Hiking daypacks: reviews and buying guide
A hiking daypack, roughly 15 to 30 litres, is the pack most walkers reach for most often: enough room for layers, lunch, water and the day's essentials without carrying more than you need. Below are our tested picks and full reviews, alongside the roundup that ranks them.
8 reviews
Rab Protium 35 review: the do-more day pack
The Rab Protium 35 is the flagship of Rab's new-for-2025 pack range and the pack editorial testers have called a best daypack overall. A 35L do-more day pack with an adjustable Air Contour back and a recycled Robic shell. Here is who it suits and who should size down.
Gregory Zulu 30 review: the ventilated 30L daypack for hot days
The Gregory Zulu 30 is the ventilation specialist of the 30L class: a FreeFloat trampoline-mesh back that holds the pack off your spine and a cushioned hip belt that carries a full day load in comfort. Here is who the airflow and extra volume suit, and where it loses out to the Osprey packs.
Lowe Alpine AirZone Trail 25 review: the British ventilated daypack
The Lowe Alpine AirZone Trail 25 is the British brand's answer to hot, sweaty UK hill days: a suspended AirZone mesh back that opens a deep air gap off your spine, a lid that expands the load, and a rain cover in the box. Here is who the ventilation suits and how it compares to the Osprey Stratos and Gregory Zulu.
Best hiking daypacks UK: 7 trail and hillwalking day packs rated (15 to 30L)
The best hiking daypacks for UK trails, from a 430g ultralight to a ventilated hillwalking pack. Seven 15 to 30L trail day packs compared on airflow, hip belt, pole and bladder carry, weight and price.
Osprey Talon 22 review: the benchmark 22L hiking daypack
The Osprey Talon 22 is the most-cited do-it-all hiking daypack in the UK: AirScape back, BioStretch hipbelt, pole and bladder carry, and a close, agile fit for fast day walks and scrambling. Here is who it suits and who should size up.
Osprey Hikelite 26 review: the best ventilated daypack under £100
Osprey quality and the airy AirSpeed back of pricier packs, in a 26L size with a raincover included for around £90. The daypack I reach for when I know my back is going to get hot.
Osprey Stratos 36 review: the day-pack-plus that goes further
The Stratos 36 sits above the Talon 33 in the Osprey range: more volume, a trampoline-mesh back panel with better airflow, a zipped sleeping bag compartment and an adjustable torso. Here's when it earns its place over the Talon.
Osprey Talon 33 review: the day pack I didn't know I needed
I upgraded from the Osprey Daylite Plus when my kit started outgrowing it. The Talon 33 changed how I hike — hydration bladder, hip pockets full of Haribo, dry bags inside, Fire Maple in the main compartment. Here's why I wouldn't go back.
How to choose a hiking daypack
Four things decide whether a daypack suits you: capacity, whether it has a proper hip belt, how well it ventilates, and how it carries poles and water. Get those straight and the shortlist writes itself. Here is how I weigh each one.
What size daypack do you need?
For UK day hiking, capacity is the first fork, and most walkers overbuy here rather than under.
A 15 to 18L pack suits short, fast half-day walks in settled weather: a waterproof, a layer, snacks and a bottle or small bladder. It is light and unobtrusive, but it runs out of room the moment you add a flask, a full-size shell and spare gloves.
A 20 to 25L pack is the sweet spot for most UK day hikers, and it is where the majority of this guide sits. It swallows a full waterproof, an insulating layer, lunch, a 2L bladder or bottles, a first aid kit and the odd extra without bulging, which covers a long coast-path day or a hill walk in changeable weather.
A 28 to 35L pack is for bigger, colder or longer days: winter walks with heavier layers, carrying a rope or group kit, or a light fastpack overnight. It is more pack than a summer day needs, so only size up if you genuinely fill it, because a half-empty large pack carries worse than a full smaller one.
My rule is to buy for your typical day plus a bit of headroom, not for the one big trip a year. For most people reading this, that means 22 to 25L.
Do you need a hip belt?
For hiking, yes, and this is the single feature that separates a trail daypack from a town rucksack.
A padded hip belt transfers a chunk of the load off your shoulders and onto your hips, which are far better at carrying weight over distance. On a flat mile you barely notice. On a long descent, or after 15km, the difference between shoulders that ache and a load that sits quietly on your hips is exactly that belt. Any pack you plan to load past a few kilos should have one.
There is a hierarchy, though. A thin webbing strap is there to stop the pack swinging and does little for load transfer, which is fine on a sub-15L pack you never load heavily. A padded, contoured hip belt with a bit of structure behind it is what actually carries weight, and if it has zipped pockets you get somewhere to keep a phone, snacks or a compass within reach without taking the pack off. Every pack in this guide has a hip belt of one sort or another, and I have flagged which ones carry weight properly versus which are there mainly to stabilise the load.
Ventilation and back systems
On a UK hill, you will sweat on the climb whatever the temperature, so back ventilation is not a summer-only concern. There are two main approaches and they trade off comfort against load control.
A trampoline or suspended-mesh back, like Gregory's FreeFloat or Lowe Alpine's AirZone, holds the pack body off your spine with a tensioned mesh panel, leaving an air gap that airflow moves through. It is the coolest option by a clear margin and the one to prioritise if you run hot or walk in summer. The trade-off is that the load sits a little further from your back, which can feel slightly less stable and eats a touch of internal space.
A ventilated foam back, like Osprey's AirScape or Deuter's contact back, uses channelled, mesh-covered foam ridges to move air while keeping the load close to your spine. It vents less than a full trampoline but carries heavier loads more stably and packs down neater. For mixed UK hiking with a properly loaded pack, I lean towards this style; for hot-weather comfort above all, the trampoline wins.
Pole and bladder carry
Two smaller features make a daypack far nicer to actually hike with.
Trekking pole attachment lets you stow poles on the outside when you hit a scramble or a stile without stopping to unclip a rucksack. Osprey's Stow-on-the-Go is the slickest version, letting you holster poles while the pack stays on your back, but most packs here have some form of bungee loop and lower retainer that does the job. If you use poles, check the pack has this before you buy, because retro-fitting it is a faff.
Hydration compatibility means an internal sleeve for a reservoir and a port for the hose. Nearly every hiking daypack has it, but reservoirs are almost never included, so budget for a 2 to 3L bladder separately. If you prefer bottles, check the side pockets are angled or stretchy enough to reach on the move, because a straight vertical pocket you cannot reach is close to useless on a hot climb.