About this product
Black is what most people choose here, and the reason is practical rather than aesthetic. A pack spends its life being put down on red dust, wedged into vehicles and handled at airports, and a black pack still looks like proper kit after a couple of seasons of that.
Fifty-five litres is the size most multi-day trekkers settle on. It holds a sleeping bag, a mat, spare clothes, food and a stove with room to spare, and it is still small enough to move properly in on a narrow trail – which a 75 litre pack is not. On Kilimanjaro and Meru, where porters carry the camp gear, it is usually more than enough for what you carry yourself.
The fabric is high-density nylon with a water-resistant coating, and a rain cover is built in for when that is not enough. The suspension has padded shoulder straps with adjustable chest and waist belts, so the load sits on your hips rather than dragging on your shoulders – the single thing that decides whether a long day is comfortable.
Storage is laid out for gear that has to come out at different times: a large main compartment, multiple internal sections and external pockets, and gear loops and straps on the outside for a tent, a mat or trekking poles. Things you need during the day stay reachable instead of being buried.
It weighs about 1.7 kg empty and measures 70 x 34 x 23 cm. It suits multi-day hiking, trekking, mountaineering and long travel – and it is the size we most often recommend to people climbing Kilimanjaro for the first time.
Naturehike 55L Hiking Backpack - Black