Find THE BEST BACKPACK! Choosing The BEST FOR YOU!

[@Oldsparkey]

BEST PACK ??? I believe it's determined when you start camping and later how you are going to camp. I started with a Kelty , External framed pack in the 60's. Then over to a internal framed pack , ( Go Lite , Pinnacel , extremely comfortable ). Next to a lighter one , the Original Six Moons Swift. Next a Zpacks , Arc Blast. ( Basically a framed pack ). Going 100% Ultralight , lighter yet with the frame less 38 liter Zpacks Nero. Wanting a even smaller ( Less Liters ) pack the Chicken Tramper 25 , frame less ( 4 month wait ). All of them are the best at that time of use. Whats the best in the future , no idea since it's a evolving process. They are like Potato Chips , You can't stop with just one.

[@thevideostump46239]

AND THIS is one reason I watch John's channel!.. Its just, welll John does a REALLY awesome job explaining/exploring everything about Backpacking.. And as a big guy myself (and older), I can appreciate his outlook and candor of his video topics.. So once again John "Well Done Sir, well done... Hoobilly And yes, I agree with this videos outlook!..

[@YoungGunzBass01]

I’ve been real happy with my Gregory Optic 58. 2.5 pounds. More of a UL conventional pack. Fits the right balance of weight and features for me.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Nice break down dude! That MILE is 😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥

[@john_kelley]

Love the pack! Glad I was able to get my hands on it.

[@putrescentcadaver]

I have an Osprey 20L that I bought after making myself miserable hiking with a terrible pack for 16 miles. It's really pretty and the comfort is mediocre and too many pockets except for day hiking use. I decided to go big with my backpack and got a 46L full suspension DCF LiteAF with the aluminum stays. It's extremely lightweight, very high water resistance, the shoulder harness and hip belts are wide and super padded, they handle weight much better than a frameless but much lighter than a full heavy framed pack. I was able to have custom printed DCF, custom shock cords, it's my dream pack! It has everything I wanted and no extra fluff and BS. The only cons are wait time(it was around 3 months if I remember correctly) and I paid well for the beauty and love they included in my pack.

[@barondavis5692]

I’ve tried a cottage co framed and framless pack. The framed pack is SO much easier to load. I’ll take the extra pound for the ease and convenience of loading the pack without packing the gear “perfectly” every time just so it carries comfortably. My .02💲

[@jenniferbrown4459]

I have several backpacks and Osprey is one of my favorites. I have a 55 liter and a 22 liter Osprey and use these more than my others.

[@dustincoy243]

Love my Waymark Gear frameless packs. The original Mile 30L is perfect for my weekend getaways. And the Thru 40L is just right for longer trips or winter hikes when I need to carry more food or clothing. The roll top design means everything is always tight and compact even as the food supply dwindles. I also like using their fanny pack vs. hip belt pockets. It’s nice to have all your essentials with you even when you take your pack off or want to explore around camp on a day hike or a town day. The best part is passing other hikers with their 80L, 50lb Osprey packs and seeing the amazement and envy on their faces when they find out I’m carrying all the gear and food for me and my dog in a large daypack under 20lbs.

[@natlovell122]

The Waymark Mile will definitely be my next pack! At $135 ($10 extra for hip belt) it seems like one hell of a deal! Lots of great reviews as well

[@dustincoy243]

@@natlovell122 You don’t need a hip belt for a light weight pack. I have found the fanny pack is a much better option.

[@natlovell122]

@@dustincoy243 Cool I will keep that in mind, easier to access sour gummy worms that way

[@john_kelley]

The Mile is a great pack. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. May be my gateway into the world of Waymark.

[@bretbowlin2617]

Went from an Osprey 50L to a Chicken Tramper 45. Osprey was very comfortable, but after about 150 miles the CTUG has proved to be even more comfortable, 2 lbs lighter, and more efficient to pack. Never really needed all the weight carrying capacity or bells and whistles of the Osprey.

[@HuckOutdoors]

Some really great points coming across for anyone trying to search for the right backpack for them!

[@Johnnywalleye1]

Hilltop packs are sweet

[@john_kelley]

Yes. Those Raven packs are awesome!

[@DadsBackpackTrip]

I agree…I ordered a Raven in January and am still waiting…I’m going nuts waiting for it.

[@davidshirley6850]

Not sure which way I will end up going but this was an awesome breakdown of the categories

[@barondavis5692]

Big box pro is lead time. You in the store, walk out with a pack rather then order and wait 12 weeks. Oh, but when that pack finally arrives; it’s so freaking exciting.

[@BuddhaOutdoors]

Always love your videos bro. Also, you took the beard down! You look younger. God Bleed and keep the great work and videos up. Best backpacking KZbinr in my opinion.

