Gear Heads - Backpack/Daypack

A properly fitting backpack is imperative for carrying your gear. If porters are carrying most of your stuff, this may be replaced with a daypack. A backpack needs to be large enough to easily hold your gear, stable enough to feel comfortable on your back and accessible enough to get your personal items out quickly during a hike. While some are made to be waterproof, we prefer traditional packs with dry bags inside. Whichever pack you decide on, don’t obsess solely on the weight to capacity ratio. Choose a pack that distributes the load well and make sure you try it out with a full load before initiating your trek. Also, pay attention to how accessible water is from the pack. Can you easily reach the side pockets where the water bottles should be stored? Does it have a special sack to store a water bag with easy access to it’s hose?

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