The Backpack and Pack Weight

2026 in brief

The 2026 data set contains 62 answers about Gröna Bandet. The backpacks score 8.5 out of 10 on average, and 52 of 62 respondents give a rating of eight, nine or ten. 41 of 62 state a backpack of 40–60 litres. The most common pack weight range is 8–10 kilos without food and fuel, with 26 answers.

40–60 litres is the most common choice

Backpack volume varies from 30 litres or less to 70–80 litres. Most answers fall in the 50–60 litre range: 26 people. A further 15 state 40–50 litres. Together that's roughly two-thirds of the group.

It's a useful benchmark when comparing your own packing to others'. How much space you personally need depends on how bulky your gear is and how much food you need to carry between resupplies. A small gear weight doesn't necessarily mean a small pack volume.

The free-text answers contain exactly that reminder: try the backpack with all your gear and food, and think about volume too. Test-packing for the longest food stretch gives a better basis for decisions than simply comparing the empty pack's litre rating.

What did the packing weigh?

21 of 62 respondents state seven kilos or less, 26 state eight to ten kilos and 15 state eleven kilos or more. The question concerns the backpack with contents, without food and fuel. Participants were asked to estimate if they didn't know the exact weight.

We therefore use the term pack weight without food and fuel in this article. That's the measure asked for in the survey. Food and fuel then need to be added when you assess how the pack actually feels to carry.

The lightest packing gets the highest average, but the picture has nuances

The group with a pack weight of seven kilos or less rates the backpack 8.7 on average. The group with eight to ten kilos is at 8.3 and the group with eleven kilos or more at 8.4. The lightest group is thus the most satisfied with the backpack, but the rating doesn't decline step by step as weight increases.

For the gear as a whole the distribution looks different: 8.6, 8.4 and 8.1 respectively. Here we first calculated each person's average of their available gear ratings and then the group average. That measure also includes, for example, tents, sleep systems, cooking gear, shoes and rain gear.

The result shows a correlation within this particular group. It doesn't mean that lighter packing by itself causes higher satisfaction. Experience, choice of gear, fit and the conditions of the trip may also play a role.

Backpack ranking 2026: brands

Durston is the most frequently mentioned backpack brand in this year's data, with ten answers and 9.3 on average. Osprey follows with eight answers and 8.6. Bonfus, Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG) and Lundhags have six answers each.

A brand average can combine several models and sizes. It's therefore important to also look at the specific model that interests you. A high or low brand rating describes the answers received, not the manufacturer's entire range.

Top 10 specific models 2026

The Durston Kakwa 55 has the most clearly identified model data: eight answers and 9.5 on average. Two further answers state Kakwa without a volume. They are included in Durston's brand results, but we don't assume they also refer to the 55-litre model.

The list is sorted by number of answers, not by highest rating. Several models have the same count. To show ten model rows, in case of ties we first choose the model with the most data points in the combined data set and then alphabetically. This means further models may share the last placement.

The data for an individual model can be small. A single top rating is one person's experience. When switching between two backpacks, the same survey rating may also apply to both packs, which occurs in the material.

Combined ranking 2024–2026: brands

When all available backpack data sets are combined, the order changes. HMG has the most answers overall, 14. Durston and Osprey have eleven each, followed by Bonfus with ten and Bergans with nine.

The historical backpack statistics are based on a matched follow-up with 28 answers linked to the 2024 data set, 15 answers from 2025 and 62 from 2026. That's 105 answers across the three data sets. The same person may have answered in several years, so the number should not be read as 105 unique hikers.

Brands year by year

¹ 2024 is based on the backpack follow-up with 28 matched answers. Later data sets: 15 and 62 answers.

The table shows the five most common brands overall. Each year column shows number of answers, average rating and number of valid ratings. Different selections and sizes each year mean that changes in numbers don't automatically reflect how the whole market has developed.

Top 10 specific models: all data sets combined

The Durston Kakwa 55 has nine answers in total and 9.4 in the combined average. The Bergans Helium W55 follows with six answers and 7.3, and the HMG Southwest 70 has four answers and 8.5. The combined data gives more experiences for some models, but many still have few reviews.

The combined rating is calculated from all valid original ratings for the same model. Yearly averages therefore don't carry equal weight if the number of ratings differs. The number of valid ratings is also shown, since a model can be mentioned without having received a rating.

Is packing trending towards lower weight?

In the 2024 data, 20 of 60 respondents state seven kilos or less without food and fuel. In the 2025 data it's nine of 15, and in the 2026 data 21 of 62. The share is thus roughly 33, 60 and 34 percent respectively.

This doesn't give a clear trend towards lighter packing across these three samples. The 2025 group is small and has a different weight distribution. We can describe what respondents used, but should be cautious about calling the differences a general trend.

The lessons behind the numbers

The free-text answers contain advice about weighing your gear, testing the whole packing with food and sending home what isn't needed. There are also wishes for a backpack that doesn't become wet and heavy. We present these as participants' experiences, not as a ranking of the most common problems.

Ahead of your own choice, it's worth checking how the pack sits with a realistic load, whether the hip belt and back length fit, and whether you can reach what you need during the day. Also think through how to keep your packing dry and how much space remains once the food is packed.

A backpack that fits your gear and your body is easier to judge after a test hike than through weight, litres and an average rating alone. Use the rankings to find alternatives to look into further, and the participants' experiences to formulate your own questions.

About the data

This year's results are based on 62 Gröna Bandet answers in the 2026 survey data: 35 concern the whole trail, 26 a stage and one lacks a stated scope. The year refers to the data set and is not a verified hiking year for every answer. Repeated answers have been handled according to the earlier review of the export.

Combined statistics on backpack brands and models are based on 28 matched follow-up answers linked to 2024 plus 15 and 62 answers from 2025 and 2026. Historical pack weight, however, is taken from the main surveys, with 60, 15 and 62 answers. The data sets are not representative samples of all Gröna Bandet hikers.

Each brand or model is counted at most once per answer, but several used packs may appear within the same answer. Only valid ratings on the 1–10 scale are included in the averages. Unclear model versions and volumes are included in the brand statistics but kept out of the specific model rankings. Combined rankings are sorted by total number of answers and then alphabetically in case of ties.

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