t overfill it, will fit into the personal items sizer for many airlines and under most seats. One of the most comfortable to carry packs for me… likely thanks to excellent shoulder straps, the torso length not being too short, and the body not being too deep. Reasonably light weight, appropriately durable, with good enough organizational features since it’s a small bag. I like how I can access on the go. Side pockets can be accessed while wearing and the shoulder strap pockets are very useful. The optional GG Fast Belt does a nice job stabilizing, the ULA Ratpack belt can actually provide some weight transfer.
• REI Flash 22: a light, minimalist top loading pack with stabilizing hip belt and a small brain on top. Surprisingly comfortable carry given it’s minimal padding.
• ULA Dragonfly: 30L, good shoulder straps, durable, pricy. A /r/onebag favorite. Now has optional waist straps which are somewhat load transferring. It’s a bit tall for budget airlines personal items, but if under-filled, it will fit into the airline sizers and under the seat. I find the Gossamer Gear Vagabond more comfortable to carry, but if you want more volume and/or more convenient access, this bag is worth considering.
• Decathlon 22l MH500: Reasonably priced, nice features, 10y warranty, a bit heavy, has a frame and hipbelt which can transfer load if your torso isn’t too long.

I used to recommend that Matador Beast 28 but the current version’s narrowing shape and dimensions makes it more of a pure outdoor daypack. I was intrigued by the Zpacks Bagger Ultra 25L but it doesn’t have a hydration / laptop sleeve. There are some other “personal size” travel packs which are compact, but have only marginal carry comfort.

Lightweight Packs

In my mind what distinguished a light weight pack is that it has a hip belt which can comfortably support >80% of the packs weight, the shoulder straps are only needed for stabilization. There are three key features for this to work

1. A comfortable hip belt. This typically requires a combination of padding and some sort of rigidity which can not be provided by webbing.
2. Proper size. The length between the hip belt and shoulder needs to match your torso length. You might be lucky and be a “standard” size. Otherwise you will either need a custom made pack, or one that has adjustable torso length. Hill People has a decent description of fitting a pack and ULA video about fitting a pack.
3. A “frame”: Typically some combination of framesheet, stays, or hoop which keeps the body of the pack rigid. A well designed frameless pack can provide a virtual frame through tight, careful packing, though it’s rare for this to work for more than 15lbs.

Some packs that would be worth considering:

