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Choosing the right backpack is probably one of the most important decisions you will make before your trip. When you are backpacking or hiking, you need a backpack that is as comfortable as possible, strong, not too expensive, not too small, and not too big… When you see how many models are available on the market, it can quickly become a headache! That’s why I have created this guide for you to find the best budget backpacking pack you can get today in 2024.
No need to research and compare hundreds of backpacks on hundreds of websites, all the hard work has been done for you! On top of this list of awesome backpacking packs, I have put together a guide with questions you may have, to help you even further with choosing the backpack that is right for you. If you are wondering what to pay attention to when choosing this travel essential, or what size you should buy, head to the FAQ at the bottom of this page.
After going on frequent backpacking trips in about 45 countries in the past 13 years, I think it was about time for me to share my experience so you can do the same. So let’s get started!
The Best Budget Backpacking Packs of 2024
Teton Sports Scout 3400 55L BackpackOur Top Pick
TETON Sports Scout 3400 Internal Frame Backpack; High-Performance Backpack for Backpacking, Hiking, Camping; Hunter Green
A great value for money for this backpack, big enough to hold backpacking, hiking, and camping gear. Its bigger strengths are the fact that it is very adaptable to a variety of morphologies and made of quality materials that won’t wear out so easily. It offers everything we can expect from a good backpack for a good price, it is my top pick.
Quick Specifications
- Capacity: 55 liters / 3400 cubic inches
- Weight: 4.5 lb / 2 kg
- Size: 30 x 17 x 12 in / 76 x 43 x 30 cm
- Waterproofing: Built-in rainfly
- Internal frame: Yes
Features
- Great medium size (55L), it is not too small and not too big.
- Made with quality materials – it is a durable backpack you can keep for many trips.
- The backpack is comfortable and highly adaptable to your morphology: the shoulder straps and torso length are adjustable. An added comfort is provided with the internal frame and adjustable waist straps. Foam pads allow a good airflow on the back.
- A rainfly is fully integrated into the backpack’s design to quickly and easily make it waterproof.
- Lots of pockets and different compartments.
- It offers great value for money.
Other Buying Options:
Mountaintop 50-65L Backpack
Another great backpacking pack that is available in several sizes. The 65L pack is a good option for those needing a little more capacity. A good thing about this backpack is the material used, which is already waterproof to some extent, on top of providing a proper rain cover. It provides a good amount of pockets and pouches, and even ways to attach trekking poles for those who will use it to go on a hike.
Quick Specifications
- Capacity: 65 liters / 3967 cubic inches
- Weight: 3.6 lb / 1.67 kg
- Size: 29.5 x 13 x 9.8 in / 75 x 33 x 25 cm
- Waterproofing: Water-resistant nylon & rain cover
- Internal frame: Yes
Features
- Good capacity (up to 65L), for those needing some extra space, without being huge.
- Good quality backpack with an internal frame.
- The fabric features a water-resistant coating. For flawless waterproofing, a rain cover is included.
- The backpack features 5 pockets, a bladder sleeve, 2 bottle pockets, 2 hooks, and a way to attach hiking poles.
- Very good value for money.
Other Buying Options:
Wasing 55L Backpack
WASING 55L Internal Frame Backpack for Outdoor Hiking Travel Climbing Camping Mountaineering with Rain Cover WS-55Lpack-darkblue
Another good and affordable choice to go on a backpacking trip or a hike. Its medium capacity of 50 liters expandable to 55 liters, is enough to carry all you need for your trip and even camping gear. It offers a lot of compartments and pouches, making it easy to pack everything in an organized way. It is made of a water-resistant fabric ensuring everything stays dry inside.
Quick Specifications
- Capacity: 55 liters / 3400 cubic inches
- Weight: 2.98 lb / 1.3 kg
- Size: 27.1 x 12.5 x 9.8 in / 69 x 32 x 25 cm
- Waterproofing: Water-resistant polyester & rain cover
- Internal frame: Yes
Features
- Perfect size for a backpacking trip.
