The best 30-litre backpacks of 2024 for taking into the great outdoors

There are quite a lot of specialist features to keep in mind when looking for the best 30-litre backpacks. Apart from making sure you can fit everything you need into it, it'll also need to be comfortable and practical – especially if you're thinking about backpacks to take hiking.

A 30-35 litre backpack is a high-volume 24-hour or low-volume overnight pack. So, it makes an ideal hiking-sized rucksack for those planning to head out for a day-long trek on the trails. As these packs are slightly larger than a standard 20-25 litre daypack, they can offer some extra space for warm or waterproofclothing, food, and water. The extra space will also allow you to accommodate a camping stove.

Best 30-litre backpacks at a glance:

• Best overall 30-litre backpack: Vaude Brenta 30 / Maremma 32 - View on Amazon UK
• Best 30-litre backpack for comfort: Mammut Ducan Spine 28-35 - View on Mammut
• Best 30-litre backpack with zip-top access: Regatta Blackfell III 35 - View on Amazon UK
• Best budget 30-litre backpack: EGOGO 30L Outdoor Cycling Hiking Water-resistant Backpack - View on Amazon UK

These backpacks, or daypacks as they're known, are also great for day-to-day use away from the trail. Therefore, they make great commuter bags with room for work essentials, electronics, and gym kits.

There's our expert guide to the features you’ll need to be familiar with at the bottom of the page to help you choose. After that, it's just a case of checking out which backpack meets your requirements - we've grouped them into useful categories, too. Our top recommendations for the best 30-litre backpacks lie just over the horizon.

Best 30-litre backpacks of 2024

Please note: All prices are correct at the time of writing. Prices, stock and deals are subject to change without notice.

Pro tip: How to pack a backpack for a hike

The first thing you need to know is that packing for a hike is all about keeping it simple. Layout the kit you think you need. Then go through each item individually and consider its use. In our experience with this process, you can usually reduce load weight by around 20%. If you’re heading out with others, discuss and plan together – there are some items you can share, such as stoves.

Even with the very best 30-litre backpacks, you’re not going to be carrying any tents, let alone a 6-man tent, or sleeping bags. If you need to carry this equipment, you’ll need a backpack with at least a 50-litre capacity.

Getting started

When you come to pack the backpack, you need to think about weight and convenience. The bottom of your pack is the place for medium-weight items that you won’t need in a hurry – this is typically where we store our Trangia stove, backup water bottle, and water purifier.

The middle section of the main compartment is where the heavy stuff goes, which if you’re out for a day hike, is going to be your hydration bladder. Therefore, keeping the heavier items close to your back is going to maintain your centre of gravity and help you keep balance.

The outer middle and top are where you’re going to want to keep your light gear. The more likely you are to need something, the closer to the top it goes. Outer-middle is where we keep our lunch, and maybe a fleece and waterproofing depending on the activity and weather. As we get closer to the top, we start to pack our essentials and emergency equipment – snacks, maps, first aid kit, survival bag, phones, and battery packs.

Pockets are relatively freeform for us, holding a mix of snacks, compasses, phones, baseball caps, sunscreen, and sunglasses.

If you're going on a slightly longer hiking trip, a 55-65 litre rucksack may be the better option for you. When you’re choosing your pack it's worth considering how you will be packing your equipment and supplies.

Best 30-litre backpacks: Buyer’s guide

Pockets

You’ll need at least one external zipped pocket – they’re useful for guidebooks, maps, and hiking gadgets, like GPS receivers, safe. Zipless stretch pockets are now a common feature, often being placed on the front of a rucksack and being used for stowing waterproof jackets and trousers between downpours. Hipbelts, other than offering support, can also provide extra pocket real estate which is ideal for storing snacks, smartphones, or sunglasses. Lid pockets are also a handy addition to any pack, offering up space for sunglasses, sun cream, guidebooks, and other such items.

