Best Hiking Backpacks for women

Love to hike but hate your backpack? Run a check- are you wearing a backpack designed for women, or just a unisex backpack?

I live in a hiking area, England's Lake District. I get out hiking as often as possible, and even on a fairly short walk I take my backpack.The pack I take is a lightweight bag known as a daypack. It's called a daypack as it carries everything you need for a whole day. You can actually carry enough in a daypack for a few days hiking staying in hostels, but they are too small for long camping  ortrekking expeditions.

The weather in the Lake District is very changeable, so you nearly always need to carry extra jumpers, waterproofs, hats and gloves.I also need my camera, my lip slave, some moisture cream, a bottle of water,sandwiches, some chewing gum, sun cream......in fact, I need to take a bag if I'm walking for more than a few hours.

I could put all these things is my husband's backpack- he usually hikes with me. You know what happens though? If I ask him to stop and put my jacket in his sack, he sighs a bit. Then when I ask him to stop and let me have some water, he sighs a bit more. Then when I ask him to stop and let me get my camera from his bag.... well, you can imagine!

I used to ask my husband to carry my hiking stuff because my backpack was so uncomfortable. I'd had my backpack for years, and, to be honest, it didn't fit me. The straps were too wide set and kept slipping off my shoulders. The frame was uncomfortable and rubbed on my back.

One great day I decided to visit one of the many hiking stores in Ambleside, 2 miles down the road from my home, and I tried on a selection of women's backpacks. I was amazed. The women's rucksacks were so light and comfortable, and fitted my frame beautifully.You know that men and women are different shapes, so it's logical that women need backpacks designed for women.

Here I'll tell you what to look for when picking a lightweight daysack, and show you my top choices.

Here are the points I look for in a great backpack or daysack.

1. The backpack must be light.
2. The straps must be padded and must not slip off my shoulders.
3. I want lots of pockets on the outside of the bag for easy access to hat, water, camera..
4. I like a firm waist belt option.This takes the weight off the shoulders
5. I like to have the option of a sternum strap to hold the shoulder straps firmly
6. I like to have a ventilated back panel with wicking fabric - sweaty backs are bad news.

All these features are available in the Kelty woman's daypack that I've picked out here.Kelty have been making hiking equipment since 1952, and 60 years of experience have gone into this excellent women's daysack. The price is good too.

• The Kelty women's Redtail 26 daypack measures 14 x 19.5 x12.5 (w x h x d in inches)
• This daysack has lots of pockets on the outside.
• The Kelty 26 had a ventilating back panel ( your back can get very sticky without one)
• The backpanel has a wicking fabric which absorbs perspiration leave you dry
• The shoulder straps are well padded. You have the option to use a sternum clip too.
• This daysack had a cubic capacity of 1,600 cubic inches
• This woman's backpack has a removable webbed waist belt.

All these features make this backpack an excellent backpack for women. Use it in the countryside for hiking, or in the town for carrying your laptop and books.

• It comes in one color- black. Smart!

Purple is this year's colour. I don't actually need a new women's backpack, mine is perfectly good. However, mine is blue, and I do so love purple........

You can buy this great women's rucksack from amazon in the UK through the link below.

Berghaus Women's Freeflow 20 (Amethyst / Purple Berry)

Not all socks are the same. In fact,when you begin to look into the topic of hiking socks you'll find there's a huge choice of fabric, sock height, and thickness, so you can pick the hiking sock for the conditions. I have winter hiking socks to keep my feet warm, and summer walking socks to keep my feet cool.

The number one essential though, is that you must buy walking socks specifically designed for women.

A good pair of hiking socks can be the difference between pain or pleasure for your feet.