2. Osprey Rook 65 Backpack: Best Budget Hiking Backpack
If you want one of the best hiking packs without breaking the bank, the Osprey Rook 65 is a perfect choice. It’s especially suitable for carrying light to midweight loads, making it a good companion for easy day hikes or short multi-day expeditions. It carries up to 40 pounds, with the wireframe setup to transfer some of that weight to the waist belt.
As the price may indicate, this minimalist hiking backpack comes with basic features and the necessary compartments. This includes a top lid pocket, mesh water bottle pockets, and a bottom compartment, which are all easily accessible while hiking. There’s also a sleeping bag compartment for keeping your bed-away-from-home secure and a hydration sleeve that stores up to 3L.
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Like the Atmos and Aura, the Rook 65 has a great ventilation system that ensures you can combat warm weather. This backpack also features a FlapJacket that is great at keeping your dry gear and wet gear separate, as well as protecting against rain.
When considering the price, this backpack is the best value-for-money pack on the market.
Pros
- Affordable
- FlapJacket protects against rain
- Durable
- Lifetime warranty
- 5+ exterior pockets
Cons
- Comfort is questionable as the padding is thin
- It doesn’t have many features
- Top lid access isn’t great