Budget Hiking Backpacks

Best budget backpacks for hiking and camping

The GoLite Pinnacle (*Est. $130) provides 3,700 cubic inches of space and can carry up to 30 pounds, yet weighs only 25 ounces - about one and a half pounds. The pack has ample pockets, and you can replace the foam padding "frame" with your folded sleeping pad. The review at BackpackingLight.com gives the GoLite Pinnacle its "highly recommended" rating, saying the load is transferred to the hips very well. Compression straps make it well balanced for lighter, smaller loads for day hikes or weekend trips as well as longer excursions. A review at BackpackGearTest.org confirms that it's comfortable and convenient, though the hip belt could use a tad more padding and ventilation.

Owners at Amazon.com give high ratings to two inexpensive but heavier backpacks with more typical construction. Unlike the GoLite Pinnacle, both have separate sleeping bag compartments and use dual aluminum stays for the internal frame. The Teton Sports Wilderness 55 (*Est. $75) is the top-rated backpack at Amazon.com (if you take into account the number of reviews on which a high rating is based). It has a capacity of about 3,500 cubic inches (different reviews list it at 3,356 or 3,696), but weighs about 72 ounces. It has nice features, including a rainfly for the top and zippered side pockets for easy access. Owners say it's a bargain, but wish the pockets and sleeping bag compartment were bigger; everything seems to be a very tight fit and Nalgene bottles are too large to fit in the bottle holders. Although it appears to be gray in some photos, owners on Amazon.com report that the packs they received are forest green.

The Nebo Sports Wilderness 55 (*est. $60) is the second pick among owners reviewing backpacks at Amazon.com. In fact, it appears to be essentially the same pack as the Teton with a different manufacturer's label on it. With a capacity of about 3,500 cubic inches, it holds about the same as the GoLite Pinnacle and weighs nearly three times as much - 69 ounces. But it also costs less than half as much, and owners say it's good as a budget backpack. It's expandable at the top, and includes zippered side pockets, but several owners complain about problems with durability.