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For most backpacking enthusiasts, there’s an art to dialing in your gear for whatever adventure you’ve got planned, but for the ultralight backpacker, it’s a science. Every ounce carried onto the trail counts, and that starts with the backpack itself. That’s why it’s vital to do your research to find the top ultralight backpacks.
While most ultralight backpacks share common features with the more “standard” backpacks out there, there are some key differences to keep in mind. Some have frames, and some don’t. If you’re determined to keep your ultralight backpacks under two pounds, then you will almost definitely have to sacrifice features. And obviously, they’re lighter, but just how rugged can they be? We’re here to help you find the best ultralight backpacks on the market.
- Best Overall: Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest
- Best Budget: Granite Gear Crown2 60
- Best Eco-Friendly: REI Co-op Flash 55
- Best Frameless: Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L
- Best Men’s: Durston Kakwa 40
- Best Women’s: Osprey Lumina 60
Best Overall
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest
Pros
- Made of durable, lightweight Dyneema fabric
- Removable internal frame stays help transfer weight to hips
- Highly waterproof main body
Cons
- Pricey Some difficulty reaching side pockets
- while wearing a full pack
Product Specs
- Weight: 1.98 pounds (31.7 ounces)
- Product dimensions: 34 x 10.5 inches
- Volume: 55 liters (internal)
- Materials: DCH150 (main body and bottom)
- Frame: 2 x aluminum stays (rods)
Why It Made The Cut
- The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 is everything an ultralight backpacker could dream of: It weighs under two pounds, is incredibly durable, highly water-resistant, and has lots of storage space.
Best Budget
Granite Gear Crown2 60
Pros
- Lightweight, molded frame sheet provides support, weight transfer
- Removable top lid with storage capability
- Great price
Cons
- Heavy loads (25+ pounds) are less comfortable to carry
- Side pockets difficult to access while wearing
Product Specs
- Weight: 2.36 pounds
- Product dimensions: 23.5 x 13 x 8 inches
- Volume: 60 liters
- Materials: 210D high-tenacity nylon
- Frame: internal polypropylene
Why It Made The Cut
- Ultralight backpacks are known for being light on features, but the Granite Gear Crown2 60 not only comes with some handy extras, it does so at a great price, as well.
Best Eco-Friendly
REI Co-op Flash 55
Pros
- Removable 5.75-liter top
- 3D contoured hip belt for comfort and weight transfer
- Made from sustainable materials
- Good price
Cons
- Main body material not as durable as many packs
- Hip belt slips
Product Specs
- Weight: 2.10 ounces (medium)
- Product dimensions: 30 x 14 x 12 inches
- Volume: 55 liters
- Materials: 100D ripstop nylon (main body), 420D nylon bottom
- Frame: internal steel
Why It Made The Cut
- REI is known for encouraging outdoors stewardship and environmental responsibility, and making eco-friendly products, as well. The Flash 55, along with many other of its backpacks, are Bluesign-approved.
Best Frameless
Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L
Pros
- Extremely light while having generous volume capacity
- Can choose pack materiel to be either Ecopak Ultra or Dyneema
- Curved side panels, S-shaped shoulder pads, compression straps help secure and stabilize load
Cons
- Very bare-bones; extras like hip belt pockets cost extra/add weight
- Side pockets hard to reach while wearing
Product Specs
- Weight: 18 ounces (medium)
- Product dimensions: 35 x 12 x 7 inches
- Volume: 58 liters
- Materials: Ecopak Ultra 200/400 or DX 210D ripstop nylon
- Frame: none
Why It Made The Cut
- The latest Exodus 55L represents years of innovation and evolution and uses the most advanced materials to create one of the lightest and most durable frameless backpacks available.
Best Men’s Ultralight
Durston Gear Kakwa 40
Pros
- Lightweight but comes with plenty of features
- Removable hollow aluminum frame provides support for heavier loads
Cons
- On the small side for extended backpacking
Product Specs
- Weight: 28.5 ounces (large)
- Product dimensions: 35-inch height, top circumference 36 inches, bottom 31 inches
- Volume: 40 liters
- Materials: Ultra 200
- Frame: inverted U-frame, hollow aluminum
Why It Made The Cut
- Although the high-quality Durston Gear Kakwa ultralight can be (and is) used by men and women, unisex designs are often geared more toward male bodies.
