alexsuen

I have written before about “men's fit” and “women's fit” backpacks. At MEC, I frequently have members (our nomenclature for customers, even though we are no longer a retail co-op) come in and ask what the differences are. The good news is that the men's fit and women's fit backpacks are the same price across different models. Their rated capacities are the same or almost the same. The bad news? Except for certain models available in all-black, a somewhat rare colourway in the outdoor gear world, they tend to have two different and non-overlapping sets of colourways.

Another piece of good news is that it's not just a marketing gimmick. There are anatomical differences that make these backpacks tailored for their specific sex. For trans people, or everyone really, note that “women's fit” means the best fit for most people assigned female at birth (AFAB), and “men's fit” means the best fit for most people assigned male at birth (AMAB). If you are a cisgendered man, or an AMAB trans woman, you may find that a women's fit backpack may suit you better, or vice versa. It's rare, but my guess is that about one-in-fifty to one-in-twenty people will want a backpack that is designed for the opposite of their biological sex.

Getting back to the averages: please see the following differences below.

• Men's fit backpacks are designed to fit larger torsos in volume, height, and length. Therefore, they have a taller range of torso height adjustments on models that have that option. The shoulder straps are straighter and longer.
• Women's fit backpacks are designed to smaller torsos in volume, height, and length. Therefore, they have a shorter range of torso height adjustments. The shoulder straps are curvier and shorter.
• Men's fit backpacks are designed to fit broader shoulders. The shoulder straps are therefore usually wider across the padded area, and start at the back further apart from each other.
• Women's fit backpacks are designed to fit narrower shoulders. The shoulder straps are usually narrower across the padded area, and start at the back closer together.
• Men's fit backpacks are designed to fit straighter, narrower hips. The hipbelt is usually perpendicular to the ground or only slightly curved.
• Women's fit backpacks are designed to fit curvier, wider hips. The hipbelt is usually canted at an angle to support the flaring of the hips.

Basically, if you're biologically male, you should usually start with trying on men's fit backpacks, and if you're biologically female, you should usually start with trying on women's fit backpacks. On the outside edge of things, you may wish to try on the opposite sex fit.

“Unisex” backpacks are often not labelled seriously. Product pages on store websites are often not labelled accurately, and backpacks for large adult men are frequently classified as “unisex.” This is less true for Osprey and for everyday city backpacks, but as a general rule outdoor backpacks that are over $150 will have gendered backpack fit options and no true unisex option.

Gregory and Osprey also make models for plus size customers, which you may wish to consider if average backpacks fit you poorly or not at all. They are the same price and have the same features as the average backpack models.

Deuter, Lowe Alpine, and many other traditional backpack companies offer a wide range of models that includes men's fit and women's fit options. However, companies that don't specifically specialize in backpacks (e.g. Fjallraven, Arc'teryx, Patagonia) or most small US-based cottage ultralight manufacturers (e.g. Gossamer Gear, Zpacks, Hyperlite Mountain Gear) won't have all of these options.

The best thing to do to ensure that your backpack fits well, is to try it on in the store, and get assistance from an experienced backpack fitter. It's like trying on hiking boots. If this option is not available to you, I recommend buying from stores with generous and flexible return policies.

See the list below for quick picks. Prices listed are current as of March 2025, and reflect the MRSP in Canadian dollars.

Everyday backpacks

Budget: MEC Campus 30 (style no. 6031-473) and Hippocampus 32 (style no. 6031-516), $65 and $80 respectively. True unisex fit. Be careful to get the current generation, and not the extremely subpar previous generation models (6014-770 and 6031-516). Not available in the US. Midrange: Osprey Quasar 26 (or other backpacks from Osprey's 24/7 series, e.g. Nebula 32), $160. True unisex fit and probably the best in the business. High-end: Usually not recommended. If you insist, Evergoods and Tom Bihn designs are intriguing, though they are expensive to import. Consider the Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30 if you're being cheeky. Used: If you can find them, older generations of Deuter backpacks are phenomenal, especially the Giga 28, Gigant 32, and Grant 24 models. Rare in Canada. The Mystery Ranch District 18 and 24 are also outstanding, but are even rarer. Small: I have trouble figuring recommending specific models under 15L in capacity. I do recommend almost any backpack over a shoulder bag if it's used to commute to work or school every day. Fashion: Depending on the style you're going for, the Fjallraven Kanken 16, Jansport Superbreak 26, and The North Face Borealis 28 are all legends of European, American, and Japanese streetwear fashion respectively.

