Best Ultralight Backpacks

The Kakwa 55 is Dan Durston's disruptively priced ultralight — under 2 lbs, a 45 lb load rating, and a 2026 update with a redesigned hipbelt, with a $199 UltraGrid version and the $279 Ultra 200X build listed here. It has become the value benchmark every new UL pack gets measured against.

The Unbound 40 is HMG's fast-and-light pack for dialed kits, with a stretch front pocket and bottom pocket aimed at hikers who move all day and camp minimally. At 40 liters it suits sub-10-lb base weights and shorter resupply intervals.

The Swift X is the laminate version of Six Moon Designs' Swift (X-Pac VX21 or LS21, or Ultra 200X), using the same Delrin hoop frame as the Swift V but in a waterproof laminate. At 38.8 oz it is heavier than most packs in this segment, which is the cost of the hoop and the fabric.

The Focal 58 is Gregory's answer to the Exos: an ultralight with a genuinely ventilated FreeFloat suspended mesh back and a dynamic pivoting hipbelt. The women's version is the Facet 55. It undercuts the Exos on features while matching it on weight.

The Eja is the women's-fit Exos and Osprey's lightweight trekking pack: 2.8 lb for 58 L, with the same AirSpeed suspended mesh as the Atmos in a stripped-down chassis. It is the pack that bridges mainstream and ultralight, offering a frame and ventilation at a weight that cottage packs compete with.

The Exos 58 is Osprey's crossover ultralight — a sub-3-pound pack that keeps a real suspended-mesh frame and lifetime warranty. It has been an Appalachian Trail staple for a decade, and the current generation added an adjustable torso. The women's version is the Eja 58.

The Flash 55 is REI's ultralight value play — a roll-top pack with the co-op's Packmod system of removable pockets and straps, letting owners configure or strip it per trip. It's the cheapest credible ultralight framed pack from a major retailer.

The Exos Pro is Osprey's answer to the cottage ultralight brands: 33.2 oz for 55 L, or 30.4 oz with the lid removed. It uses NanoFly, a 100D nylon crossed with 200D UHMWPE, over a 3.5 mm LightWire frame, and saves about three-quarters of a pound against the standard Exos 58 at the cost of load rating and a fixed hipbelt.

The Flash Air is REI's ultralight pack, using a shaped spring steel frame rather than stays or a hoop. It is the only pack in this group backed by a mainstream retailer's return policy, which matters more than usual in a segment dominated by made-to-order cottage brands.

The Southwest 55 is Hyperlite Mountain Gear's flagship all-rounder, built from waterproof Dyneema Woven Composite with solid woven pockets for brush country. It's the pack that made white Dyneema the visual signature of modern thru-hiking.

The Crown3 60 is the third generation of Granite Gear's beloved Crown line, a fixture of PCT gear surveys and the classic answer to 'ultralight on a budget.' The re-flow hipbelt is adjustable in length, and the frame sheet and lid strip out for a minimum weight of about 2 lbs.

The Circuit is the thru-hiking pack — hand-made in Logan, Utah by ULA Equipment and a perennial #1 in Halfway Anywhere's PCT gear survey. Its 68 liters of total volume, bombproof Robic fabric, and 35 lb carry make it the default recommendation for first thru-hikes. An Ultra-fabric version is sold at a premium.

The Catalyst is the Circuit's bigger sibling — 75 liters of total volume and a 40 lb rating for long food carries, winter kit, or bear-canister-plus-packraft loads. It's the UL pack for people whose trips outgrow the Circuit.

The Arc Haul Ultra 60 is Zpacks' engineering statement: a 21.8-ounce pack whose carbon arc frame tensions a mesh panel off your back — the only true ventilation in the sub-1.5-lb class. Backpacker magazine named it the best ultralight pack of 2026.

The Mariposa 60 is Gossamer Gear's signature pack, famous for its asymmetric pocket layout — one giant over-the-shoulder pocket that holds a tent, plus six more — and a removable back pad that doubles as a camp sit pad. It's the organized person's ultralight.

