Backpacks, Hydration Packs, and Accessories
A good quality backpack is a must for any hiking and camping adventure. CampGear.com makes sure to have your back when it comes to camp gear, so we stock backpacks, daypacks, and hydration packs from top brands like Osprey, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face, Geigerrig, Vaude and more.
A top quality backpack for backpacking and camping adventures should have a hipbelt, padded shoulder straps, sternum strap, spine cushioning, load lifter straps, compression straps, and plenty of compartments and pockets for storing gear.
To keep this as simple as possible, the hip belt buckles around your waist will help support most of the weight of the backpack on your hips. Padded shoulder straps should fit comfortably on your shoulders and have adjustments so you can fit the backpack to sit comfortably. The sternum strap is a small strap that fastens across the sternum or chest and helps hold the shoulder straps in place. Top quality backpacks should have padding on the back to help make carrying the backpack on long trips more comfortable. Load lifter and compressions straps help you adjust the backpack so that the load stays in place and close to your back for more efficient weight distribution and easier carrying. Different model of backpacks have various compartments and pockets for storing gear. Some backpacks have offer both internal and external storage compartments and pockets, while others have an open interior while still providing places to store your gear on the outside of the backpack.
Now that we have laid out the overlying features that make a backpack appropriate for camping or backpacking it is important to look at the size of the backpack. The extent of your backpacking trip and how much gear you intend to pack will help determine what size backpack you will need. The longer or more rugged the trip, the more gear you will potentially need. CampGear.com provides you with two ways to sort the backpacks to find the best size backpack for your adventures. Use and Pack Capacity both relate to the size of the backpack. Use is broken down by trip duration: Daypack, Overnight, Weekend, Multiday, and Extended are the classifications. The chart below shows the recommended pack capacity in liters for the various use groups.
|
Trip Duration |
Pack Capacity (liters) |
|
Day or overnight (1-2 nights) |
16 - 45 |
|
Weekend (2-3 nights) |
50 - 65 |
|
Multiday (2-5 nights) |
65 - 75 |
|
Extended (5+ nights or winter camping) |
75 + |
We recommend that smaller framed backpackers stick to the lower end of the capacity range to help manage pack weight for easier hiking especially over rugged terrain.
Hopefully this and the rest of the buying and sizing guides on CampGear.com will help you pick out the right backpack for you. If you need a hand please use our Live Chat or contact customer service to speak with one of our backpack experts.
Family camping tents are typically larger and heavier than the other types of tents. Family camping tents are generally best suited for use at a campground or state park as they are heavy to carry too far from the car. Some styles of family camping tents have multiple rooms inside them to accommodate large groups of people.