Day hiking backpacks

Budget: Gregory Nano 16 for women's fit and Nano 20 for men's fit, $75 and $110 respectively. They are unisex according to the manufacturer's specifications but this is not true for many. The Nano 20 is available in plus size. Midrange: Gregory Miko 20 for men's fit, Gregory Maya 20 for women's fit, $180. High-end: Osprey Talon 22 for men's fit, Osprey Tempest 20 for women's fit, $210. Available in plus sizes. Large capacity: Gregory Miko 30 for men's fit and Gregory Maya 30 for women's fit, $210. Large capacity, high-end: Osprey Stratos 34 for men's fit and Osprey Sirrus 34 for women's fit, $260. The Osprey Talon 44/Tempest 40 is also a good lightweight option at $290.

Multi-day backpacking/trekking packs

Budget: Gregory Stout 70 for men's fit and Gregory Amber 68 for women's fit, $300. Available in plus sizes. Midrange: Gregory Baltoro 65 for men's fit and Gregory Deva 60 for women's fit, $460. Alternatively, the Osprey Atmos AG 65 or Aura AG 65 if you're mainly in hotter climates and less technical (i.e. mountainous) terrain, or the Osprey Aether 65 or Ariel 65 if you're mainly in cooler climates and more technical terrain. High-end: Usually not recommended. You're probably looking more for boutique ultralight gear made by smaller manufacturers.

Urban adventure travel backpacks

Personal item sized: Osprey Daylite Carry-On Expandable 26+26, $130, true unisex fit. Alternatively, the slightly oversized Patagonia Black Hole Mini-MLC 30, $250. Carry-on sized: Osprey Farpoint 40 for men's fit and Osprey Fairview 40 for women's fit, $200. Alternatively, if you need something less hike-y, the Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45 ($300), Osprey Daylite Carry-On 44 ($170) and the latest generation of the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 ($300) are all excellent, and all three of these offer true unisex fit. Carry-on and personal item combo: Osprey Farpoint 55 for men's fit and Osprey Fairview 55 for women's fit, $280. It is composed of a 40L main pack and a 15L detachable daypack that becomes your personal item. Can be difficult to find due to high demand. Alternatively, the Thule Landmark 60 (40L + 20L detachable daypack, $300) appears to be a solid option, though I don't have personal experience with it. Checked baggage: Osprey Farpoint 70 for men's fit and Osprey Fairview 70 for women's fit, $300. It is composed of a 55L main pack and a 15L detachable daypack that becomes your personal item. The Deuter Voyager 65+10 ($400) is a very old-fashioned approach to this category if you prefer something that is more similar to a alpine-style trekking backpack.

Other categories

I defer to subject matter experts on categories like mountain biking or alpine climbing backpacks.

It's more complicated than you might think. Also, first, a disclaimer: any advice I offer you is superseded by your own comfort and needs. I am offering 'textbook' recommendations, but if something conflicts with that, your overriding priority is whatever works best for your unique situation and preferences.

Why trust anything Alex says in the first place?

I've worked at MEC (= the Canadian REI for the American audiences out there), a prominent Canadian outdoor goods and apparel retailer, since the middle of the pandemic in late 2021. Through my experience on the sales floor and frankly ridiculous obsession with everything to do with backpacks since as far back as 2015, I have amassed a stupid level of knowledge on backpack materials, manufacturing processes, and ergonomics. I've found that while there are some very good backpack review channels on YouTube, (for example, Bo Ismono is very comprehensive), they are not for everyone. Especially when it comes to looking for 'normal,' budget-friendly backpacks. The posts I write here are meant, as far as I can make it, for everyone, without any influence coming from ad money or sponsorships.

No, MEC is not paying me to write any of this. I am not writing any of this as a representative of that company.

What is this backpack for?

