Searching for good and relatively inexpensive outdoor backpack

[damib]

Hello,
I"ve tried a few backpacks in my life that varied in purpose and volume, but I still consider myself relatively new to outdoor backpacks mainly in terms of brands and experience, so I would appreciate some recommendations that are relatively inexpensive (budget is approximately 200 dollars).
I am searching for bigger one compartment backpack with volume of 50-60 l that is comfortable even with 10-15 kg of gear and 20-25 km of walking. I am not walking with these kinds of loads everyday, but it's certainly possible on multiday trips. Main reason for this is that my 40 l backpacks are not simply enough for me sometimes and they are not comfortable for heavy loads. One caused me lots of pain last time.
Thanks.

 

[gadgetgeek]

Osprey is becoming a defacto standard in a lot of places among the pros I worked with. They have good warranty support and are well made. Unless you want a bag that is massively overbuilt, or super light, they are the best middle ground right now for a good pack at a middle price point.

 

[OwenM]

$200-220 is what the Osprey Exos 48 and 58 currently go for, and they are worth checking out.
They are fantastic for loads of ~15kg or less. Maybe a bit more, but they're lightweight packs, and not intended for heavy loads. They're also the #1 thruhiker packs due to their comfort and availability..

A newer version will be out sometime this year(Osprey updates this model every 4 years) with hipbelt pockets the 2018 model lacks, but I don't know about other changes besides new colors.
They're fine for the trail hiking the vast majority of backpackers do, though something tougher, and correspondingly heavier, would fare better for offtrail use, or the desert Southwest's slickrock<<<the 2 main reasons my 2018 Exos 38, a warranty replacement for my 2014 Exos 38, will inevitably be replaced by a 2022 one!

I love the Exos' suspension. I'm a pretty minimalist backpacker, and can get 7 days/6 nights in the Rockies from the 38L, which still only gets me up ~26-27lbs on day one. 4 days/3 nights with both desert and an area that required a bear canister(Salt Creek, Canyonlands NP) might have hit 30+ starting out with 5L of water and a 2lb BV450.
Either way, adding 10-12lbs more than I typically carry on an overnight hike did nothing to diminish the pack's comfort, so I'm pretty sold on it for loads up to those weights.

 

[Mikel_24]

Keep in mind that my recommendation comes from the Alpine Climbing experience and I think it is worth looking into the Lowe Alpine backpacks as well. I own a Alpin Lowe Alpine Attack 45-55 that it is a joy to carry, as it only weights arround 1,2kg with all the accesories and can be stripped down to 900gr. It has an internal frame and supportive suspension system.

A friend of mine owns the Lowe Alpine Mountain Attack... which is a slightly beefier version of my pack. A bit heavier but with the same concept in mind. I guess that with heavy loads it might be even more comfortable.

If you want to go bigger, the Lowe Alpine Metanoia (no longer made, but might be able to find one somewhere) it is even bigger and suited for the heaviest of loads.

Anyway, stay away from the so called "backpacking" packs... "military" packs... and stick to single compartment climbing packs. $200 should be plenty to get you a nice backpack.

Do you plan on carrying additional gear that needs to be strapped to the outside of the pack such as skis, snowshoes, ice axes, etc? Try to find one that already integrates in the design the straps required for this, although you can always sew them on later or repurpose/modify some of the existing ones. A classic one is extending the compression straps to hold the rolled foam sleeping pad, usually they are too short for this.

Let us know what you get!

Mikel

 

[gadgetgeek]

I should also mention, I have the Osprey Exos 58, and the Levity 45, and while I have not run them out as much as I'd like to, both are improvements on other packs I've used. The Exos will handle the weight you are considering, I've not pushed my levity very much, so I don't really know where it's load limit is for me.
The other major factor is going to be fit. A lot of the Osprey packs are set length packs, and you might be better off spending a bit more to get an adjustable length pack, unless you are confident that you know how a pack should fit your body, and can match that up. I do know some people that have carried obscene weights in Aether and Ariel packs, But your pack weight isn't unreasonable, so just make sure it's not a fit problem and the Exos might well be the ticket.