Hiking Backpack Information

Hiking Backpack Links

Your gear choices have to fit your backpack, and vice versa. We have separate reports on camping stoves, sleeping bags, sleeping pads and tents.

Among owner reviews for kids' backpacks at REI.com, top marks go to the REI Comet Pack Kids (*est. $85).

Experts recommend renting a backpack for the first trip or two, if you're not sure how much you'll enjoy backpacking. Quite a few outdoor-gear retailers rent backpacks, offering helpful advice for good measure.

With the right sewing machine, it's possible to make your own backpack (and other hiking gear). This seems to be especially popular among ultralight backpackers. You can find instructions for several different backpacks at the "Make Your Own Gear!" page on Backpacking.net, one of the sites for ultralight backpacking.

Fogdog Sports offers a backpack buying guide called "How to Buy A Backpack."

Backpacker Magazine offers a Gear Finder backpack selection tool that helps you sort through the dozens of packs they've reviewed by name, weight, capacity and price.

Another interesting guide called "How to choose an internal frame backpack" has some details others have left out, and is written by an Epinions user.

Here's a guide to selecting the right size Gregory backpack called "The Importance of Proper Fit."

For backpack news and reviews, check the sources in our All Reviews section. Also check The Gear Guy section on the Outside Magazine site.

Backpack manufacturers:

Arc'Teryx

Coleman (Exponent)

Deuter

EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports)

Eureka

Ferrino

GoLite

Gossamer Gear

Granite Gear

Gregory

JANDD Mountaineering

Jack Wolfskin

JanSport

Kelty

L.L.Bean

Lowe Alpine

Macpac

Marmot

McHale Packs

Mountain Laurel Designs

Mountainsmith

Nebo Sports

Osprey Packs

REI

The North Face

Ula Equipment

Ultimate Direction