Best Women’s Daypacks for Hiking of 2024

BEST FOR: HEAVY LOADS

With great support and ventilated mesh, the Deuter Speed Lite 22 SL offers a breezy and comfortable trail experience. The design is narrower and has a shorter back length than most men’s packs for a fit more closely tailored to the average woman, with an adjustable sternum strap to further customize it to your own size. An internal, tensioned frame and wide hip belt ensure comfortable load distribution on the trail.

If you often find your back drenched in sweat by the end of a day hike, fear not – from the back to the shoulder straps, air-mesh lining offers ventilation to keep you cool. Add in stretchy side water bottle pockets, zippered mesh pockets on the hip belt, a top zippered pocket, and a large stretch stuff pocket on the front, and this pack provides plenty of space to stuff your rain jacket and any other items you want to keep handy. Spring for this extremely lightweight pack to give your shoulders and hips a break when you’re out for a long day of hiking.

BEST FOR: TOWN TO TRAIL VERSATILITY

If you’re looking for a versatile day pack that has it all, the Osprey Tempest 20 is a no-brainer. The adjustable women-specific harness and seamless lumbar-to-hip belt wrap optimize your hiking comfort, and a helmet attachment feature means you can bike safely from your town to the trailhead. For those sweltering hot days, you’ll be grateful for the dedicated external hydration sleeve and breathable back panel.

This daypack also features plenty of external pockets to stash your stuff, from throwing your sweatshirt in the front mesh pocket before going through airport security to storing your phone and keys up top before setting out on the trail. Perfect for travel, commute, and long hiking days, the Osprey Tempest 20 can adapt to wherever life takes you.

BEST FOR: SHORT DAY HIKES

Need a pack that will perform on your commute and on a day hike? The Patagonia Refugio 26L daypack does both. Stretchy side pockets can hold your water bottles, while the front stash pocket is perfect for keeping small items like sunglasses handy. In terms of comfort, the shoulder straps have a straight, tapered cut designed to fit a female torso, and the mesh from the back panel to the shoulder straps is super soft and breathable.

Stay organized with a variety of internal pockets, great for stuffing everything from a portable charger to a guide book to your car keys. Spend the morning on the trail, and the padded sleeve in the main compartment stores a hydration bladder for you; head to a coffee shop afterward, and you can trade out the bladder for your laptop. For short jaunts outside and travels around town, the Refugio 26L is a great fit.

BEST FOR: CHALLENGING TERRAIN

If your outdoor plans often include a longer day hike, this may be the day pack for you. The Deuter Trail 28 SL features plenty of adjustable straps to ensure a comfortable, load-distributing fit, from load adjustment shoulder straps to a sternum strap that adjusts height- and width-wise. With a flexible internal frame that’s slightly shorter to fit a female torso, this pack keeps the load you’re carrying close to your back for optimal stability as you cross streams and navigate switchbacks.

Every detail of this pack was designed with long trail days in mind, including the front zipper access to gear kept at the bottom of the backpack – no more digging through the rest of your stuff to find the items you packed first. The open cell foam of the back panel circulates air through its cushioned system with each movement, allowing you to maintain your cool throughout a long day of hiking.

BEST FOR: FAR-AWAY HIKING TRIPS

Maybe you’re hoping to bring camera equipment on your day hike, or the forecast is all over the place and you need lots of layers. No matter what you’re bringing, the REI Ruckpack 40 can handle it. Stuff everything you need for a hiking trip into this day pack, which is small enough to serve as a carry-on but large enough for all your hiking needs once you reach your destination.

The mesh back panel ventilates while you’re hiking, then offers a zippered cover to protect the pack’s straps in transport. The hydration sleeve can accommodate up to a 3L hydration reservoir, and the port on the left side provides easy access for the reservoir tube. Wherever your day hike takes place, the Ruckpack 40’s full-zip design offers accessibility when you need your gear and easy storage when you don’t.

BEST FOR: SHORT AND FAST DAY HIKES

When you have an hour and there’s a beautiful sunset in the forecast, grab the Gregory Maya 16, easily stow your trekking poles with the quick-hook clip attachment system, and head out the door. This pack’s suspended foam back panel conforms to your body while staying breathable, and you can rely on the durability of the bottom panel material thanks to its two layers.

Got pockets? A zippered hydration pocket offers easy access to a reservoir, while the zippered pocket on the front is soft and padded to protect your sunglasses and phone. Another dedicated system on the shoulder harness gives you access to your sunglasses without taking your pack off, and the interior mesh pocket comes with a key clip to easily keep track of your ticket home. The padded women-specific hip belt also hugs your body, offering two more zippered pockets to stash snacks.

BEST FOR: ORGANIZING GEAR

A dedicated hydration sleeve and easy-access water bottle pockets mean you’ll quickly quench your thirst when using the SCREE on a day hike. A zippered pocket in the lid of the pack is perfect for organizing smaller essentials, while the 3-zipper design offers quick and easy access to the main compartment.

This pack’s harness is women-specific and automatically makes micro adjustments as you move to fit your torso length. Zippered pockets on the hip belt are there when you need them, plus the waist system requires less effort to tighten due to its forward-pull design. A dual-layered bottom means the SCREE will last you for the long haul.

BEST FOR: WHEN THE WEATHER SHIFTS

One of this pack’s most exciting features is the integrated rain cover, which is one less piece of gear you have to think about – just deploy it as soon as you see storm clouds roll in. When you’re ready to do some scrambling, stow your trekking poles in the left-side attachment system.

Pockets ideally sized for anything you might need showcase the efficiency of this pack, from the large top panel where you can stash your sunglasses to the vertical zippered pocket on the front panel that stores a trail map or your phone.

Pack up your gear, then easily distribute the load with the tensioned mesh back panel that’s both breathable and conforms to your body. The women-specific seamless hip belt and padded shoulder straps maximize comfort, and you can pull the compression straps to cinch the pack volume for further stabilization. Throw a reservoir in the hydration sleeve, and you’ll be prepared for your day hike come rain or shine.