Best Hiking Backpack for Women With a Water Bladder

The best women’s hiking packs that come with a water bladder are the Osprey Mira 22, which ships with Osprey’s 2.5 L Hydraulics LT reservoir and a women’s harness sized for a 14 to 18 in torso, and the Gregory Juno 24 H2O, which ships with Gregory’s 3 L 3D Hydro reservoir and a women’s hip belt. Almost every other pack in the search results, including most of the ones in roundups titled “with water bladder,” is only bladder-compatible: it has a sleeve and a hose port, and the reservoir is a separate $50 purchase. If you wear plus sizes, Gregory’s Juno 30 H2O Plus is the one pack that combines an extended belt with an included reservoir, and if your hikes are short or you also ride, CamelBak’s L.U.X.E. is a 3 L women’s pack that is mostly reservoir.

Included versus compatible

Read the spec tab for the word “included.” Osprey’s Mira manual says “dedicated hydration compartment with included Hydraulics LT 2.5L reservoir.” Gregory’s H2O suffix means the reservoir is in the box; the same Juno without H2O lists its sleeve as “compatible with Gregory’s 3D Hydro reservoir (reservoir not included).” Osprey’s Eja and Tempest, Gregory’s Jade and Maya, and Deuter’s SL packs are all compatible and all ship empty. That is fine if you already own a reservoir, but a 3 L Gregory 3D Hydro is $52.95 on its own, so a pack that includes one is effectively $50 cheaper than its sticker.

Compatible packs do have one advantage: any reservoir up to 3 L fits, so you can choose a bladder with the valve and cleaning design you like. Osprey’s manual notes the Mira’s sleeve also takes any reservoir up to 3 L if you ever replace the included one.

Fit still comes first

A hydration pack carries 5 to 7 lb of water high on your back, which is exactly the load that makes a badly fitted pack swing. Check the torso range before the reservoir size. The Mira 22 has a women’s one-size harness with a 14 to 18 in torso range and over 4 in of adjustment; measure from the C7 bump at the base of your neck to the top of your hip bones and make sure you land inside it. The CamelBak L.U.X.E. lists 15 to 19 in. Gregory’s Juno uses a women’s hip belt and a one-size harness; if your torso is under 14 in, the petite pack guide covers packs that go shorter, and you can add a reservoir to one of them. If your hips measure over 48 in at the bone, the standard Mira and Juno belts will run out of webbing and the Juno 30 H2O Plus is the pack to look at; see the plus-size pack guide for belt ranges.

How much water to carry

A liter of water weighs 2.2 lb. A 2.5 L reservoir full is 5.5 lb; a 3 L is 6.6 lb. For a half-day hike in moderate weather 2 L is plenty and the extra capacity is just room; for a full day in heat without refills, 3 L is the difference between rationing and not. Most people fill a 3 L bladder two-thirds full most of the time, so the 2.5 L in the Mira is not a real limitation, and the Mira’s side pockets take a bottle for the days it is.

Packs with the reservoir in the box

Osprey Mira 22

The complete women’s day pack: 22 L, 2.77 lb without the reservoir, a 10 to 30 lb load range, a LightWire frame with Osprey’s AirSpeed mesh back panel, a women’s hip belt with zippered pockets, trekking pole attachment, an included rain cover, and the Hydraulics LT 2.5 L reservoir with a magnetic bite valve clip on the sternum strap. The Mira 32 is the same harness with 10 more liters. Check price on Amazon

Gregory Juno 24 H2O

24 L, about 875 g (1.93 lb), a ventilated VaporSpan back panel, a women’s-specific hip belt, and Gregory’s 3 L 3D Hydro reservoir with a quick-drying soft mold, an integrated handle, and a SpeedClip hanger so it drops into its sleeve without wrestling. Gregory has listed it between $149.95 and $169.95. The 3 L capacity and the easier-to-clean reservoir are the reasons to pick it over the Mira. Check price on Amazon

Gregory Juno 30 H2O Plus Size

REI stocks the Juno 30 H2O in Gregory’s plus-size fit, with the extended hip belt and shoulder straps from Gregory’s plus line and the reservoir included. Gregory’s plus guide puts the belt webbing at up to 152 cm (60 in). It is the only hydration pack built for 2XL and up that ships complete; confirm the reservoir size on the listing, since Gregory sells both 2 L and 3 L 3D Hydro bladders. Check price on Amazon

CamelBak L.U.X.E.

A women’s version of the M.U.L.E.: 7 L of gear space, a Crux 3 L reservoir, a 15 to 19 in torso fit, 590 g (1 lb 5 oz), and a removable stability belt rather than a padded hip belt. CamelBak sells it as a mountain bike pack, and that is where it is best, but for a two-hour hike where you need water and a layer it is lighter than anything above. Check price on Amazon

Hose routing, bite valves and cleaning

Route the hose over the shoulder on the side of your dominant hand and clip the valve to the sternum strap; the Mira’s magnet does this, and most other packs use an elastic loop. A reservoir with a wide top opening (Gregory’s 3D Hydro, CamelBak’s Crux) is easier to dry than a narrow-cap design, and drying is what keeps it from growing anything. After each trip, rinse, hang it open, and store it in the freezer if you will not use it for a month. Replace the bite valve yearly; they are a few dollars and the first part to fail. For a wider look at how women’s packs are sized, including torso and belt numbers across brands, see how hiking backpacks fit women.