KEEPS YOU COOL
Admit it: Ever since you retired your fanny pack, you’ve missed being able to hike in the heat without soaking your T-shirt. With a curved suspension that lets air flow across your back, the Garmsal cools without compromising its carrying ability—or your cred. The crossed aluminum stays support loads that would crush lesser daypacks. It also gets high marks for versatility, thanks to an efficient cinch-cord compression system that snugs tightly around loads of little more than layers and lunch. But it can also go big, as one tester found after schlepping extra gear on a hike up 12,198-foot Pico de Teide, in the Canary Islands. 3 lbs, 2,100 cu in; marmot.com
Bonus: With a trekking pack’s supply of pockets and the supportive frame, the Garmsal can be pressed into light overnight service.
Bummer: Check fit, as a firm edge below the hipbelt rubbed some testers wrong.