The One Ski Pack You’ll Regret Not Buying Before Your Next Trip

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Unless you have massive pockets in your jacket and pants and don’t mind loading them up with gear, you need a pack to go backcountry skiing. Just the basic avalanche safety equipment, snacks, water, and layers demands at least a small ski backpack.

Now, there are more options than ever thanks to an explosion of interest in the sport—this means you get ski backpacks built for the sport with specialized pockets and storage. Even if you stay inbounds, there are great ski-oriented packs for when you’re skiing a full day and want to have everything you need on your person.

Our favorite ski backpack is the Deuter Freeride Pro 32+10 pack, which hits a sweet spot for most skiers—it’s big enough for guides but has a small enough footprint to hold the basics for a quick mission or a day riding chairlifts.

Looking for more exhaustive reviews on other great snow gear? Check out the rest of Men's Journal 2025-2026 Ski Awards, where we’ve tested everything from outerwear to après-ski gear to bring you the best of every category—skis, gloves, boots, and more.

Best Ski and Snowboard Pack of 2025-26

Best Ski and Snowboard Pack Overall: Deuter Freerider Pro 32+10

The 32 liters of volume in deuter’s streamlined Freerider Pro pack is a sweet spot for most backcountry skiers. It’s big enough for guides to carry a day’s worth of extra gear, thanks to a roll-top that gives you 10 extra liters when you need. Still, it has a small enough footprint that you won’t dread strapping it on with just the basics for a quick mission or a day riding chairlifts. It’s also ultralight for a pack with these features, casually weighing under 3 pounds without looking like a stripped-down ultralight backpack.

There’s a spot for everything with dedicated shovel and probe slots in the outside pocket, top-mounted goggles/glasses pouch, and ice axe holder. It sports multiple ski-carry options, including a-frame and diagonal and straps for mounting snowboard or snowshoes and a stowaway mesh holds a helmet on the outside for the ascent.

• Volume: 32 liters
• Weight: 2.43 pounds