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Best Ultralight Backpacks of 2025

As chosen by Clever Hiker.

Best Ultralight Pack Overall: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 ($369)

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Most Versatile Ultralight Pack: Atom Packs The Pulse EP50 ($274)

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Best Frameless Pack: Nashville Pack Cutaway ($326)

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Most Comfortable Ultralight Pack: Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 ($315)

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Best Load Hauler: ULA Circuit ($300)

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Best Minimalist Pack: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 55 ($379)

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Lightest Large Capacity Pack: Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60 ($399)

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Well-Priced & Comfortable Ultralight Pack: Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 ($275)

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Frameless Pack with Good Organization: Pa’Lante V2 ($240)

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Best Budget Buy: Durston Kakwa 55 ($199)

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Best Crossover Pack: REI Flash Air 50 ($299)

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In 2025, I’ll be switching from the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 3400 (as I’ve pretty much worn it out) to the Hyperlite Unbound 55. In my day hike testing, the Unbound is even better.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Timberline Trail – around Mt Hood

Clever Hiker updated details in 2024:

Timberline Trail Backpacking Guide

  • Distance: 38.3-mile loop
  • Time Needed: 3-4 days
  • Highest Elevation: 7,350 ft. Timberline High Point 
  • Lowest Elevation: 3,300 ft. Near Ramona Falls 
  • Elevation Gain (approx.): 9,000 ft.
  • Best Time to Hike: July-September
  • Permits: Yes (May 15th to October 15th)
  • Difficulty: Challenging

Permits

Permits are required for overnight trips on the Timberline Trail from May 15th to October 15th, but they are free and can be found at trailheads around Mt. Hood. Simply fill one out before you hit the trail. Some trailheads do require a Northwest Forest Pass for parking.

Jon posted a detailed trip report on their August 2019 circuit of Oregon’s highest peak. It’s close to Portland.

This report is all you need to organize that adventure for yourself. 

Plenty of climbs and descents. Quite a few creeks crossings. Not what we’d call an easy week.

They started and ended at Timberline Lodge. And hiked clockwise.

The report includes excellent photos so you really get a feel for what to expect.

Mount Hood (photo credit: Dan Nevill, CC 2.0)
Ramona Falls (photo credit: Dan Nevill, CC 2.0)

Check it out:

TIMBERLINE TRAIL – MOUNT HOOD WILDERNESS, OR (40 MILE LOOP)

Timberline is one of our best hikes in North America.
 
Similar adventures in the Pacific N.W. include the Wonderland Trail around Mt Ranier and / or a partial circuit around nearby Mt Adams.

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#9 Hiking Town – Zermatt, Switzerland

This resort is off-putting to some. Ignore the posturing Eurotrash, conspicuous in brightly coloured expensive outdoor apparel, unsoiled. 😀

Instead, turn your gaze up to the Matterhorn, “iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and the Alps”. This valley is one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Zermatt … is in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.

The village is situated at the end of Mattertal at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft), at the feet of Switzerland’s highest peaks. …

Zermatt is famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps. …

To prevent air pollution which could obscure the town’s view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and almost completely silent. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerce. …

More interesting photos tagged Zermatt, Switzerland.

Our favourite hike hikes out of Zermatt:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route TOP 10 <guidebook> <trip>
• Tour of the Matterhorn
• Tour of Monte Rosa

Weisshorn 4506m from the Europa Hut at sunrise

Actually, there are trails everywhere in the Alps. It’s awesome.

View from Weisshorn

More best hikes in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.

Click PLAY or watch a 1 minute preview on YouTube. 

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Ugreen’s 145W, 25,000mAh Power Bank

Increasingly on the trail, I need reliable power.

My latest purchase is Ugreen’s 145W 25,000mAh portable power bank.

… 3 ports: a USB-C port for charging the unit at a maximum power of 65W — capable of being fully recharged in 2 hours using a 65W AC charger — and for outputting up to 100W, another USB-C port that supports outputs up to 45W, and a USB-A port that allows for outputs up to 18W. 

… a small LED panel designed for a singular purpose — to display the battery capacity …

  • Battery capacity: 25000mAh
  • Total output: 145W
  • Charge protocols:
    USB-C1
    USB-C2
    USB-A
  • Bi-directional charging: Yes
  • Dimensions: 16 x 8.08 x 2.67 cm
  • Weight: 505 g (1.11 pounds) !

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

There are other better, heavier, and more expensive options.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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#4 day hike – Laguna de los Tres, Argentina

One of our top 10 day hikes in the world.

Why?

The photos say it all. 😀

  • our pick for best day hike — of many — out of El Chaltén, Argentina’s Trekking Capital in Patagonia
  • the nearest airport is El Calafate
  • November – March are the best months. You might have snow on the trail in November or March, however.
  • 8+ hours round trip depending on route
  • elevation gain 2,300 ft. (700m)
  • option to tent near the lake
  • infamous for bad weather. Be prepared for extreme wind.

World → S America → Patagonian Andes → Argentina → Laguna de los Tres

vista from El Chaltén

For details click over to our Laguna de los Tres information page.

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Permit for the Wonderland Trail, Washington State

Without question, Wonderland is one of the best hikes in the world.

I’ve been only once in 2010. Fantastic.

The Wonderland Trail is an approximately 93-mile (150 km) hiking trail that circumnavigates Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington …

An estimated 200 to 250 people a year complete the entire trail with several thousand others doing shorter sections of it. …

Milissa (aka Mary Poppins) and Lady on a Rock got a permit by showing up early at the ranger station on a Monday morning with no specific expectations and took whatever was available.

Read the TRIP REPORT:

HIKE THE WONDERLAND TRAIL: A JOURNEY AROUND MOUNT RAINIER

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Top 10 Coastal Hikes ➙ Abel Tasman, New Zealand

Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of our top 10 coastal hikes in the world.

Anatakapau Bay and Mutton Cove

Why?

  • one of the Great Walks
  • most popular multi-day hike in New Zealand
  • 54.4 km easy coastal hike (or kayak)
  • 3-5 days to complete
  • huts and campsites available for a fee
  • tide dependent
  • booking in advance is required
  • access by road or water taxi
  • idyllic multi-hued sand beaches; swim calm crystalline seas; enjoy awesome sea vistas from atop rugged cliffs
  • fascinating & photogenic tidal estuaries
  • stable, warm summer weather
  • open year round. Kiwi Autumn (February, March, April, May) would be our favourite months.
  • easy to access and organize
  • one of the best hiking options in New Zealand for families, children & groups
  • in case of injury, illness, fatigue, etc., you can escape by water taxi
  • you can fish. Check with DOC for permit details.

For details, click over to our Abel Tasman Coast Track information page.

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Trail Run, Vancouver Island

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Part of my off-season conditioning for hiking is running about 30 minutes / day during the winter. Happily, I can do that easily on Vancouver Island as the climate is so mild. We don’t get much snow.

Most days I run Rathtrevor Beach.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I also like running around Englishman River Falls. VIDEO.

If I don’t run, I do 10 sets of stairs. instead. VIDEO.

My best pace this winter was about 5:47 minutes / km. BUT I mostly run leisurely, stopping for photos whenever I want.