The Gorilla 50 is the Mariposa's smaller, symmetric sibling — 50 liters, under 2 lbs, and the classic 'second pack' people buy once their kit shrinks. It keeps the sit-pad back panel and Robic durability in a cleaner silhouette.

The Aircontact Ultra is Deuter's move into genuine ultralight territory: 1,270 g for a 55 L framed pack with a roll-top closure and a removable lid. It keeps the Aircontact name and Air Spacer mesh but swaps the aluminium Y-frame for a spring-steel round-profile perimeter frame, which is where most of the weight saving comes from.

The women's-fit Aircontact Ultra, at 1,210 g for 50 L. Between this and the 35+5 SL at 1,140 g, it is the lightest framed pack Deuter offers in a women's fit, and one of very few ultralight packs with a genuinely women's-specific carrying system rather than a short size of a unisex design.

At 18.6 oz the Pa'lante V2 is the clearest expression of the frameless ultralight philosophy: no frame, no stays, no lid, and a bottom pocket instead of a brain. It only works for hikers whose base weight is low enough that a frame is genuinely unnecessary.

The Cutaway is Nashville Pack's frameless 40 L, built around a cutaway front panel that lets the mesh pocket expand rather than being pinched by the pack body. At 16.5 oz for the stock 40 L in Venom Gridstop ECO it sits between the Pa'lante V2 and the framed cottage packs.

The Bonfus Framus is a 58 L framed pack at 28 oz (795 g, Medium), built in Challenge Ultra 200X -- a tight weave of UHMWPE and polyester laminated to a film, effectively waterproof and extremely tear-resistant. Its weight-to-volume ratio is among the best of any framed pack here.

The CS40 Ultra pairs Challenge UltraWeave 200 with carbon fibre stays for 27 oz (size M) at 53 L. Outdoor Vitals sells direct, which is why the price sits below comparable cottage packs using the same fabric.

The Swift V uses a Delrin hoop rather than metal stays, a design Six Moon Designs has refined over several generations. It is one of the heavier packs in this ultralight group at 35.9 oz with the standard harness, stay and hipbelt ($250; the vest harness adds $25 and about 2 oz), trading weight for a frame that flexes with the body.

Black Diamond's entry into the ultralight wave pairs a Challenge UltraWeave 200 body with taped seams and two removable stays. It is the most expensive pack among the ultralight packs on this site, and the only one from a major climbing brand.

The Qidian Pro is the budget entry to ultralight: 56 L at 31 oz for $92, using a UHMWPE-blend nylon that imitates the gridstop fabrics on packs costing four times as much. It is included because it is genuinely tested and genuinely cheap, not because it matches the others.

The Ultra Circuit is the Ultra-fabric version of ULA's best-known pack. It keeps the Circuit's carbon hoop and aluminium stay combination but rebuilds it in Ultra 400X and 200X, making it waterproof and considerably more tear-resistant than the standard Robic version.

The CDT is the largest of ULA's frameless packs and the cheapest way into the brand. UltraGrid is a doubled 200D recycled grid fabric that resists tears well beyond its weight, and ULA states a clear 25 lb ceiling rather than leaving it to inference.

The Contour 35 is Hyperlite's frameless fast-and-light pack, and at 15.7 oz it is one of the few sub-pound packs on this site. Dyneema Composite Fabric makes it effectively waterproof at a weight woven fabrics cannot reach.

The Kumo is Gossamer Gear's frameless 36 L, using the removable SitLight pad as both back structure and camp seat. At $180 it is one of the best-value frameless packs available.

The Shadowlight Carbon 60 pairs carbon stays with conventional woven fabrics rather than Ultra laminate, which is why it undercuts the CS40 Ultra by $30 while offering 11 L more in total.

LiteAF builds to order in ECOPAK, a recycled laminate that is waterproof like Ultra but made from post-consumer polyester. At 13 oz for 45 L of total volume (a 30 L body plus 15+ L of external pockets) it is one of the lightest packs on this site, and it comes in four torso sizes.

The Exodus is Mountain Laurel Designs' 55 L frameless pack, offered in a choice of UltraGrid or Ultra X fabrics which is why the price runs from $245 to $325. At 1 lb 2 oz for 58 L of measured volume it has one of the best weight-to-volume ratios here.