• ULA Camino: Very well made from good quality materials. I found it to be as comfortable carrying 30 lbs as any pack can be 🙂 thanks to a good frame, shoulder straps, and hip belt which are offered in a number of sizes. It is a max size carry-on for major US airlines when the rolltop is rolled all the way down, but can be let out to provide more volume if you aren’t worry about carry on size limits. For example, all your gear fits in the compressed form, but the top can expand so you have room for multiple days of food and water. Pack itself is heavier than a classic ultralight pack, but reasonable given the durability of its materials. Access is from top and front. When made from Ultra fabric there is a bit of stiffness, so even when empty the pack doesn’t flop down making it easier to pack. Not the best pack to compress, so not great when carrying a small volume load.
• Osprey Farpoint/Farview: Not as good weight vs volume of other packs, but carries well with more “travel luggage” features, and has an adjustable harness so it can fit a range of torso lengths well. Effective volume seems smaller than the advertised 40l.
• ZPacks Arc Hauler: I have not personally confirmed that it will fit, but it is reported that size small and medium will fit if you roll the top down to the frame. Furthermore, it has been suggested that size tall will fit if you unhitch the stays and place them inside the bag on the diagonal. Reported to have very comfortable carry up to 25lb, and just 20oz weight. The lumbar optional pad is frequently recommended.
• Six Moon Designs All Day Pack: Haven’t seen it in person but seems promising for some people. 50oz weight, 35 or 45L, SMD “Flight” suspension, suitcase style opening.
• Hanchor TUFA: a pack with a clean design and a pad pocket which provides a frame which is effective up to 22lb for me and I have used it up to 30lb. I found its carry comfort slightly better than the HMG SW2400. Size “R” is 22” tall, but if slightly under filled can be pressed into 18” sizer since the foam pad will flex.
• REI Rucksack 40l: Bag seems to have been made for adventure travel. Has a frame, load transferring hip belt, several torso sizes, top/front zipper opening. I don’t find it a particular comfortable carry, but others seem to like it. Around 3lbs. Size large is listed as 22.5inch, my tape measure reads 23 inch so be sure not to overpack.
• Mystery Ranch Coulee 30: 22.5in tall but can typically fit in carry-on if you don’t overpack. A bit heavy, but comfortable carry.
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint: Smaller volume than SW2400, lighter, wider shoulder straps with with pockets. Removable hip belt. Looks promising but no personal experience.
• Decathlon 30l MH500 Reasonably priced, nice features, 10y warranty, but is heavy, and not as much usable volume as several of the packs listed here, but does have a back which is somewhat ventilated. Carry on size if you don’t fill the brain.
• Gossamer Gear Gorilla: one of the most comfortable packs for me carrying less than 25lb. Light fabric so has less “structure” than some other packs which makes loading / unloading less convenient than a number of the packs listed here. Previous versions of the large with frame is 23”, but so long as it’s slightly underfilled, will fit diagonally in 21” sizers and goes in overhead strait so not taking up extra space if carefully placed. Not sure if this is true the the >=2024 model years.
• Durston Kakwa 40: 23″ long and a bit stiff, so will be an issue with airlines that are really strict about carry-on dimensions. Nice design at very good price for the design, quality, and materials. Some people love carry comfort. I found the the shoulder straps good and the hip belt decent but not class leading.
• Hanchor Breccia Travel Backpack: The suspension is a combination of a folded foam pad (like the Tufa) plus two aluminum stays. 22in tall so long as you don’t fill the brain. It is both top loading and panel access and some organizational features. Max size carry on. A bit more 3lb.
• Hanchor Marl: Clean design made from VX21 fabric with an excellent frame. Size “R” is 22″ tall. Similar to HMG Southwest but better carry comfort for me.
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2400: all but the “tall” size are 21″ or less. Very durable and weather resistant. The hip belt produced hotspots for me and I found the shoulder straps so/so… I like the shoulder straps on my Gossamer Gear Vagabond better. Beloved by some who do ultralight wilderness backpacking.
• Osprey Talon/Tempest 22: A Camino trail favorite of people from North America, though often people use the larger sizes which have to be checked. Comfortable to carry with some nice technical / organizational features.
• Northern Ultralight & SWD: Cottage gear companies which are reported to make some excellent backcountry packs. No personal experience but several people I trust and correspond with really like their packs.
• Dan McHale’s packs are works of art. His “Plug and Go” stays which have an extension on a swivel would enable a pack to quality for personal or carry on dimensions, but support a longer torso when carrying the bag.

Some of the ultralight companies listed below also make packs with optional light frames. I was recently impressed with a friend’s KS Ultralight pack that has optional external stays. It occurred to me that if the stays could be broken into two pieces, or maybe removed and packed diagonally, the pack could easily compress into a sizer for flights, and then the stays could be re-inserted which would give support for people with a long torso.

There are some travel packs which have frames, load transferring hip belts. I have yet to encounter one (other than the Osprey Fairview/Fairpoint) which was particularity comfortable), and they tend to be heavier that the packs listed above.

Ultralight Packs

Ultralight packs sometimes called frameless packs were first popularized for long distance backpacking and are now used for a variety of activities. These packs typically weight less than 1 lb and have no built in structure other than maybe a thin sheet of foam or a sit-pad which is attached to the back of the pack. Proper packing is critical to carry comfort. Most of these packs support the weight via shoulder straps, though some packs use something more like a vest to spread the weight over the entire torso which also keeps the pack stable when you move rapidly. Some packs offer minimalist waist belts which primarily stabilize the pack, though might be able to transfer some load off the shoulders and onto the hips. Conventional wisdom is that frameless packs are good up to 20 lbs +/- 5lb (I think it’s 15lb +/- 5lb), and beyond that it’s better to use a pack with some sort of frame. I have more about ultralight backpacks on my Wilderness Backpacks page.

