Seems that good quality cheap hiking backpacks do not exist anymore. I used to buy Osprey though the prices are crazy expensive now.. Surely some smart bloke is bringing out a quality product at a reasonable price?
Anyone have any experience?
Thanks
Quality 28-35 Litre Hiking Backpack
Sage222 on 06/03/2024 - 10:29
Last edited 22/05/2024 - 17:48 by 1 other user
Last edited 22/05/2024 - 17:48 by 1 other user
Comments
its a secret
50 cents…
Tree fiddy.
Surely some smart bloke
Yeah some dude running a factory in china probably - looking to capitalise on the bottom end of market and wreck it, lets look whats on amazon:
amazon looks to have no name 35l hiking backpacks from around $30-35 delivered (zomake 30l has over 15k reviews at average 4.5!)
middle range around $65 delivered, with over 1000 votes and averaging 4.5 stars (G4Free 35L)
yeah G4free looked ok though it's polyester. my understanding is Nylon is much more durable..
Certain types of polyester are great and has inherent waterproof characteristics over nylon. Nylon requires a laminate layer which peels off over 5 or so years and turns into a flaky horrible mess.
Back in the day when Macpac was a top of the line brand, all their serious packs were polyester. And some of the best specialist tents out there use polyester for the fly.
But any $40 bag on Amazon isn't going to be a "quality" product made by a "smart bloke". All the smart blokes are making low production niche ultralights or super durable semi custom packs for $$$.
Decathlon are decent enough or you could look into second hand
reasonable price is around $80-$120. Osprey are about double that..
damn porter 30s usued to be around that for a while
(source i was obsessively watching price for ages) - got one in 2021 for $123I almost picked one of the 40L/46L porters each they were about ~$150 but decided to wait until we needed one. That time finally came and I paid ~$300.
When researching it, it seems we've lost a few UK retailers that shipped to Australia.
porter quality (at least in 2021) was quite good
if i needed it 100% id be down to pay the $300.
That being said $300 is discounted peak design money… so there is that too - though PD was not made (imo) for hikers.@Jimothy Wongingtons: PD 45L was also considered, but the Osprey Fairview won out because the feature set was more in line with what was wanted. Farpoint/Fairview would probably be OKish for hiking. I had the PD 45L bag in my cart multiple times while it was on sale - one of those abandoned cart offers probably would have got me.
I have the Porter 46L which has served me well for overseas and interstate travel. It's still in great condition. I would begrudgingly consider another one at a higher price, though, a PD on sale would probably win out now. Or… I might go in the other direction and grab a Tomtoc or Decathlon Forclaz Travel.
@ihfree: Ugh, I own a PD 30. The shoulder straps make it a terrible pack for extended hiking and the 45L version has the same strap design. The 30L PD is great for a short term travel pack that involves lots of plane flights and fast access, and a good camera bag. But not a good hiking bag.
Describe what hiking means to you.
E.g. for multi-day hikers, that capacity is far too small. It's like a day pack.
Yes after dayhiking.
looks like the Deuter AC Lite 30.. maybe one of the best around.. still $180…
Deuter packs are expensive but you get what you pay for when it comes to a quality pack that fits you really well
A cheaper option that is reliable is Blackwolf. Rrp tends to be quite inflated and can often find good prices.
Best bet is to look out for minimal use second hand hiking packs from quality brands. Can be had for the price you deem to be "reasonable".
Try the outlets. You might get lucky.
Otherwise if you have any friends who work for Macpac or the wider group…
I just bought an osprey right now. Everything cheaper than that looks like a huge step down
looks like MountainTop maybe the best budget brand..
much cheaper on aliexpress or even MountainTops own website than on amazon.
Are you basing this on reliable user feedback somewhere, or Aliexpress photos?
What makes a pack 'good' is buried in design and materials quality, stuff that you can't make out in photos. Fabric type, zip quality, the type of plastic used in the buckles, the foam used in the padding of the shoulder straps (lots of shitty packs have a really fragile soft foam which compresses down really fast).
At the prices I am seeing on Aliexpress, I'd sooner go with something secondhand from a major brand.
lots of reviews on youtube.. ill let you know once mine arrives! ordered the 35L hiking.
Any feedback on yours?
@Alpine58: Yep got it. Is pretty bloody good tbh.. it's no Osprey. though for $80 delivered and 70% cheaper its great.
Comfortable. well built. light. strong. im happy!
Hmmmm are they these ones: https://mountaintop-outdoor.com/collections/hiking-backpacks
Hopefully they meet your needs. Maybe I'm a tough marker but don't look all that impressive to me, if you dig hard there's some decent ones on AliExpress but hard to say how they stack up until you see in person. A gal in our club has an Aonijie from AX, she's a gear nutter and rates it highly. Naturehike also have some decent stuff - Golden Camel is a decent punt on some more entry level stuff.
I have had very good luck keeping a look out on local classified e.g Gumtree & FB - often folks seem to sell off near new quality backpacks for a pittance. I've several Osprey's and Deuter's and got them this way.
What's a reasonable price?