From tearing up the tracks to strutting the tarmac – a good daypack offers durability, versatility, and clever storage. Be you a city slicker or an overnight hiker, every bag has its benefits and every brand has its blessings.
Here, we list our top ten best-selling daypacks for 2024, based on sales data from the past 12 months. From compression straps and lashing loops to bladder compatibility and adequate capacity, this blog bears the load of identifying the best packs so you don’t have to!
Stripped of the pointless and peppered with the necessities – read on for your top ten pared-back yet jam-packed daypacks!
This blog bears the load of identifying the best packs so you don’t have to. Image: Salomon
10. BlackWolf Dual Shuttle 60L and 80L Travel Packs
BlackWolf’s Dual Shuttle travel pack doesn’t backtrack on durability!
Boasting a premium 450D REPREVE recycled fabrication, this travel bag incorporates the Origins 3D EVA comfort foam harness for easy, convenient carrying. The main compartment features an extendable handle, while super tough, all-terrain wheels allow for tugging it along tarmac and train station platforms with rugged durability. The zips are lockable too, so you can keep the knick-knacks and essentials secure in transit, while soft foam handles make for easy grabbing, and an extra zip closure front pocket holds smaller items. A detachable daypack bodes well as a compact, simplified solution for sightseeing, including an internal laptop sleeve, external zip pockets, and a water bottle sleeve.
Available in a 60L and 80L overall capacity, the Dual Shuttle overdelivers on capacity, convenience, and comfort.
A detachable daypack bodes well as a compact, simplified solution for sightseeing.
9. Caribee Trek 32L Backpack
A well-equipped pack for the track, the Trek 32 features a multi-compartment construction and over 30L of capacity – so you can pack, stack, and carry on with clever storage! The Action Back Extreme padded harness system and sternum strap offer improved pack stability, while the hip belt is both padded and removable for security as you pick up the pace! Multiple storage crannies, a front pocket organiser, and a base zip pocket with internal divider separate the bits and bobs from the bag’s main body. Plus, a concealable rain cover at the base of the bag keeps your gear dry from light gusts to loaded gushes.
The Caribee Trek 32 kicks some bush-bashing butt!
Pack, stack, and carry on with clever storage!
8. BlackWolf Bladerunner Gen II Wheeled Duffle Bags
The Bladerunner Gen II from BlackWolf is built tough to beat the rough and tumble of travel – available in 110+20, 90+20, and 70+20 capacities.
The 100 + 20 model is constructed from polyester PU and 840D nylon, while both the 90+20 and 70+20 boast a REPREVE PU and 420D carbonate PU, both providing a kick-butt, durable exterior. The 2-stage handle and robust all-terrain wheels allow you to wheel into the weekend from flat roads to rubble. Keep the kit together thanks to a large D opening, twin compartment for convenient organisation, mesh zip-close lid pocket for the knick-knacks and smaller accessories, and a shoe pocket with removal divider stores your wet belongings and dirty boots away from your clean clothes. Plus, for those inevitable travel souvenirs, an expandable gusset accommodates any additional purchases.
Handle the heavy endeavours with a well-equipped wheeled bags – the BlackWolf Bladerunner Gen II.
Built tough to beat the rough and tumble of travel .
7. BlackWolf Axiom 40L Daypack
New to the ~pack~ is the all-too-impressive Axiom 40 by BlackWolf, sitting confidently at #7!
With robust combined construction of a 420D High-Density and 210D Honeycomb Robic fabric – stay hooked when things fall flat, thanks to the attachment loops to keep your hiking poles when not in use. Get a hold of the heavy endeavours with padded handles, and kick it in ultimate comfort owing to the padded waist belt. Its 40L capacity features enough storage space for the necessities across two separate zip-close compartments, plus stretch mesh pockets on the front to hold the snacks, knick-knacks, and water bottles. If squeezing in that last pair of socks is a bit of a stretch, strap in those last-minute travel items thanks to the outer bungee detailing too.