I haven’t been following ultralight packs closely but many of my backpacking buddies do use ultralight packs. The following are manufacturers that the highly experienced folks I interact with recommend:

• Atom Packs (UK): Built to order (semi-custom), multiple size with light frame and belts which can be optionally added.
• Dandee Packs: custom made: select shoulder straps, materials, torso length, volume, accessories.
• Durston Gear Wapta: a very well designed ultralight pack using innovative materials and construction. I have found this pack to be more comfortable to carry than any frameless pack I have tried except the long discontinued StarLite pack made by SMD.
• Gossamer Gear: One of the earliest companies making ultralight gear. Good range of products, several of which can be configured with frames. Factory made and easily ordered. Typically very good performance / cost ratio.
• Granite Gear: Virga 2 not lightest but durable, reasonably priced and I found it more comfortable than most of the frameless packs I tried in 2010.
• KS Ultralight Gear: Built to order (semi-custom) with many options. Have a couple of light frame options and an effective hip belt.
• LifeAF Packs: Built to order (semi-custom)
• MountainSmith Scream and Zerk: Mass produced (no waiting). Harness style shoulder straps
• MLD: one of the grandfathers of ultralight packs
• Palante: Handmade frameless packs with minimal customization
• Nashville Cutaway Pack: Built to order (semi-custom) with harness style attachment
• Six Moon Designs: One of the early makers of ultralight packs that can be configured a number of ways. Factory made and easily ordered. Many people love their packs. The discontinued StarLight pack was the most comfortable ultralight packs I used. The last pack I tried didn’t work for me, but I am not sure why.
• SWD: Built to order (semi-custom)
• Japanese companies
• Zimmerbuilt: custom made backpacks

Mixing Backcountry and City

One of my passions is mixing urban and back country travel. For people who are interested, I have my packing list for these sorts of trips. Jeremy Maluf goes lighter than I do. There are many threads on reddit about this… one I participated in seeking gear for longterm backpacking trip.

The big issue when mixing onebag (carry on) travel with multi-day wilderness backpacking in moderate to colder conditions is having enough volume for the food and water when in the back country, but for the bag not to be floppy/empty when in the city. There are three ways to manage this:

1. Use a bag which is “expandable”. The best example of this is the ULA Camino, which you can vary volume by how much the roll-top is let out.
2. Leave front country items behind. If there is a place to safely store the items you only use in the city, like a laptop, formal clothing, etc then you can free up space for food.
3. Move items (ideally high volume but soft) into a stuff sack which you lash onto your pack, leaving room inside for denser items.

Remember that there are items that you can’t take carry-on. I often modify my normal backcountry packing list to be carry-on friendly.

• Hiking Poles. Do without and bring carbon fiber “tent poles” with rounded ends for use with my shelter.
• Metal Stakes. I carry-on wooden chopsticks to be used as stakes. Some people have reported that plastic and carbon fiber stakes have made it through security, but I have no personal experience trying these.
• Knife. I buy a cheap knife at the destination
• Fuel. I buy fuel as the destination.

Sometimes I don’t want to make compromises in which case I will check through my poles, stakes, and knife in a cardboard “poster tube”.

For people who carry larger backpacks which have to be check through, I recommend wrapping it in something. I think a good option is the iconic blue duffel bag from Ikea which zips closed. They are durable enough, large enough to hold a full backpack, cheap ($6), and are light enough and compact enough that you could just carrying it for your return flight. The other option is many airports offer a wrapping service. They will wrap your pack in heavy duty plastic.

Other Recommendations

• carryon backpacks that load transfer to the hips and the discussion thread on reddit
• the search for an ultimate travel backpack with a focus on carry comfort for moderate load. Missed some packs I would have looked at. Bottom line, Farpoint and Mystery Ranch significantly more comfortable carry than most “travel packs”.