[@redshepherdoutdoors7201]

I’ve used the Osprey Atmos AG 50L for a few years now. It’s a great pack that you can load up and comfortably carry a lot of weight. I’m actually surprised at how much sometimes. I have been thinking about trying an ultralight pack from one of the cottage companies however. Thanks for another great video and keep up the great work. Happy Independence Day!

[@davidson_oldbull_sectionhiker]

Good Morning John I have been backpacking for about about 6 years and my backpacks have evolved from a Teton Sports Explorer 4000, Osprey Aether 60, REI Flash 65 and now the Outdoor Vitals Shadowlight 60. I just got back from an overnight 11 mile trip with the Shadowlight and I love it. My packweight was 28# of which 5.5# was water, I pack my fears and glad I did it was brutally hot and used all of the water each day. A very important component is to ensure you get a good measurement on the torso size my first 2 packs were sized wrong. I could go on but I love the shadowlight. Have a great weekend.

[@hollowbarrow]

I'm hiking the Grand Canyon this fall and I'm on the wait-list for a Gossamer Gear Gorilla. If that doesn't work then I'll be ordering the Ohm

[@robnoodle1]

Hey JK I'm down the rabbit-hole of backpacks. & because of my developments/experiences, I'm headed towards the Waymart packs. While out on trail once, a wise hiker enlightened me: "The older you get, the lighter your pack must become." "Or the next course of action would be to hire a pack-mule to haul your gear to your base camp."

[@john_kelley]

That’s great advice!

[@jeffrubin8570]

Waymark Thru 40 with a fully-padded hip belt carries the weight on your hips and shoulders really nicely. Load shifters help distribute weight between the two. I inserted a foam pad to create a “frame”, and haven’t looked back. Carried 25# over 3 days and really did not feel the weight. Great choice for me-maybe you too.

[@kerriwoodbyrne8166]

Great summary of pros and cons, but I think you might have mentioned that the Gregory and Osprey packs are incredibly comfortable. I still use my Ospreys for short trips, though for multi-day treks I do love my HMG frameless.

[@BlackcatOutdoors]

Picked up my first frameless pack this year (Granite gear virga II) and I'm digging it so far. I use a gossamer gear sit pad as a pseudo frame against my back and have carried up to 25lbs pretty comfortably in it. That Waymark mile is on my list for a smaller option for overnight/day pack. I'm liking the six moons daybreaker too. Can't wait to see your review on it.

[@EspenFrafalne]

I definitely prefer my Osprey "Rook 65" for heavier loads, while my Arcteryx "Alpha FL 45" is great for lighter loads. I think somewhat heavier loads (10-15kg) is a good way to get some exercise during overnighters. Im a little tempted to start carrying my gear even during dayhikes, as this gives me both exercise and the freedom to decide to camp somewhere if i feel like it.

[@cml4914]

I love my Osprey Eja. I don't have loads of ultralight gear and it carries really comfortably. It does have lots of unnecessary straps though, but that is the only thing I don't like so far. I'll probably invest in something a bit lighter when I get other lighter gear.

[@briansaucy4871]

I've had my ULA Circuit for 4 years now and really the only "negative" for me is when it rains (I live in Oregon and it doesn't seem to to be raining very often anymore :) it sucks up the water, pack cover or not. A small dislike, but I didn't think of that when I got it.......luckily I was able find a outfitter that even carried ULA packs (but no longer). Another con with "cottage makers", few shops carry them to try them on.....but, most all REI & etc stores carry "big companies" brands.

[@MrDanAng1]

I love my KS Ultralight Gear backpack. It's kind of a hybrid between a framed and frameless pack, it has two rods (originally aluminium, but I swapped them out for carbon fibre) that goes from the top of the pack to the bottom of the hip belt, so it transfer weight to the hips well and it allow for load lifters. However, it have no horizontal support at all. And... it weigh in at just under 15 oz (419 grams). I can even add the optional hip belt pockets and still end up at under a pound. It's possibly the most costumizable backpack you can have, I think someone counted over 40 custom options for those backpacks! I guess the con is that not every backpacker know exactly what they need (or want) so making the decisions can be hard and end up wrong for those who lack extensive experience backpacking.

[@2laughandlaugh]

Very informative video for new backpackers. That being said....i just went frameless and don't ever see myself going back to a 4 pound pack.

[@april906outdoors3]

Great content! Love my 70L Gregory for weeklong trips and winter backpacking, and have done a summer overnighter with my 28L Exped frameless daypack (just to see if I could!) 😎 Currently trying to decide on a cottage pack that's somewhere in between for weekend trips. Happy 4th to you & your family! 🎆

[@mobydickhead1]

I just got the ula ohm 2.0. I still think I may have liked the hyperlite better but I suppose the only way to really know which one is the best is to buy them all and use them in all the places in all the seasons. I didn't know I could buy a custom color or fabric.

