REI TRAIL 40 REVIEW
Introduction
If you're an adventurous hiker and a traveler, having a backpack that can travel well but is also comfortable for hiking is essential.
Admittedly I am a bit of a pack snob and, spoiler alert, the REI Trail 40 is still one of my all time favorite packs. Don’t let the “Trail” in the name, or the fact that it’s an REI branded pack scare you, this is definitely a worthy long term one bag travel pack especially if your travel will include a lot of hiking as ours do.
The REI Trail 40 comes in 2 sizes each for men and women as well as 6 colors. See the specs below for details.
Testing Conditions
I used the REI Trail 40 as my full time travel, hiking, and climbing pack for nearly a year.
During that time I carried it in every weather condition from the mountains, to the crag, to the beach.
I can tell you from real world experience, what the REI trail 40 is great at and also where it lacks.
Let's dive in!
Used the REI Trail 40 to carry my climbing equipment to the Shawgunks
Pros, Meh and Cons
Pros
+ Excellent exterior fabric durability
+ Minimalist and lightweight, no unneeded bulk
+ Spring steel perimeter frame
+ Comfortable harness and hip belt
+ U shaped panel opening
+ Excellent top stash pocket
+ Best in class trekking pole fasteners
+ Included rain cover
+ Price
Meh
/ 4 zipper main enclosure
/ Hydration sleeve / Laptop pocket
Cons
– 2021 updates to this pack removed some key features
Specs
Sizes: Men and Women have both Medium or Large
Men’s Medium: 17-19 inch torso, 28-44 inch hip belt
Women’s Medium: 16-18 inch torso, 26-38 inch hip belt
Men’s Large: 18-20 inch torso, 30-46 inch hip belt
Women’s Large: 17-19 inch torso, 28-40 inch hip belt
If your torso size falls in between medium and large be sure to check the hip belt size to help you decide which to pick.
Colors: There are 6 available colors which are gender specific
Men - Black, Indigo, and Rustic Gold
Women - Black, Evergreen, Odyssey Gray and Tapenade
Material: Recycled Ripstop Nylon
Frame: Internal Perimeter Spring Steel
Weight (M Medium): 3 lbs
Weight (M Large): 3 lbs 1 oz
Dimensions (M Medium): 21" x 13" x 10"
Dimensions (M Large): 22.5” x 13” x 10”
Capacity (M Medium): 40L
Capacity (M Large): 42L
MSRP: $129
Notable Features
Frame: Spring-steel perimeter frame provides load support while also allowing the back panel to conform to your torso
U Panel: Opening with 4 zipper sliders offers quick access to gear and total access when fully open
Toughness: Recycled oxford nylon bottom is highly abrasion resistant
Adjustability: Forward-pull hip belt design makes adjustments quick and easy
Trekking Pole Fasteners: Special fasteners on the back hold trekking-pole tips down low and pole shafts up high
Raincover: Included raincover stows in its own zip pocket
The Good
Fabric: REI is known for making quality rugged gear and the Trail 40 is no exception. The exterior is a tough water resistant ripstop nylon and new for 2023, the fabric is now made from recycled materials.
Frame. Despite being so light, the Trail 40 has an internal perimeter steel frame which allows for excellent weight distribution. It helps transfer weight down to the hip belt and makes for a very comfortable carry. Many of the packs that you will find that may be lighter than the Trail 40 have only plastic frame sheets or are completely frameless.
U Shaped Panel Opening: Having a front loading panel is very convenient for accessing your gear. Whether that is travel clothes or climbing/hiking gear, it’s nice to be able to access the bottom of the pack without having to take everything from the top out. In addition because there are 2 sets of zippers, you can pretty much pinpoint open any location on the pack without the rest of the contents spilling out.
Top Stash Pocket: The top stash pocket is not invasive of the interior which I LOVE. On other popular packs, the top pocket becomes unusable if the pack is packed out full. Not the Trail 40. Even with the pack fully packed out there is still ample space in the top pocket.
Trekking Pole Fasteners: There are two metal loops toward the bottom of the pack for trekking pole tips. Once inserted there is another fastener toward the top of the pack to secure the remainder of the pole. It’s an excellent and very secure system. One of the best I’ve experienced. As a bonus there are also ice ax loops.
Rain Cover: There is an included rain cover. A lot of people don’t even know this as it’s tucked away in a hidden pocket on the bottom of the pack. The bottom pocket is also a pretty cool stealth place to store things like extra copies of documents.
Price: Retail price for the REI Trail 40 is just $129! Far cheaper than the competition for a pack that is just as, if not higher, quality.
The Meh
Four Zipper Main Enclosure. As mentioned previously, the REI Trail 40 has a front panel loading design which is awesome for easily getting what’s inside. To help facilitate this, the main compartment has 2 zippers per size (4 total) so that you can pretty much open any part of the pack without having to dig through it or have the contents spill out all over the floor.
While this is quite versatile, the downside of having 4 zippers is security. You would essentially need 2 pack locks in order to secure this pack properly which to be is somewhat annoying. Not annoying enough to not buy the pack, hence being in the ‘meh’ category, but worth mentioning.
Hydration/Laptop Sleeve. The hydration / laptop sleeve on the REI Trail 40 is relatively loose and sloppy. There is no padding at all for this pocket so it’s really meant more for a hydration bladder than it is for a laptop. However as there is no other place to store a laptop, this pocket still get the job done. Though I would recommend a protective laptop sleeve, like this Matador one, if you plan to carry your laptop here.
The Bad
Removed Features. If you were unaware of the REI Trail 40 prior to 2021 then you’ll never know about the features that this pack used to have and you can ignore this section if you like as the 2021 or later packs do not have any real negatives in my opinion.
There are two features that were removed in the 2021 redesign that I wish this pack still had.
Side Zippered Pocket: There used to be a 10 inch side zippered pocket that I thought was a great hidden passport/stash pocket.
External Water Bladder/Laptop pocket: My pack has an external sleeve behind the back panel where I put my laptop. I don’t understand why they removed this on the new versions.
Other Details
Storage: The Trail 40 has a ton of storage inside and outside of the pack and a lot of it is elastic so you can really pack a lot in there. There is a front elastic stuff pocket, and two side elastic stuff pockets. The pocket on the right side also is divided in two which I think is a pretty cool feature. You could put a water bottle in the bigger pocket and some smaller items in the smaller pocket.
The hip belt has two nice sized pockets as well, one of which is also elastic.
There’s also the previously mentioned top pocket, as well as two interior mesh pockets to help with organization without being over the top.
Padding: Excellent padding on both the harness/back panel as well as the hip belt. It’s perforated and has a back channel to help with airflow but you’ll still get sweaty when its really hot. This is the same as any other pack though. I’ve yet to meet a pack that doesn’t give me back sweat.
Load Lifters: I’m not a huge load lifter user but I know others who swear by them. The Trail 40 has them in case that’s a big deal for you.
Safety Whistle: The sternum strap has a built in safety whistle. This used to be a novelty but it’s pretty standard on packs these days.
Final Thoughts
The REI Trail 40 retails for just $129 which is considerably less than a lot of packs out there, while still maintaining great craftsmanship and a TON of great features all at about half the weight of other similar travel packs. This is one of my favorite long-term and around the world travel packs!
Detailed Pics
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