When you're looking for a backpack, you should be thinking about whether this is for one of three broad use cases:

• Everyday
• Outdoor adventure
• Urban adventure travel

Everyday

The everyday backpack is self-explanatory. I would recommend anything between 15-25L in capacity (most backpacks are rated according to litres or cubic inches), depending on what you need to bring to work. If you're blessed with an office that offers a cafeteria and free coffee, maybe you don't need more much more than a laptop and a charger. Perhaps your commute is also short or involves minimal walking In that case, you may get away with a laptop bag or shoulder bag between 5-10L instead, or a cute lil' Fjallraven Kanken.

Most people think you should just use whatever appeals to you aesthetically and is offered at a very low price. You could get lucky and find an excellent, comfortable, durable backpack like this. However, in my time working on the MEC retail floor, I've found that more often than not your free work backpack or the cheapest thing you can get from Wal-Mart has some major deficiencies in all areas except price.

This is not to say you have to buy some expensive bougie thing, and indeed there are many good backpacks that are under 100 CAD (70 USD) that are exceptional products. I will explain in a later post what your options are in different price categories. But I would caution against treating this most afterthought of consumer products as purely an afterthought. A good backpack can actually make your life a tiny bit easier on a daily basis.

Outdoor adventure

Ergonomics matter a lot more for these types of backpacks. They can divided into roughly six categories:

1. Day hiking
2. Multi-day backpacking (Europeans usually call this “trekking”)
3. Mountain biking
4. Alpine climbing and mountaineering
5. Running vests and fastpacking packs for ultrarunning.

I will focus almost exclusively on just the first and second categories here. Buying a backpack like these are very specific to their individual use case, and also your own body. Compared to the situation in the 1970s and 1980s, ergonomic developments have become rather advanced.

In the case of backpacking/trekking packs, your backpack is one of the “big four” of backpacking/trekking (the backpack, the sleeping bag, the sleeping pad, the tent or other shelter), and the container of your “Mountaineering Ten Essentials.” Therefore your backpack is a mission critical aspect of your gear list and should be ideally comfortably adapted to your own body, and reasonably failure-proof. If you're not used to it, imagine that you're trying on a pair of hiking boots, but rather for your feet, it's for the entire rest of your body.

Many such backpacks comes in men's (the manufacturer usually doesn't mention this in such detail, but applies to the vast majority of people assigned male at birth) and women's (assigned female at birth) fit versions. You, the female customer, are blessed with identical pricing and don't have to pay the dreaded 'pink tax.' The most significant and generally non-overlapping difference is torso height and torso volume. I therefore recommend you start off with trying on the “men's” backpack if you are AMAB and the “women's” backpacks if you are AFAB.

Due to inflation over the past few years, the best backpacks for these use cases have exploded in price. However, there are still some models that are reasonably affordable, and MEC/REI offers store brand models that may be worth your consideration.

Urban adventure travel

Since the lifting of the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, urban adventure travel has skyrocketed in popularity. Many people are now in the throes of a revived interest in backpacking through Europe and Southeast Asia, or hut-to-hut (i.e. between staffed mountain huts with amenities, like the E12 in the Alps or many lovely routes in Norway) or shelter-to-shelter (e.g. the Camino in France and Spain, or Shikoku Temples Pilgrimage in Japan). If you're doing the latter kind of trip, a large daypack (about 25L in capacity) or a small backpacking pack (30-45L) is ideal. But if it's not about hiking at all, and just sticking to cities and beaches? You may wish to have an urban travel backpack instead.

These backpacks are extremely popular, and offer the carrying comfort of a framed hiking backpack with the convenience of a suitcase-style wide-access clamshell zipper. Even if the travel is not so 'adventurous,' I recommend these types for all kinds of air travel. Most models are designed to fit the standard 56cm x 33cm x 23cm / 22” x 14” x 9” carry-on sizer of United, Delta, Air Canada, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, etc. However, as people flock to carry-on only “onebag” travel to avoid the cost and inconvenience of checked baggage, you may find that the overhead bins are increasingly stuffed. I will write a later post explaining some options for dealing with this issue.

Thankfully, these backpacks are (relatively) inexpensive, especially compared to their outdoor adventure brethren. New models are being developed for personal item-only travel, for very experienced air travellers who can get away with the tyrannical restrictions of budget airlines like Frontier or Spirit.

I ain't readin' all of that

Tomorrow, I'll write a post that just gives my top two recommendations for each category, a budget-friendly option and a more expensive option, that should work for nearly everyone. Stay tuned.