Get outside with the best backpacking backpacks for your recreation needs, including ultralight and budget picks from Osprey, Kelty, and more.

It's (Very) Functional. The box-like shape of the Stubben may take a bit of getting used to, but as well as being a great seat, it offers protection for the gear inside by virtue of the frame ...

How We Chose The Best Internal Frame Backpacks My experience choosing internal frame backpacks comes from many years in the backcountry and hundreds of miles hiked, both recreationally and as a ...

That pack is a truly weird combination of a Dana Designs Astralplane (Dana s large, still-hard-to-beat internal-frame pack) with a Dana Gleason-designed external-frame chassis. Really a great pack.

Its frame is made with 6061 aluminum and it has a “sleeping bag sling,” which looks like a small hammock hanging on the bottom of the pack. Why go external? Cheaper price is a good place to start.

If your backpack's external frame died years ago or if you found a cheap ALICE pack on Craigslist without a frame, you can easily make one with around $3 worth of PVC piping and fittings. The only ...