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Like any good gear nut with hyper-specific piece of outerwear and footwear for any given scenario, I have a lot of bags. The idea of just owning one or two has never made sense to me—some trips, for example, require a roller, others a duffel. And yet, somehow, I've found myself in situations where the bags I've brought can't adequately carry everything I want to bring with me on my trip. Enter the packable backpack, a bag that can fold down to sizes small enough to fit in your luggage, other bacpacks, even a pocket, when not in use. Using one of these can ensure you're never without some extra cargo carrying capabilities.
We surveyed the options offered by outdoor brands we know and trust to pick out and pick apart the best packable backpacks out there. Some options tout ultra low weight in a minimal design, while others offer a near full list of features as their non-packable counterparts. Unsurprisingly, the level of packability tends to scale with how much cargo space each pack offers in total, but there are of course exceptions to that rule.
Field Mag’s Top Picks for Packable Backpacks
- Best Overall Packable Backpack: Mystery Ranch In and Out 25
- Best Ultralight: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack 30
- Best for Travel: Matador Freefly16
- Best for Every Day Carry: Patagonia Terravia Tote Pack 24L
- Most Durable: Roadrunner Comrad
- Most Compact: Sea-to-Summit Ultra Sil Day Pack
- Best for Cycling: Outershell Magic Musette
About the Packability Score
Though simple in approach, I generated a simple score for each backpack by dividing the total liters of storage volume by its weight in ounces. Since some of these packs can measure slightly amorphous in dimension once packed into a zip pocket or provided stuffsack, this score seemed more useful than trying to approximate the stowed carry size of each pack. Simply put, the higher the score, the higher the ratio of cargo-volume-to-carry weight.
The 7 Best Packable Backpacks of 2025
Best Overall Packable Backpack: Mystery Ranch In and Out 25
Price: $99 Volume: 25 liters Weight: 14.4 oz Packability Score: 1.7 Why We Like It: Everything you need in a daypack with the bonus of packing into itself
Quintessential Bozeman backpack brand Mystery Ranch’s rolltop daypack comes in both an 18-liter option and the 25-liter model I test drove here. Both models use a hardy 100-denier ripstop, a light-yet-stout fabric providing a good deal of structure to support loads of any weight. Wide shoulder straps make for comfortable wear, while two tall side pockets secure water bottles or any quick-access items along the way. Inside, a sleeve and port for a tube opens up with a hydration reservoir–an impressive feature for a packable backpack weighing less than one pound. When not needed, the entire pack folds into its outer zip pocket until its next journey.
Best Ultralight Packable Backpack: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack 30
Volume: 30 liters Weight: 4.7 oz Packability Score: 6.4 Why We Like It: Simple design from an ultralight brand we trust Price: $129
It’s certainly no surprise that Hyperlite Mountain Gear, one of our most beloved ultralight brands, produces a delightfully minimal weatherproof Dyneema sack with straps offering up 30-liters of storage at a scant 4.7-ounce carry weight. I honestly can’t find many features to speak of on the Gear Stuff Pack 30 beyond that, which is also why it’s perfect. Unlike other options featured, the pack doesn’t stuff into a storage compartment–just fold it down and use the rolltop closure buckle to keep things tidy.
Best Packable Backpack for Travel: Matador Freefly16
Volume: 16 liters Weight: 6.7 oz Packability Score: 2.5 Why We Like It: Impressive packed size and weatherproof features Price: $80
The Matador Freefly16 is a tightly packed 16-liter daypack from the all around travel gear brand. Made from 50-denier nylon ripstop for its main fabric, its reinforced at its base by a 70-denier ripstop. I found the mesh shoulder straps supportive in the lightweight 6.7-ounce pack and that the multiple internal compartments help you keep a tightly edited load out organized. PU coatings to the pack’s fabric and zippers provide good weather protection, but I'd still be wary of marching into a deluge with this bag on your back. One other small gripe: the included mesh compression bag is a bit funky—since it's a separate piece, take special care not to lose track of it.
Best Packable Backpackfor Everyday Carry: Patagonia Terravia Tote Pack 24L
Volume: 24 liters Weight: 14.8 oz Packability Score: 1.6 Why We Like It: Carries as a backpack or a tote with convenient pocket layout Price: $99
The Patagonia Terravia is a smart hybrid pack that converts from tote to backpack mode with ease, especially because its interior zip pocket also functions as its stuff sack. Lightly-padded shoulder straps slip into a back panel, but the tote handles remain up top at all times. For the commuter or around-towner, stretchy side pockets make the perfect spot for a water bottle or mini umbrella, while an exterior zip pocket makes a nice spot for securing slimmer items.
Most Durable Packable Backpack: Roadrunner Comrad
Volume: 20 liters Weight: 14 oz Packability Score: 1.4 Why We Like It: Bomber fabric with three exterior elastic pockets Price: $110
Roadrunner’s packable backpack might be the lightest in its pack lineup, but it's one of the heftier (and capable) packs in this list. Made from durable double-wall ripstop nylon, the Comrad can haul up to 30-pounds of goods supported by wide shoulder straps. Exterior pockets on the pack’s front panel and each side make use of an elastic trim to secure smaller items, with its packable zip pocket living inside the main compartment.
Most Compact Packable Backpack: Sea-to-Summit Ultra Sil Day Pack
Volume: 20 liters Weight: 2.5 oz Packability Score: 8 Why We Like It: Low cost and weighs almost nothing Price: $45
The palm-sized Seat-to-Summit Ultra Sil Day Pack manages to fit 20-liters of backpack into a little 2.5-ounce pouch that can fit in your pocket. Made from Ultra Sil 30-denier Cordura, the unstructured pack can carry 15-pounds comfortably—as long as you fill it with some care given to weight distribution. The attached carabiner on the outside of its stuffsack makes it easy to clip to your keys, belt, or even a bigger pack.
Best Packable Backpack for Cycling: Outershell Magic Musette
Volume: 5 liters Weight: 3.9 oz Packability Score: 1.3 Why We Like It: A modern reimagining of a classic cycling Price: $45
Widening the scope of our packable backpack list gives room to include this Bay Area-sewn update of a classic cycling musette. Traditionally, these bags feature a long, single crossbody strap designed for a road racing cyclist to grab a few at a time from a team staffer in a flyby, slinging it over their torso before distributing its contents to fellow team members. Outershell Magic Musette introduces a strong, lightweight 210-denier ripstop nylon to the musette that can close by either a single snap or full-width zipper. Stuffed into the interior zip pocket, it’s just the perfect size for strapping under a saddle or inside a bike pack.
How big is a stashable backpack?
The packs we tested averaged 22 liters of cargo capacity, with the smallest coming in at 16 liters and largest at 30 liters. How much volume is truly necessary really depends on the user’s cargo needs (that’s you!). We suggest looking for around 20 liters for carrying some small items around towning and up to 30 liters for more regular daypack use.
What are packable backpacks made of?
More often than not, you’ll find packable backpacks made out of varying weights of nylon material. The lighter the nylon material, the easier it is to pack it into a provided stuffsack or zip pocket. Additional reinforcement provided by ripstop nylon materials come weight a weight penalty, but new-age materials like the Dyneema Composite Fiber used on the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack 30 provide impressive durability at an extremely light weight.
Published 07-01-2025
