Against relentless competition from other brands, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 once again leads the pack. This ultralight pack balances comfort with an unparalleled emphasis on lightweight design. Its feature set is thoughtful and useful, but not overkill. The Mariposa offers plenty of external carry options without feeling weighed down by superfluous bells and whistles. It has one of our favorite stretchy center mesh pockets, which proved large enough to store extra layers, snacks, and other items we wanted to access quickly. It fits a bear canister and can carry a heavy load comfortably, yet it can also compress to carry a smaller load comfortably. “Sight unseen, if someone asks me what ultralight pack to grab, I instinctively tell them to grab the Gossamer Gear Mariposa. It works perfectly for just about everyone,” our main tester beams.

SPECIFICATIONS

Marketed as a 60-liter pack, the Mariposa can carry up to approximately 64 liters, if you stuff it to the brim and utilize all of its external pockets. For some, this might feel like too much room for an ultralight pack, as the more room you have, the more likely you’ll fill it with unnecessary gear. It’s also not the lightest pack we tested, though its 34.3-ounce total weight and 0.57-ounce per liter weight-to-volume ratio are impressive. The tradeoff for a bit of extra weight is an unbeatable level of comfort. The pack’s fabric isn’t the most durable, and, comparatively, some newer packs are starting to look very attractive. If you’re looking to shed some ounces for a much lighter pack, the Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L is about half the weight and is made from the much more durable (and much more expensive!) Ecopak UltraWeave. While the Exodus 55L offers a better weight-to-volume ratio, if comfort is a deciding factor, stick with the Mariposa. “I found this is one of the rare options that’s comfortable right out of the box,” remarks our lead tester.

Read more: Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 review

Once you get used to the supreme comfort of the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50, it’s hard to imagine living without it. This pack is stacked with features — it has great back padding, an internal aluminum frame, and an excellent hip belt. “I love the Gorilla’s voluminous external pockets. They swallow up so much gear that I rarely needed to open the pack’s main compartment until it was time to make camp,” our lead tester brags. Even more impressive is the modular design that allows you to customize the pack for the trip’s itinerary by easily stripping components off so that you may not need to cut gear weight.

SPECIFICATIONS

There’s little we don’t love about the Gorilla, and it will be difficult for anyone to wrangle it out of our greedy thru-hiking hands. Still, the top flap design of Gossamer Gear is unusual in our ultralight category. “Many hikers I know prefer a rolltop design,” claims our tester. If you’re especially rough on gear, the mesh on the side and center pockets and for holding the back padding in place may become victims of your heavy-handedness. In that case, the exceptionally durable Dyneema construction of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Porter 55 is a better pick, but it’s not exactly a budget-friendly purchase. But if you don’t need the extra durability, the Gorilla is a great buy.

Read more: Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 review

Good friends, food, views, and gear are critical for peak enjoyment while spending weeks at a time hiking a long trail. We found the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 to be our best ally when looking for an almost perfect pack for the long haul. The extremely durable and water-resistant DCH pack material means you don’t have to worry about acute gear malfunction leaving you stranded several states into your long trail. The embedded foam padding, internal shaped stay, and hip belt all work in consonance to support moving the weight of your loaded pack and distributing it off your tired shoulders. “This is one of the most comfortable packs to shoulder at the beginning of a long carry,” lauds our lead tester. The massive exterior center and side pockets allow you to carry much of the gear you’ll use throughout the day outside the main pack compartment. A sneaky bottom-of-the-pack stash pocket gives you a few more liters of storage.

SPECIFICATIONS

Comfort, carrying-ability, and convenience come at a cost. For the Unbound 40, it’s a few more ounces on the scale when compared to some of the other packs we’d consider when going off the map for a few weeks. The main culprit is the more durable 150-denier polymer face fabric that adds so much insurance against downpours and abrasive rocks. Another is just how many useful, voluminous pockets you’ll find on the Unbound 40. If you don’t need so much carry capacity, look for a more minimalist pack that utilizes lighter materials. But for us, these included features stopped us from having a frustration-fueled meltdown on the trail more than a few times and allowed us to persevere to our next resupply smiling. “For long-distance trips, the exceptional carrying capacity and the weight transfer to my hips make the Unbound 40 a winner,” confides our lead tester. Try out the Ultralight Adventure Equipment Ultra Circuit for another long-distance trail-worthy pack with great storage capacity, comfort, and durability.

Read more: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 review

While you will surely shoulder a number of extra backpacking accouterments with the Swift V, there is still a limit on how much weight it can handle comfortably – we suggest keeping loads below 35 lbs. Speaking of weight, as far as ultralight packs go, one with this much main compartment volume isn’t ever going to be as light as smaller, more nimble packs. “Some of the features at that make the Swift V so comfortable are also what make it just a little heavier than other packs,” notes our tester. If you’re concerned about minimizing pack weight while maximizing carrying capacity, check out the REI Co-op Flash Air 50. But in our opinion, the Swift V is the perfect pack when you’re the one “lucky” enough to haul you and your partner’s favorite two-person tent, or you need to bring along a bulkier, 0-degree sleeping bag for a chilly night in the alpine. It is an amazingly comfortable, do-it-all pack for long carries.

