A good backpack is a complicated piece of equipment, and can climb in price quite quickly, especially if you need a larger volume backpack. So putting a little work in to finding cheap hiking backpacks can have a big payoff. Sales are always a good bet on finding a good price on a hiking backpack, but if you cant find anything you like on sale, you may need to do a little more research on what you want. But as long as you are willing to put a little work in, you should be able to find a cheap hiking backpack for your next outing.
Cheap Hiking Backpacks
What to look for when you want a lower price on a hiking backpack.- Basic Design - Backpacks often come with quite a few extra features which, while often quite useful, also tend to drive the price up. Things like removable lids, advanced suspension systems and more exotic fabrics may be nice to have, but also cost more, and if you're looking to get a cheap hiking backpack, it's best to look for backpacks that lack most or all of these features.
- Weight - Backpacks designed to be lightweight usually come with a higher price tag. You might think that less material would mean less cost, but lightweight backpacks often use more expensive fabrics or construction techniques to achieve those lighter weights, though there are some exceptions to this.
Best Cheap Hiking Backpacks
A few of the better hiking backpacks with a low price point.- The North Face Terra 65 Pack - (women's version) A good, basic hiking backpack with a very respectable price. It doesn't have any advanced features, it's designed more for first time backpackers in mind. But it's top loading, with a sleeping bag compartment and compression straps in the right places, as well as a frame, so it has all the basics covered. At 4.7 pounds, or 2.14 kilograms it is far from the lightest 65 liter backpack on the market, but for the price you cant expect much.
- Osprey Atmos 50 Backpack - (women's version) The Atmos 50 is a 50 liter backpack with a slightly higher price than the Terra. For the extra money you get a few nice features, like a hydration sleeve for a water bladder, and a lighter weight, at just 3.4 pounds, or 1.54 kilograms, which even considering the decrease in volume is a better weight.
- ULA Equipment CDT - The CDT is a great hiking backpack with an even better price. It's cheaper than either of the other two backpacks on the list, and is actually made in the USA, something that cant be said of many backpacking products. It gives you 52 liters of capacity to work with, and best of all, it weighs just 1.06 pounds, or 481 grams, which is just a fraction of the other two backpacks. But it's missing a few features, like an internal frame, that some people might consider essential, and the minimalist construction puts an upper limit on how much weight you can carry with this backpack, with the recommended max load being about 25 pounds. If you like lightweight gear, this is a great choice.
