I gear my packs towards long distance hiking and loads under 25-28lbs MAX. Ended up trying a few nicer brands over the years.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 2400 is my current favorite, kinda pricey but worth it once modded/lightened if you are going for multi week trips. 20% off once a year on black Friday via manufacturer discount or 20% off from REI. The black models have thicker dyneema at a small weight penalty. Emptied and slept on this pack as a pillow nightly for the entirety of the PCT. Just some discoloration and restitched the shoulder strap, ready for another 2600+ miles. Cut off Damm near every inch of superfluous strapping, mesh and labels from this thing. It's just not as durable as the ULA, just a limitation of the dyneema which will also shrink somewhat over time, but it's a shitload lighter than the ULA. 9.5/10
ULA Circuit, this in my eyes is the best all around do it all, bomb proof pack. Big enough to fit a bear can easily, great bungee webbing, massive hip pockets, great shoulder straps, load lifters and water bottle acces. It is a bit heavier than dyneema offerings from HMG etc but I would trust this thing in an apocalypse. Exactly ZERO issues, minor wear and over 3k miles hiked this is my absolute favorite. They make a series of the same design under CDT and ULA OHM. This is the one 9/10
LIGHT AF makes a good pack as does Dandee packs. Both super exspensive but super light and high quality.
>>2587021Osprey has ever since the blue Exos model came out around 2019 went to shit. The green Exos series 2016-18, especially the green Exos 48 was the last great design I saw from them. Great pack, they were on closeout for around $100 years ago. 8/10