The Zerk 40 is Mountainsmith's ultralight entry, using Robic X-Grid Extreema ripstop and a removable frame sheet so it can run framed or frameless. Mountainsmith lists 40 L (44 L with the roll top extended), and one review measured about 51 L, so it may hold more than the badge suggests.

The Nero is Zpacks' frameless pack and at 10.9 oz for the 40 L (9.9 oz for the 30 L) one of the lightest hiking packs on this site. Ultra 100X with taped seams makes it genuinely waterproof at a weight where most packs are barely water-resistant.

The Nero Pro is the upgraded Nero: 12.5 oz for the 40 L against the Classic's 10.9 oz, for $20 to $40 more depending on size. The extra weight buys a more robust build in the same frameless, waterproof format across the same 30 to 50 L range.

The Arc Zip is the Arc Haul with front zip access, so the pack opens like a suitcase instead of only from the top. It keeps the tensioned carbon arc that lifts the pack off the back -- Zpacks' distinguishing feature -- at 24.7 oz for 62 L.

The Windrider is the Southwest with a large mesh front pocket in place of solid Dyneema, so wet gear can drain and dry. The 2025 overhaul moved the line to Dyneema Woven Composite and widened the shoulder straps.

The Junction sits between the Southwest and Windrider: a hybrid front pocket that is part solid Dyneema and part mesh, aiming to combine the Southwest's durability with the Windrider's drainage. Same 2025 fabric overhaul as the rest of the line.

The Virga3 is Granite Gear's frameless ultralight pack: 1.68 lb as sold, or 1.18 lb stripped of the hipbelt. Granite Gear states a clear 25 lb ceiling, which is more than most cottage brands publish, and offers two torso sizes plus two hipbelt ranges.

Gregory's Focal in a women's cut, the Facet is a lightweight framed pack that keeps the FreeFloat suspended mesh and a tubular aluminum frame while holding the size S to 2.49 lb at 45 L. Gregory rates it to 35 lb, includes a rain cover, and sells a Facet 55 for longer trips.

ALUULA Graflyte, a fully UHMWPE laminate that very few packs under $300 use, is what Durston builds its frameless Wapta 30 fastpack from. The main body holds 30 L in the medium (28 L in small, 32 L in large) with roughly 16 L more in the external pockets, and the medium weighs 18.3 oz with its hipbelt or 13.6 oz stripped. Durston puts the comfortable ceiling below 25 lb and designs it around a sub-10 lb base weight.

HMG calls the NorthRim its most durable model. It is a roll-top Dyneema pack in 55 and 70 L whose bottom and pockets are woven Dyneema rather than laminate, with 9.8 L of outside pocket volume and both side and over-the-top compression. The 70 L version is rated to 60 lbs.

For hauling loads, HMG makes the Porter: the same roll-top Dyneema body as the Southwest and Windrider, but with a solid-fabric exterior and no mesh or front pocket, built to be strapped to and dragged through brush. It comes in four volumes from 40 to 85 L, and the two larger sizes are rated to 60 lbs.

HMG's lightest framed pack is the Waypoint 35: a single aluminium stay in a 35 L laminate body with 6.5 L of stretch-mesh outside pockets and a padded, pocketed hipbelt that comes off. It fills the slot between the frameless Contour 35 and the two-stay Unbound 40.

Fastpackers get a vest harness on Six Moon Designs' Flight 30: a 23 L body with a 4 L collar and 4 L of pockets, 31 L in total, on a frameless 3D-mesh back. The harness is the same vest system sold with the Minimalist and Swift, and the torso adjusts across 16-22 in, which is unusual on a fastpack. The 26.2 oz total weight includes the 14 oz body, the 5.7 oz harness and the optional 6.5 oz hipbelt.

Mid-volume thru-hiking is the job of the Minimalist V2 from Six Moon Designs: a 40 L body plus a 9 L extension collar and 10 L of exterior pockets, on the same modular harness and hipbelt system as the Swift V. The removable Delrin hoop stay takes it from a 25 lb frameless pack to a 35 lb framed one, and the torso adjusts across 16-22 in. Price and weight here are for the Robic build with the standard shoulder harness (large), a medium hipbelt and the stay: $260 and 42.8 oz. The vest harness costs $25 more.

