Expedition Edition (Ultra-Light Thru-Hike, Weekend Trip, or International Travel) ? 30-50 liters. Perhaps you have an extended camping trip on the horizon. Maybe you need to upgrade your travel backpack for those upcoming international trips. A 30L – 50L backpack will be just the ticket.
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20-30 Liters (The Essential Dayhiker)The sweet spot for most daypacks, having a pack in the 20-30 liter range will mean that you can certainly carry all of the essentials, up to and including:Food for the day (again, a decent lunch)
Their capacity lets you carry an extra layer, food and gear for day trips. 21–35 liters: This is the sweet spot for most hiking and travel daypacks. There's enough capacity to hold food, clothing and some extras, like a camera and a book.
A 30L – 50L backpack will be just the ticket. It will be able to hold all your sleeping, cooking, and camping gear you need for trips up to 5 or 6 days. As thru-hiking has evolved, many hikers have taken on a truly minimalist philosophy (this applies to their backpack sizes).
Larger than the 30L Travel Bag, the 40L Travel Bag is designed for longer excursions. Some might say a week, but we think you don't need much more for a month than you do for a week, so we'd definitely take this on a multi-month backpacking trip around Europe or South America (or wherever).
For a day hike, a pack between 10 and 25 liters should be enough. You could fit your water bottle and your picnic in this pack, as well as a jacket and sunscreen, to cater for all weather conditions! For more than a day hike, you should think big!
Large Backpacks: 40+ LitersLarge backpacks have a capacity of 40 liters or more, which is plenty of space for all your travel gear, even on longer journeys. If you're planning a backpacking trip for seven to ten days (or longer if you're travel-savvy and can pack light), this is the size you'll want.
This is why most new backpackers think they need a larger backpack to travel, but with some clever organising and good packing cubes, a 40L backpack could just be the perfect size. You'll be incredibly surprised at just how small of a space you can fit everything you need for 3, 6 or even 12 months.
The answer is: not more than 20% of your body weight, and ideally, it'll be about 10% of your body weight. If you weigh 200 lbs, you'd be fine with carrying 40 lbs for a day hike. If you're 160 lbs, you'd be okay with a ~30 lbs pack.
MEDIUM BACKPACKS (20 – 35L)This capacity range is considered a medium-size backpack and is probably the most popular bag capacity out there. It's great for taking to school or work, depending on the styling, and can also be a great travel pack for taking on a plane.
40 liters is definitely big enough for traveling, as long as you're not an over-packer. It's a good idea not to go for an overly large backpack - overpacking can be as troublesome as under-packing.