Choosing the right daypack sounds simple enough. But the wrong pack can make a huge difference. Here’s what to look for in your next pack.

Whether climbing mountains, doing an epic day hike, or tooling around town, you’ll want to arrive equipped with the right daypack. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to choose the perfect pack for your next adventure:

Keep the Intended Activity in Mind

It’s important to know how you’ll use the pack. Here’s a breakdown of common activities–and how different features are suited to those uses.

Hiking: Most packs for hiking come with water-resistant material, containers for hydration packs (or easily accessible water bottle storage), breathable materials, and proper padding.

Travel: You don’t want to wheel a bulky suitcase around all trip, especially if you’re regularly traveling between locations (as so many Embark adventures do). Look for travel packs that have organizers and compartments for laptops, electronics, and other small items; front-opening zippers for easy access; and waist or shoulders straps for better load distribution.

Commuting: If you’re looking for a pack to take around town for the day, look for something lightweight, but with padding and compartments for laptops, cameras, charging cables, and other small items.

Which Features Should You Look For?

Different features help and support different activities. Here’s a quick breakdown of how various features help (or don’t help):

Compartments: Look for easily accessible compartments if you’re retrieving items frequently–or if you’re trying to keep your clothes and electronics organized. Numerous compartments aren’t as important when hiking.

Waist and shoulder straps: These come in especially handy when hiking (or for long-distance travel), as the straps distribute the pack’s weight more evenly and relieve pressure on the shoulders.

Capacity: Choose a pack with the capacity that caters to your needs. Choose too large of a pack, and you’ll resent the bulk before long; choose too small of a pack, though, and you’ll hate trying to keep the overstuffed pack organized.

Once you’ve chosen the right pack, give it a whirl on an adventure with Embark Exploration Co. See where we travel around the world.