Kick it in ultimate comfort owing to the padded waist belt.
6. Caribee Ranger 25L Backpack
Military-inspired, this backpack design is ideal for those seeking compact yet heavy duty baggage on those shorter outdoor missions.
A tough 900D material construction holds up to your rugged outdoor expeditions. Featuring an action back extreme padded harness system, its sternum strap and detachable hip belt work together to securely carry your gear and provide support. Hydration compatible too, simply incorporate a separate reservoir slaking your thirst on the move. Lash extra gear on the Molle webbing attachment points, store gear in the main compartment, and stash the knick-knacks in the front sleeve or internal storage zippered pockets.
Compact yet heavy duty baggage for those shorter outdoor missions.
5. Caribee Pulse 65L and 80L Rucksacks
Available in two capacities, surf the slopes with the Pulse Rucksack by Caribee.
It’s all happening up in the hood with the rear zip hood storage cranny, while down low is the lower zip compartments for more clobber and twin side bottle pockets enabling an easy reach for your refill. Footwear and main gear are kept separate thanks to internal dividers, while Molle webbing attachment points form a cross-hatched patch for poles and trekking accessories. With a butt-kicking blend of heavy-duty nylon, polyester, and a Vantage adjustable harness system – you’re fit to defeat every path. With air mesh back padding and lumbar aid too, internal contoured aluminum bodes well for back support and uniform weight distribution. From light gusts to loaded gushes, the concealable rain cover at the base of the bag is the accompanying no-drench henchman for keeping gear dry!
The Caribee Pulse 65L and 80L Rucksacks boast durability off the beaten track.
Boasting durability off the beaten track.
4. Caribee M35 Incursion and M60 Phantom
Like you, these packs boast kick-butt capabilities.
Another military-inspired number designed for the heavy endeavors is the M35 Incursion by Caribee. The multi-compartment design features side accessory pockets and internal storage crannies, common in the M60 Phantom too. You scratch Caribee’s back and they’ll scratch yours, where both packs boast an Action Back Extreme padded harness system, sternum strap, and hip belt that work together for a comfortable and secure fit. Laser cut lashing points on the front panels of both packs double with their Molle webbing attachment points to provide a cross-hatched patch for connecting accessories like hiking poles – plus, a hydration station holds either a two- or three-litre reservoir inside, and the Phantom 60’s floating hood couples as a zippered storage cranny, capping the heavy-duty drawcord throat.
Don’t just take a hike – strap on topmost potential with the Caribee M60 Phantom and M35 Incursion and keep the kit together.
You scratch Caribee’s back and they’ll scratch yours, with an Action Back Extreme padded harness system.
3. Deuter AirContact Core and Core SL Backpacks
Offering comfort, ventilation, and adequate weight, the AirContact Core and Core SL models from Deuter will have you backpacking like a boss.
A sophisticated design for the trekker looking for the whole (back)package, the AirContact Core 60+10 and 70+10, as well as Core SL 55+10 and 65+10, each feature Deuter’s AirContact system, with a Y-shaped frame for even distribution of load and transfer of weight to your hips. Adjustable hip fins offer stability, and an Air Spacer Mesh back provides cushioned comfort, breathability, and ventilation. The SL’s slimline design also has it ideal for those with a shorter back and more slender frame. With attachment loops for holding your hiking poles, and a sternum strap for security – these packs also offer hydration compatibility fro 2L or 3L bladders. From gear loops and glasses holders to removeable lids and valuables compartments – the AirContact Core and Core SL offer handy stash spaces for water bottles, energy bars, snacks, maps, and more.
Balancing weight and breathability with comfort and convenience – these packs are for the trailblazers and trek junkies.
Balancing weight and breathability with comfort and convenience
2. Deuter Speed Lite and Speed Lite SL Backpacks
The Speed Lite and Speed Lite SL by Deuter are built light for the heavier adventures.