- The backpack has a double level of waterproofing, with water-resistant fabric and a rain cover.
- It has an aluminum frame that can be adjusted to your back and foam structures to ensure good airflow.
- Its bottom compartment is convenient for hiking shoes.
- Excellent value for money.
Other Buying Options:
NEVO Rhino 50L Backpack
NEVO RHINO 50L/60L/80L Internal Frame Backpack,Ultralight waterproof Daypack for Hiking, Camping
This is another very good quality backpack with a good medium size for those who like to bring everything they need without overpacking, which can easily happen when you have a very large bag.
It was designed to be very versatile and can be used for a backpacking trip, camping, hiking… It is made of good quality materials that won’t wear out so easily. It includes a rain cover making it perfectly waterproof and lots of straps to hold everything in place.
Definitely a very good option here at a very affordable price!
Quick Specifications
- Capacity: 50 liters / 3050 cubic inches
- Weight: 2.65 lb / 1.2 kg
- Size: 26 x 12.6 x 9.06 in / 66 x 32 x 23 cm
- Waterproofing: Water-resistant nylon & rain cover
- Internal frame: Yes
Features
- Pretty good size for this backpack if you are carrying a reasonable amount of equipment.
- Lightweight and suitable for both traveling and hiking.
- Well designed and features various compartments and pockets for organized packing.
- It is made of water-resistant nylon, backed with a proper rain cover to make sure everything in your bag stays dry.
- Affordable.
Other Buying Options:
Teton Sports Explorer 4000 65L Backpack
TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack; High-Performance Backpack for Backpacking, Hiking, Camping; Metallic Silver
Another good quality and reasonably priced backpack from Teton Sports.
Its 65L capacity allows you to take a good amount of gear and clothes for your trip and/or hiking adventure, with dedicated compartments for a sleeping bag and a drinking bladder, among others. The material is waterproof only to a certain extent, but a rainfly is integrated into the bag, easily making it totally waterproof.
This bag is pretty large and may be less comfortable for people with a small frame. Overall a good value for money.
Quick Specifications
- Capacity: 65 liters / 4000 cubic inches
- Weight: 5 lbs / 2.3 kg
- Size: 32 x 18 x 12 in / 81 x 46 x 31 cm
- Waterproofing: Attached rainfly
- Internal frame: Yes
Features
- Plenty of space to carry a lot of equipment and clothes.
- It is made of quality materials but is slightly heavier than other bags.
- It features a padded belt, straps, and lumbar area, with an airflow system for maximal comfort and reduced sweating.
- Not very suitable for smaller persons.
- A tuck-away rain cover is included to keep your stuff dry inside.
- Good value for money and reasonable price.
Other Buying Options:
High Sierra Appalachian 75L Backpack
High Sierra Appalachian 75L Top Load Internal Frame Backpack; High-Performance Pack for Backpacking, Hiking, Camping, with Rain Fly, Black/Black/Silver
Another high-capacity backpack with strong and durable materials, ready to endure long backpacking trips and long hikes.
A notable element of its design is the front access to the main compartment of the backpack, which can be particularly convenient if you need to quickly grab something inside, without needing to open the whole thing.
The main compartment is very roomy and can hold a lot of travel, hiking, or camping gear. It can hold a 3L drinking bladder and you can attach trekking poles on the sides.
In the case of rainy weather, it features a tuck-away rain cover.
If you tend to go for hikes in rugged terrain during your trips and are carrying lots of equipment, this backpack is a great option.
Quick Specifications
- Capacity: 75 liters / 4577 cubic inches
- Weight: 5.8 lb / 2.6 kg
- Size: 10.3 x 34 x 14.3 in / 26 x 86 x 36 cm
- Waterproofing: Tuck-away rain cover
- Internal frame: Yes
Features
- Good size (75L) if you need to carry hiking or camping equipment.
- Made with strong materials that won’t wear out after just a couple of trips.
- It features a good aluminum frame.
