Looking for the best packable daypacks in ? I have spent the past six months personally testing 10 of the most popular packable backpacks on the market, hauling them through airports, stuffing them into carry-on bags, and loading them up with laptops, water bottles, and groceries. After weighing each bag, measuring how small it packs […]

After 90 days dragging 10 camera backpacks across the Cascades, the Sierras, and a few soggy Pacific Northwest trails, our team settled on a clear winner: the Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW II is the best photography backpack for hiking if you want one pack that handles a full-frame body, a 70-200mm f/2.8, a drone, and […]

I have spent more weekends than I can count hauling tackle boxes in one hand and a rod in the other, tripping over river rocks and scaring every fish within casting distance. That is exactly why I started writing about fishing backpacks with rod holders in the first place. After testing more than a dozen […]

A hunting pack with a meat shelf is a backpack designed to carry large game quarters externally between the bag and the frame, letting you pack out meat from the backcountry without contaminating the inside of your pack. We have spent the last three autumn seasons in elk, mule deer, and moose country testing meat […]

After a decade of digging probes out of backpacks during practice scenarios, I can tell you this: the best ski packs with avalanche pockets aren't about big features lists. They're about whether you can find your shovel in seconds, deploy your probe without ripping the main zipper, and ski 4,000 vertical feet without the bag […]

Our team spent six weeks hauling wet camping gear, fishing tackle, kayak supplies, and travel kit across airports, truck beds, and river launches to find the best gear haul bags you can actually trust. After pushing 10 popular duffels and totes through rain, dust, gravel, and airline baggage handlers, we landed on a clear ranking […]

I'll be honest - my first expedition duffel was a cheap polyester bag that died on a flight to Peru. The zipper exploded halfway through customs, my down jacket rolled across the floor, and I learned a hard lesson: the best expedition duffels aren't optional gear. They're the single piece of equipment standing between your […]

After eight months of rolling, lifting, and lugging through airports, trailheads, and cramped hostel bunks, our team narrowed down the best carry on backpacks for outdoor travel. We hauled these packs through three multi-country trips, two national park hikes, and a brutal December rainstorm in the Pacific Northwest to find the ones that actually balance […]

I have spent the last three years living out of duffel backpacks on flights from Lisbon to Lima. After hauling 10 of the most popular models through airports, train stations, and river crossings, I can tell you the best duffel backpacks for travel are the ones that disappear into your trip rather than dictate it. […]

I spent the last three months hauling ten budget backpacking packs across 240 miles of Appalachian trail to find out which ones actually earn a spot on your back. The best budget backpacking pack under $200 should not feel like a compromise, it should carry 35 lb loads comfortably, fit your torso, and survive at […]