Packing a punch in the 17L and 25L capacities, and the SL in a 23L – these packs boast padded shoulder straps, snug hip fins, and an adjustable sternum belt, comfortable and ergonomic so you can make light of the heavy endeavours. Kick it to the crest with little need to readjust, thanks to compression straps offering stability and enable extensive movement. Stash the smaller essentials in the two side pockets, while the shoulder strap crannies keep the smartphone handy too. Plus, get a grip on your walking poles with a pole holder, and hold onto your hat – uh, we mean helmet – owing to external attachment loops too!
Built light for the heavier adventures.
1. Caribee Nile 30L Backpack
Taking the (forest) floor for 2024 is the Nile 30L by Caribee – skyrocketing a whopping 6 rankings from 7th place in 2023!
The versatile choice for work, study, or weekends away, transport your tech gear in the padded laptop and tablet sleeve. Slip folders and A4 documents in the main compartment, access keys and cards efficiently from the top zippered stash pocket, and keep other essentials in the front organiser panel.
From studying on weekdays to sightseeing on weekends, the Caribee Nile 30L gives inadequate book baggage the boot!
The versatile choice for work, study, or weekends away.
We’ve got to mention these guys!
Salomon XA 25 Hiking Pack
Not to be presumptuous… but we know what you’re thinking.
Does this pack take me to Narnia or something? Where’s the rest of it?
Well, picture this: you’re with your camp crew, huddled by the fire. They sit in camp chairs – the ones with arm rests, back support, hot spot pouches maybe (it’s your imagination, you decide). You sit on a tree stump. Just an old piece of trunk pretending to be a chair. As a minimalist, you’re still comfortable and content. After all, you have everything you need: warm fire, good company, and a place for your keister.
Now, open your eyes (did we even tell you to close them?): this daypack is for lightweight climbs like tree stumps are for those classic campfire times. Small, stripped of the bells and whistles, and secured by a single zip – the XA 25 Hiking Pack is for the round-the-world wanderers working with compact confines!
Constructed from Sensifit weather-resistant, stretchy, and breathable fabrics, this pack conforms to your physique to prevent bouncing while a Motion Fit design has it sculpted to fit the spine and shoulders for all-day comfort. A Quick Link system allows easy adjustment on the go, while a motion back system features vented EVA foam for breathability. The shoulder straps boast a 3D Airmesh, working with the padded back panel to bring you ultimate carrying comfort. For storage, there are two front flask pockets, an interior pocket, external zipped pocket, two front stretch pockets, and a key holder – so you’re well-equipped, trip after trip. Be it upheaval on the ups, or drama on the descents – blow on the whistle to draw attention to yourself in emergencies too.
Constructed from Sensifit weather-resistant, stretchy, and breathable fabric.
Lowe Alpine Airzone Trail Duo ND30
Only a year into lining the Snowys’ shelves, the Lowe Alpine daypacks didn’t quite make our best-sellers this year… but they’re highly likely to hopscotch their way up the ranks in time for next year! Since 1967, they’ve delivered backpacks built to push every self-sufficient, off-road adventurer past every rough patch – like the Airzone Trail Duo ND30 for women.
With upper and lower side compression straps, keep your baggage tight and together, while its dual compartments are designed with a lower entry and a zippered divider for broader access to your gear. Plus, access the mid-track snacks from the front stash pocket, or walking poles from the TipGripper attachment points. You don’t sweat, you (g)Lowe, thanks to Lowe Alpine’s AirZone breathable back too, maximising airflow when the hikes get heated! Embellished with a rain cover for the drizzly days, the Lowe Alpine Women’s AirZone Trail Duo ND30L Hiking Pack is built for the kick-butt hikers, hit-the-road bikers, and all-round outdoor explorers!
You don’t sweat, you (g)Lowe, thanks to Lowe Alpine’s AirZone breathable back!
What does your ideal daypack feature?
When it comes to camping, hiking, travel and adventure – the Snowys team have all the expert advice, guides, and tips on everything outdoors.