[@markthiel2953]

Thank you JK. I am considering a cottage framed pack; however, the WayMark Thru is interesting.

[@erickhare7156]

Check out Lite AF they have UL packs with a suspension which is removable. Since you're interested in both why not get a pack that gives you the option of a suspension or to go frameless as well?

[@john_kelley]

Chicken Tramper also has a removable frame.

[@barondavis5692]

Erick Hare Good suggestion Eric.

[@theoutdoordogandhikinggirl]

Great video. I wish we had more UL backpacks to choose between here in the Netherlands. In most, well probably in all stores, we can only choose between the heavy ones. Luckely more online shops are starting to offer them.

[@glueciferbasquecountry4061]

Hi!! You can buy your ULA or Gossamer in Europe now:) Superligero.es- Top seller from Spain.

[@theoutdoordogandhikinggirl]

@@glueciferbasquecountry4061 thanks! Definately will be checking that one out.

[@matthewkingoutdoors]

Great video John. I'm actually looking at getting a Chicken Tramper, made in my home state!! When you gonna post your Pictured Rocks video?

[@annsolce572]

I started with a Gregory and found that I didn't like all the pockets (I kept leaving the zippers undone on the brain and had to pick everything up that fell out). I now have a ULA pack and it's perfect for me.

[@kiltrohiker5568]

I got an osprey 65 lts and I realized that it's too big for the kind of gear that I have... I was thinking to buy one of those "UL" packs from Amazon to see if I like them or not then just save money for one of those real deal backpacks.

[@jeffpeters5347]

The beard! John pulled a Jeremiah & shaved off the epicness!

[@john_kelley]

I did it because of the heat, and I’ll never do it again. I hate it. I need my beard back!

[@jeffpeters5347]

@@john_kelley looking forward to what Jeremiah says on the next podcast!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Great breakdown! I think the takeaway is that this is why you need multiple packs. Right??? :)

[@natlovell122]

this is what my wife is failing to understand LOL

[@john_kelley]

🤣 Exactly!!!!

[@gregmortonoutdoors]

Great video and happy Independence Day.

[@TheTrailDancer]

Nic vid again bro! I would say this... backpacks are very personal. I love my Fjällräven and Gregory packs, my HMG is great, but not as comfy with weight. I have tried SO MANY over the years, there are so many great companies, proper fit is the most important! Cottage are way more... $300-500 :( :)

[@wickedmonk3yz905]

Rocket science yay

[@mackjenkins7721]

Hello John how's it going man. Great information man on these backpack. That's great information for teaching a beginner. My son thinking about purchasing a backpack so he can go hiking with a couple of his buddies. It would be awesome to see my son get out there. I have only done a couple of day hikes and that about it. John Question? In the video at 11:33 what kind of sandals was you wearing? I need to find a sandals like that to wear while on the trail. I'm having a little bit of problems wearing flip-flops on the trail now for some reason. I know sandals are not appropriate for the trail but I can't find no shoes that are wide enough for my foot. Happy 4th of July to you and your family. And please be safe out there. Good video man.

[@barondavis5692]

Look into Altra Lone Peak 5.0 wide. I think it’ll fit but it is zero drop.

[@EricSpriggs]

Just my engagement comment for the KZbin algorithm.

[@kylepec]

Osprey makes the Levity. "Box brand"

[@alanbierhoff6831]

Could you do a video explaining “Base Weight” and the fallacies related to that term?

[@ChristopherMarshburn]

ULA a “cottage brand?” Meaning not sold by REI I guess.

[@cassidysummer509]

I love yours and Becker's and Jeremiah's gear videos, and I subscribe to all of you - but dude - the "Average" Backpacker you are talking about are guys. Could someone at least mention that woman have different size considerations and physical set ups? Please? I realize you will not be an expert - but you have newbies watching a lot of your videos, and the women would at least benefit from knowing there are other women backpackers out there - and they have channels too. Like the Hungry Hiker, Miranda in the Wild (the official REI blog), and others. At least mention that women backpack too...

[@alathenasidericus]

When I started backpacking, I didn’t even know there were women’s specific backpacks. I had a man Spalding (still have it, still use it on short winter trips, cause it can carry a ton)). Your backpack will depend on the number of miles you do in a day and on your shoes. I have a Gregory Jade 53. Not too many pockets which I like. I know it’s not the lightest of backpacks but I find the suspension helps with my gravity center. As long as I have good cushy shoes, it’s perfect for the kind of backpacking I do.

[@FrenchLeprechaun99]

skrt skrt