Read more: Six Moon Designs Swift V review

We must come clean and admit we’re still blown away at the amount of engineering put into the exceptional Osprey Exos Pro 55 to take a more conventional backpack design and make it truly ultralight. Weight may be gone, but all the creature comforts that one expects from a backpack are not left on the cutting room floor. “I especially loved the back suspension system on this pack. It provided comfort from my pack’s load and gave a ton of air circulation that my sweaty back desperately craves,” says our head tester.

SPECIFICATIONS

If you want to shave off as much weight as possible from your kit, the Exos Pro 55 won’t be attractive to you since the frame, padding, and hip belts aren’t removable, even if the top lid is. “Save this pack for your long hauls and use a more nimble pack for day trips,” admits our lead tester. That said, one can certainly make a proper sub-ten-pound base weight kit when using the Exos Pro, and for that, we applaud Osprey’s effort. The main nylon fabric is built to last for years, but you should know that the back mesh on the suspension system might need to be babied a little more. Another worthy alternative to the Exos Pro 55 is the REI Co-op Flash Air 50, which also has back padding that reminds us of more conventional packs but features a very light main pack body. The main difference between the two is that the Flash Air 50 is a roll-top.

Read more: Osprey Exos Pro 55 review

Going lighter often means starting out from the trailhead with simpler gear and a little more knowledge on how to best use what you’ve brought along. For discriminating ultralight tastes, we have the The Cutaway from Nashville Pack, an expert’s pack with very impressive stats. This 40-liter pack keeps its weight-to-volume ratio low by forgoing an internal frame and padding. “Without padding, I recommend packing this rig strategically so that nothing pokes you in the back,” says our tester. If you’ve dialed in your sleeping system and shelter setup, then The Cutaway could be the cherry on top of your ultimate UL kit.

SPECIFICATIONS

The Cutaway’s shoulder strap system and external pockets are both ahead of the game and good enough reasons to suggest this pack to almost anyone. However, frameless packs can be a bit polarizing – not everyone’s back and shoulders are going to agree with the lack of traditional support. “I usually rig up my foam sleeping pad to the back of this pack for extra comfort,” our lead tester shares. “But it is one more step I need to do before I get going for the day.” For a little more convenience, consider the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra as a suitable alternative. It’s another excellent pack targeted at skilled long haulers, just with a frame design that helps move some of the load off your shoulders and keeps air flowing across your back. But if you’re already sold on the idea of the frameless pack, then look no further than The Cutaway.

Read more: Nashville Pack The Cutaway review

There are many details we love about the Black Diamond Beta Light 45, from its tough yet lightweight Ultra 200 fabric to its running vest-inspired shoulder straps (with all those easy-to-access pockets!) But what surprised and delighted us the most was just how versatile and modular the pack design was for different trips. We could use all of the built-in features for heavier loads or strip them off when going fast and light – the latter being what this pack is best for. This pack only weighs 19 ounces when fully stripped, yet still has 40 liters of internal capacity and more than 10 liters of carrying capacity externally. “For newer ultralight backpackers, this pack offers lots of options to work with while dialing in your preferences and perfecting your systems,” notes our lead tester. “This is a pack that’ll grow with the owner.”

SPECIFICATIONS

Unfortunately, this Transformer of a pack isn’t great at carrying heavy loads, and we struggled to carry much more than 35 lbs. The main problem is that the Beta Light 45 doesn’t transfer pack weight to the hip belt as well as other packs we tested. The vest-style shoulder straps and sternum strap have a bit of stretch to them, which is great for moving quickly (and even running) but not so great for carrying out a seven-day load. Our lead tester adds some insight: “This pack may appeal to those who like how their running vests and day packs feel and want to capture that in their Ultralight pack.” If you’d rather trade a bit of versatility for an even lighter pack, the Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L is our top suggestion. But for high mileage, long days, and lighter loads, the BD Beta Light 45 will support your performance-oriented goals.

The Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L is what one may imagine — both the good and the bad — of what ultralight backpacks are all about. It has advanced composite materials whose weight rivals that of tissue paper, with slimmed-down features, minimal pockets, a cool name, and a hot price tag to match. There’s a lot to unpack concerning the Exodus, but if you’re an advanced hiker already possessing a streamlined kit and looking for the best weight-to-volume value on the market, the Exodus is made for you. “The Exodus may be exactly what you’re looking for, but it could take a few trips out to come to that conclusion,” admits our lead tester.

SPECIFICATIONS

If you’re not yet that advanced of a backpacker and your entire carry weight is more than 20 pounds, then the Exodus won’t support you as you gain the requisite experience to be the next “Flyin’” Brian, “Anish” Anderson, or Jeff “Legend”. The big spoiler to the Exodus’s incredible weight-to-volume ratio is that it skimps out on back padding, an internal frame, as well as other niceties like hip belt pockets, making you figure those details out yourself using clever packing and repurposing gear. “The Exodus is made to support you moving fast by being light, but you’ll need to bring along your experience too,” mentions our lead tester. If that’s too much of a puzzle to solve on top of all the other logistics of a big-thru hike, consider another ultralight backpack like the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 that better supports your adventure, both literally and figuratively.

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