Released in February 2026, the Carbon Evo 50 is Outdoor Vitals' framed ultralight pack, positioned between the CS40 Ultra and the Shadowlight Carbon 60. Two curved carbon-fibre stays and true load lifters carry a stated 40 lb at 30 oz, and the volume splits into 47 L inside the roll top and about 11 L in external pockets. A bag-only version without the hipbelt sells for $235.

Outdoor Vitals puts a vest harness on its Skyline 30 fastpack: 23 L main plus pockets for 26 L total in S/M, or 31 L total in the large. It weighs 20.6 oz in S/M without the two soft flasks that ship with it, and Outdoor Vitals rates it to 20 lb for base weights of 10 lb or less.

A carbon frame and Ultra100X fabric keep 3F UL Gear's Tutor Ultra 35, a 35 L pack, to 650 g in medium and 677 g in large. 3F quotes a 12 kg comfortable carry. It costs $185, far below most Ultra-fabric packs.

Built from the same Challenge UltraWeave 200 body as the Beta Light 45, the Beta Light 30 is its smaller sibling, with a running-vest-style harness and a removable frame pad. It weighs 695 g (24.5 oz) at the published spec and comes in four torso sizes. At $429.95 it is one of the most expensive 30 L packs on the market.

Bonfus gives the Aerus 55L a ventilated back: a tensioned mesh panel stands off a curved 7075 aluminium frame braced with four carbon-fibre cross elements, the trampoline layout normally found on much heavier packs. Total volume is 55 L (47 L internal plus 8 L external) and the medium weighs 795 g in Ultra 200X. It is rated to 33 lb.

The frameless Iterus 38L weighs 380 g before the 35 g webbing belt. It holds 30 L inside plus 8 L in external pockets, with an Ultra 200X body over an Ultra 400X base. Bonfus gives a layered load guide: 9-10 kg with the optional padded hipbelt, 8-9 kg on the webbing belt and 6-7 kg beltless.

A vest-style harness and a detachable Fastbelt carrying zip stretch-mesh pockets turn the 36 L Kumo into the Fast Kumo, a fastpacking take on the pack. It weighs 20.7 oz (S/M) or 21.5 oz (M/L) and costs $190.

Gossamer Gear's frameless classic is the G4-20: 42 L (30 L main), 24.8 oz in Medium, $205. A removable sit pad gives the back its structure, and the fixed hipbelt has pockets.

Gossamer Gear's ALUULA Graflyte flagship, the Mirage 40 was released in December 2025 and trimmed by 0.8 oz in spring 2026. It weighs 18.6 oz on a carbon-fibre X-frame and is rated to 25 lb. Stock sells out between production batches.

At 7.9 oz, or 10.7 oz with the included torso pad, the ALUULA Murmur 36 is one of the lightest 36 L packs made. It is frameless, rated to 20 lb, with a removable FastBelt.

Frameless and roll-top, the Skala 38 dates from March 2025: 38 L (30 L main) and 20.4 oz complete, made up of a 14.5 oz body, a 3.6 oz Fastbelt and a 2.3 oz pad. It is rated to 25 lb.

On a women's harness, the Crown3 60 weighs 2.3 lb (Short) or 2.4 lb (Regular) without its removable lid. Load ratings step from 25 to 35 to 43 lb as the frame sheet and optional stay go in.

LiteAF's framed thru-hiking pack, the Curve Full Suspension is the stayed counterpart to its frameless Curve. The 46 L main body (about 61 L with the external pockets) weighs 31 oz in medium torso and hipbelt, and the hipbelt is now removable and interchangeable. A 40 L version at $315 adds an XS torso. Both are made to order in ECOPAK, with UltraWeave or Dyneema for $35 more.

With the Scream 55 gone, the Zerk 55 UL is the only current 55 L pack in Mountainsmith's range, the larger-volume version of its 2026 roll-top Zerk update. It holds 53 L, or 58 L with the roll top extended, on a removable EVA/Atilon frame sheet rated for a suggested 40 lb. At 3 lb 8 oz it is heavier than most packs sold as ultralight, so it suits hikers who want a burly fabric and a sheet frame more than a minimal gram count.

