Daypack or Backpacking Pack? Choose Your First Hiking Pack

Choose for the trip you will actually take

Before comparing packs, write down where you will sleep and what you must carry yourself.

• Returning the same day: Start with hiking daypacks, including the clothing and emergency equipment your route needs.
• Camping overnight: Compare backpacking packs with your shelter, sleeping equipment and food included in the load.
• Staying in huts: Confirm what accommodation and meals are provided before choosing a capacity. Several nights away do not automatically mean a large camping load. Deuter distinguishes these uses in its selection guide.

If overnight plans are still vague, choose for your established day hikes. If camping is the actual goal, there is no need to buy a daypack as an obligatory first step.

Find a capacity by packing your equipment

Use these ranges to shortlist packs, then try your equipment inside:

• 21–35 L: A common day-hiking range; 36–40 L can accommodate additional clothing and equipment. REI daypack guidance.
• 30–50 L: REI's starting range for 1–3 nights with compact equipment and efficient packing.
• 50–80 L: Its range for 3–5 nights, also useful for bulkier short-trip loads. REI backpack guidance.

Lay out the actual kit before deciding between sizes. Include water, food and shared equipment assigned to you. For day hikes too, allow room for preparation beyond snacks: the NPS Ten Essentials include navigation, lighting, first aid, extra clothing and emergency shelter.

If your sleeping equipment is undecided, first work through choosing a sleeping bag for the expected temperatures, then check its packed dimensions. Do not choose a less suitable sleeping bag just to fit a smaller pack.

Check what supports the weight

A frame is the structure supporting the pack's load. Some daypacks have internal frames; the daypack label does not mean a simple fabric bag. REI explains the framed and frameless options.

Frameless backpacking packs also exist, but heavy loads are less comfortable in them. REI's frame comparison is a useful starting point. For a first camping pack, shortlist framed designs with load-bearing hipbelts unless you already have a suitably light kit.

Check the particular model's recommended load as well as its liters. Deuter explicitly treats its load categories as comfort guidance, not breaking-strength limits. Do not read a weight figure as a personal comfort guarantee. Deuter load guidance.

Try it loaded and adjust the fit

With a friend's help, measure from the bony C7 bump at the base of your neck to the line across the tops of your hip bones. Measure hip circumference at that level too, rather than using trouser size. Osprey's sizing guide explains these measurements.

A borrowed flexible measuring tape is enough. Compare the measurements with the exact model's chart, then try it with weight inside.

• Hipbelt first: Position its padding around the tops of your hip bones and tighten comfortably.
• Shoulder straps next: Adjust them to follow your shoulders, then gently adjust any load lifters and the chest strap.
• If it pinches or sits poorly: Recheck the torso setting or try another size or model. Tightening everything harder is not the fix.

These checks follow REI's loaded fitting guidance.

Make the final choice with your own kit

Before buying, walk with the loaded candidate, reach for your water and take out your rain layer. Choose the pack that accommodates the necessary equipment and passes the fit check, rather than the one with the most spare liters.

If one pack must cover both day hikes and camping, try both loads. If you can only assess the camping setup, you have not yet checked whether that pack suits your day hikes.

Still missing a rain layer from your packing list? Use the rain-jacket selection guide to resolve that choice before finalizing the kit you will carry.