Wand Pockets

These little pockets are commonly made of mesh or stretching fabric – they’re multipurpose, serving as a place to store trekking poles or water bottles.

Main Compartment Entry

Main compartment entry typically comes in two forms – a lid with buckles, or a zipped closer. Everyone has their preference. Lids are flexible, offering users the ability to overstuff their pack, and often have handy zipped pockets for some extra storage (plus, there's no zip to snag or break, and buckles are easily replaced). Zips are secure, simplify the back's design and help keep the pack's weight down.

Snow Lock Extension

Under a lid entry, and attached to the main compartment, this extension material offers up some extra protection. The drawcord closure allows the main compartment, and therefore your stored kit, to be sealed off separately from the lid.

Hip-belt

The hip belt is one of the most important aspects of the best 30-litre backpacks. Correctly adjusted, the hip belt will carry most of a pack's weight and stability, while significantly improving the wearer’s posture. Backache and shoulder strain is reduced to a minimum, and the belt often provides some extra pockets. Just make sure the hip belt is wide and has some nice padding to get the most comfortable experience possible.

Ventilated Back System

Sweat is the enemy – it keeps you cool, but it sure makes things uncomfortable. So, as you may expect, if not addressed it can lead to painful chafing. To help reduce perspiration, rucksacks will often employ mesh panelling and backpack sculpting to hold the pack away from the body, thus increasing airflow to the back and reducing moisture build-up. It’s a simple solution that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Compression Straps

Found on the side panels of some rucksacks, these straps help to compress the body of a rucksack to stabilise the load by keeping everything tight and compact. Thus, sway and pack movement are reduced, resulting in a more comfortable and less tiring hiking experience. Plus, they can double as extra stash points, keeping trekking poles, fleeces, or waterproofs close to hand.

Shoulder Straps

Shoulder straps, contrary to popular belief, are not their take-all of a pack's weight. They take some of the weight, but they’re largely there to hold and stabilise a pack's position. The best 30-litre backpacks should sit on your back, not hang from your shoulders – correct hip belt, sternum, and shoulder strap adjustment ensure that this is the case. Shoulder straps need to be carefully contoured and padded to make them comfortable.

Hydration Pockets

If you prefer to use a hydration bladder and hose rather than a traditional water bottle on your hikes, look for a pack with a hydration pocket. They’ll have a connection inside to keep the bladder upright, and the correct ports for getting the hose out of the bag properly.

Best 30-litre backpacks: Frequently asked questions

Which is the best 30-litre backpack?

It's a tough call, as it all depends on your needs. Having said that, we'd happily pick up the Vaude Brenta 30 / Maremma 32. It's a versatile and quality pack that won't break the bank; plus it'll keep you cool and comfortable whether you're strolling through fields or over fells.

For those on a tight budget, or who are new to hiking and are reluctant to make an expensive commitment, theRegatta Blackfell II is the go-to. It's a good size, and it has all the basic features any newcomer could ever need. Either of these certainly fit the bill as some of the best 30-litre backpacks you can buy.

How much can I fit into a 30-litre backpack?

Well, this all depends on what you want to take with you of course. Although not everyone who buys one will be hiking in the wilderness, it still pays to be realistic about what you need to take with you. To start follow our packing guide above. Items like a foldable compact camping chair and essentials like food and a stove will be fine. Not to mention clothes to handle rough weather, such as Gore-Tex waterproof trousers. But you won't be packing in any camping beds or sleeping bags or tents into a backpack of this size.

William Lobley is the Editor for What's The Best. Here, he oversees, curates and researches listicles and reviews as many products as his home office can handle.

He has spent nearly five years writing about tech, audio, outdoors and fitness and has reviewed everything from smartphones to ice baths. In addition, he's well-versed in sniffing out the best deals and savings the internet offers.

When not at his desk writing, reviewing or deal-hunting, he'll be relaxing with Japanese crime novels, bingeing some classic anime, strolling the countryside or at the gym listening to the heaviest metal Spotify has to offer.

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