Best Women’s Ultralight
Osprey Lumina 60
Pros
- Well-designed suspension system/aluminum frame back panel for support
- Mesh back panel for breathability and comfort
- Backed by Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee, for life
Cons
- Short shoulder strap pads make carrying upper load limit uncomfortable for some
- Side pockets difficult to access when wearing pack
Product Specs
- Weight: 1.94 pounds (medium)
- Product dimensions: 28.35 x 15.75 x 13.39 inches
- Volume: 60 liters
- Materials: 30D Cordura Silnylon Ripstop
- Frame: aluminum
Why It Made The Cut
- Osprey’s most popular backpacks usually have men’s and women’s versions. For the ultralight backpacker, the Lumina 60 is made to conform comfortably with a woman’s shape while offering rugged reliability.
Things to consider before buying an ultralight backpack
The important thing to think about before purchasing an ultralight backpack is to make sure that’s really what you want. Ultralight gear is almost always high-quality, but it’s different from a traditional backpack and very different from, say, a rucksack (speaking of, here are some great rucking backpacks). I’ve read a lot of customer reviews of ultralights, and I couldn’t help but notice how many people seemed to think the ultralight was just like a regular backpack, but lighter. This is not the case.
An ultralight backpack is designed with the expectation that your gear will also be ultralight, particularly your shelter and sleep systems. It’s not that you can’t use one with your more standard gear, but you’ll likely find the comfort evaporates quickly as you cram the heavier, bulkier gear into the lighter, thinner material that makes up an ultralight pack. This is especially true if you opt for a frameless version. These types of packs, although designed to use things like compression straps to distribute the load you’re carrying, simply don’t have the extra support afforded by an ultralight frame backpack.
Another thing to keep in mind is to be sure you are properly fitted for the pack you plan on buying. Traditional backpacks often have adjustable torso functionality. This is not the case with ultralight packs, as complex frames or adjusters add weight. Most of the packs on this list come in multiple sizes that are better suited for specific torso lengths.
FAQs about ultralight backpacks
Q: How much does an ultralight backpack cost?
A: One might think that because an ultralight backpack is lighter and often has fewer features, it would be less expensive than a traditional backpack. One would be wrong. Although there are some backpacks on this list under $200, most quality ultralights are usually north of that.
Q: Are ultralight backpacks comfortable?
A: Yes, if you know how to pack it and you follow the recommended load limits. Ultralight packs usually omit some padding compared to traditional packs, so smart packing is essential, but many users say they forget they’re wearing an ultralight backpack when it’s packed smartly.
Q: Are ultralight backpacks worth it?
A: These packs are totally worth it if you want to keep your total backpacking weight to under 25 pounds or so. Ultralight enthusiasts are passionate about dropping every gram, so if that sounds like you, you’ll want one of these backpacks.
Final thoughts
Ultralight backpacking requires a somewhat different mindset than “regular” backpacking. Often, the lower weight comes with the expectation that the user knows how to dial in their gear to get the full advantage of their ultralight backpack.
Keep in mind that a lot of ultralights (like the Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L) are frameless, and although may technically be able to carry a lot of gear, should never be loaded with more than 25 pounds. Without a frame, the load simply will increasingly rest on your shoulders and back, and create problems. To increase comfort, many ultralight enthusiasts will cut a foam pad in the shape of the backpack to place against the back, which rests on their back. This provides some lightweight support and keeps anything hard poking from behind.
You may decide that you simply want to lighten your load, but you’re not sure if you’re ready for the ultralight experience. We’ve got you covered there too, by the way. We’ve also reviewed the top EDC backpacks, which will help you get out into the world using a smaller footprint while also carrying less weight.
Methodology
To get to the best ultralight backpacks, we use a mix of product and user research, expert evaluations, and personal experience from within the Task & Purpose gear team. I also extensively reviewed ultralight backpacker forums on various social media platforms to get a sense of what’s popular with the folks who live and breathe the “ultralight lifestyle.” By using these resources to guide me, I decided to focus on backpacks that were under three pounds total weight and were reliably durable according to user reviews. I then took this info and started to narrow down contenders for our list.
As is typical at this point, I like to compare ultralight backpacks on my developing list to what other experts are saying. For this article, I found these “best of” articles very helpful: Switchback Travel, Section Hiker, and GearJunkie. Without a ton of personal experience with ultralight backpacks myself, I found these guides extremely helpful. But I will caution that sometimes the expert opinions didn’t always align with what some users experience, so reading through social media forums was a great way to give a reality check to these ultralight backpack reviews.
For our choice of the “best eco-friendly” ultralight backpack, I did something similar to our best backpacking backpack guide. The nonprofit organization Bluesign is internationally recognized for its tracking of sustainability processes and materials used by various industries like outdoor gear makers. So our choice for this award, the REI Co-op Flash 55, had to be recognized by Bluesign as using approved materials.
For more on how we evaluate our guides, check out the Task & Purpose review guidelines.