Coated UHMWPE gridstop and a 1.2 oz foam back pad make up Pa'lante's Alpine Pack, a 33 L frameless pack. It weighs 20.1 oz with straps or 17.3 oz without, and comes in one 18 in torso length.

Sized for long water carries, the Desert Pack is Pa'lante's higher-volume frameless pack: 37 L in the 17 in torso and 43 L in the 19 in. The brown UHMWPE gridstop version weighs 18.2-18.8 oz; a white Ultraweave 400X build costs $300. It uses a webbing belt, and a $270 variant swaps in the Joey's vest straps.

Running-vest shoulder straps go on the Joey, Pa'lante's small frameless pack holding 24 L in the main body. The purple UHMWPE gridstop version weighs 14.1 oz with standard straps; a black Ultraweave 200X build costs $300. There is no hipbelt and no back pad unless you buy the $330 pad-and-sleeve variant.

Seek Outside's lightest pack, the Flight 3 is the only one not built on its Revolution hunting frame: a 52 L bag on a 7075 aluminum frame with a cross stay, at 2 lb 11 oz. It costs $359 in either UltraGrid or Ultra 200X and in either the 22 in or 25 in frame height. The maker rates it at 35 to 50+ lb.

ULA's new smaller-volume Circuit is the Circuit SV: 48 L instead of 68, on the same hoop, foam and stay suspension, at the same $299.99. It weighs 37.5 oz and keeps the 35 lb rating, so the cut is in volume rather than carrying ability.

ULTRA fabric replaces Robic on the Ultra Catalyst, ULA's 75 L hauler: same twin-stay framesheet and 40 lb rating as the Robic Catalyst, at 40.1 oz and $399.99. ULA states it will carry a bear canister horizontally.

ULTRA 400X and 200X fabric goes into the Ultra Circuit SV, ULA's new 48 L Circuit. It is 1.7 oz lighter than the Robic SV at 35.8 oz, keeps the 35 lb rating, and costs $80 more.

Between the 35 L Photon and the 50 L CDT sits the 2026 Nexus, ULA's 40 L frameless pack. It weighs 18 oz stripped and 21.5 oz complete, carries a 25 lb comfort rating, and has hipbelt pockets ULA says fit modern phones.

Now built in UltraGrid throughout, the Ohm is ULA's lighter framed pack: 55 L, 30.4 oz, rated to 30 lb. A 3/4 roll-top with a sewn-in Y-strap closes it, and the side pockets are bellowed UltraGrid.

Zpacks' first new framed line since the Arc Haul Ultra, the Arc Pro launched in August and September 2026 and is sold beside it. The 60 L weighs 22.2 oz on the curved Arc Frame, with Ultra 100X on the back and bottom and lighter Ultra TenX on the front. All three sizes cost $449, or $499 with vest straps.

Sharing the same 60 L Ultra 100X pack as the unisex model, the women's Arc Haul Ultra has a Small/Women's strap set, 2.5 in wide and a couple of inches shorter, and a V-style padded hipbelt. Base weight is 21.1 oz and the price matches the unisex pack at $399.

Released in July 2025, the women's Arc Zip Ultra 62 is the zippered-front Arc Zip with Zpacks' women's straps and hipbelt. It keeps the 62 L volume, 24.7 oz base weight and 40 lb rating of the unisex version.

Zpacks added a women's strap set to its frameless Nero in March 2026, sold as the women's Nero Classic. With the women's straps the 40 L weighs 10.1 oz (286 g) and the 30 L 9.1 oz (259 g), both with a 20 lb recommended load.

Eja Pro 55 is the women's twin of the Exos Pro 55: an AirSpeed tensioned-mesh back on a light frame, wrapped in NanoFly nylon and UHMWPE ripstop. It weighs 2.1 lbs in WM/L and 1.9 lbs in the 52 L WXS/S, about three-quarters of a pound under the Eja 58. The floating lid comes off to save more weight, and the pack is rated for 10-30 lbs.