- It includes a tuck-away rain cover to make it waterproof.
- Many compartments, front access to the main compartment.
- Good value for money but pricier.
Other Buying Options:
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Best Backpack Size/Capacity for Backpacking?
Size is of course one of the first things we look at when choosing a backpack.
If it’s too small, you constantly need to squeeze everything inside. If it’s too big, you either have everything bouncing around inside the pack while we are walking, or you tend to pack much more than necessary and end up carrying a ton of extra weight on your shoulders.
In my opinion, the range you should aim for is 50-60 liters. Most packs on this page are in this range.
That said, it also greatly depends on your travel style. If you are the type who just travels with 3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, and a few pieces of underwear in your bag, you may choose something smaller. On the opposite, if you tend to bring with you a lot of gear or clothes that take up a lot of space, you’d better choose a pack that is a little larger, like a 75-liter one.
It can also depend on the type of itinerary you choose – will you need to move around a lot or not? If not, maybe you can take something bigger.
Going for day hikes? Check out our tips for choosing a daypack for hiking.
What Are The Factors to Consider When Choosing My Backpack?
Now that we know what kind of size you should look at, let’s see what other factors you should pay attention to.
Comfort
Obviously important, or even fundamental, a good backpacking pack should be very comfortable. Even if you were very careful in the planning of your backpacking trip, a pack that is not 100% comfortable will ruin everything.
The first thing to check is the quality of the panel that will be against your back. It should be made of quality foam pads and include some system that allows good airflow and evacuates sweat. Most decent backpacks nowadays do feature such a system but you want to make sure of its quality and effectiveness.
Waist straps are also important and very useful for balance and to transfer the weight from your shoulders to your waist. Same thing, most backpacks have waist straps.
Compression straps are also a good thing to have. They ensure that your gear doesn’t bounce and move around in your pack while you are walking.
Internal Frame
You should always choose a backpacking pack with an internal frame. All of the backpacks on this page feature one. So what’s an internal frame?
An internal frame is a rigid frame (often made of lightweight aluminum) that is built inside the bag. It offers good stability when you are walking, and contributes to transferring the weight on your hips as well.
There are also external-frame backpacks (less common nowadays, more designed for hiking) and frameless packs that are the most lightweight.
Bottom Compartment
I find it really convenient to have a separate bottom compartment that you can access via a front opening, to store your hiking shoes for example.
Waterproofing
You might think that it’s okay to have a backpack that isn’t really waterproof when traveling because most of the time you can quickly seek shelter if it starts raining anyway.
Unless you are only going for desert trips, you can be sure that one day or another you will find yourself in the rain, and having all your stuff drenched inside your bag is really a pain in the butt.
I remember once while backpacking in Nicaragua, an incredibly heavy downpour started all of a sudden without warning, and in 5-10 mins the road was turned into a lake. Same thing during a trek in Colombia. If your backpack isn’t waterproof, you are doomed.
Nowadays, most decent backpacks are made of water-resistant fabric. But most of the time they are water resistant only to some extent and it’s a very good idea to have a good rain cover to be safe.
If you are traveling to very rainy areas, I also recommend packing your stuff in plastic bags and Ziploc bags inside your backpack.
How Did You Select Your Top Pick?
My top pick is the backpack that offers the most interesting features for an affordable price. In other words, it’s a backpack that offers great value for money.
But again, we don’t all have the same needs or expectations, and this top pick only represents my personal opinion after many years of backpacking.
That’s why I am presenting 6 different, great backpacks on this page so you can see which one suits your needs and catches your fancy.
Final Thoughts
There are tons and tons of backpacking packs available in the market and while many are perfectly decent in quality, many are utter rubbish and will break apart after your first trip (if not during your trip!).
I believe that you can safely choose any of the backpacks on this page as they have proven to be comfortable, durable, and convenient – and earned hundreds, if not thousands of positive reviews on Amazon.
I hope that this article will help you get the great budget backpacking pack you are looking for and don’t forget to share this article if it was valuable to you!
