How to Add Pockets to a Hiking Daypack

Why Add Pockets to a Daypack?

Most daypacks are designed around a compromise. They need to suit a commuter, a walker, and a cyclist, which means the pockets are usually in roughly the right place and rarely in exactly the right place. If you're hiking in the hills, the things you want most often — a water bottle, a map, a handful of nuts — are usually buried behind a zip or under a lid.

Adding a pocket or two is one of the simplest and most rewarding bits of gear tinkering you can do. It takes an evening, costs very little, and transforms a pack you already like into one you reach for every weekend. This guide covers the materials, the layout decisions, and the stitching, plus a few no-sew options if you'd rather not commit a needle.

Choosing the Right Fabric and Thread

The pocket takes more abuse than the rest of the pack. Bottles get shoved in, wet waterproofs get rammed in, and the top edge flexes thousands of times. Choose materials accordingly.

• Pocket body: 210D HDPE gridstop or 500D nylon for durability, a light laminated ripstop if you want something stiff and weather-resistant, or a stretch woven such as nylon-elastane if the pocket needs to expand.
• Thread: bonded polyester, around a 40-weight. Cotton thread will rot and break; avoid it.
• Elastic: 20–25mm folded elastic for bottle pockets. It holds its shape far better than flat elastic.
• Needle: a 90/14 or 100/16 sharp, and a walking foot if you have one for laminate fabrics.
• Extras: 20mm webbing for attachment tabs, hook-and-loop tape, a couple of bartacks' worth of patience, and seam sealant if the pack is waterproof.

Planning the Layout Before You Cut

Measure your bottle first. A standard 750ml bike bottle is around 7.5cm across; a one-litre wide-mouth bottle is closer to 9cm. The pocket needs to be the bottle diameter plus roughly 2cm of ease and 2cm of seam allowance, so call it 11–13cm wide. Depth should be about two-thirds of the bottle height, so the bottle sits deep enough not to flop but still pulls out easily.

Position matters more than size. Put side pockets low and slightly forward of the pack's centreline so your hand falls on them naturally when you swing an arm back. Angling the pocket opening forward by 10–15 degrees helps a great deal. Check for internal stiffeners, framesheets, or hydration sleeves by feeling inside the pack before you sew — a needle through a framesheet is a bad afternoon.

For shoulder strap pockets, measure the strap width, usually 5–7cm, and sit the pocket 8–10cm below the junction with the pack body. Any higher and it fights the sternum strap.

Pin everything in place with masking tape, put the pack on, and reach for imaginary bottles and snacks. Adjust before cutting. This ten minutes saves hours.

Sewing a Bottle Pocket

Start with the top edge. Fold it over 1cm, then fold again to create a channel, and stitch it down. Thread the elastic through, anchor it at both ends, and aim for the elastic to sit at about 80% of the pocket's relaxed width so it grips without strangling.

Now attach the pocket. Fold under the side and bottom edges by 1cm, press them, and pin the pocket to the pack with the folded edges facing the bag. Sew the sides and bottom with a 5mm seam allowance. At the top corners, where all the stress lands, finish with a box-X or a bartack. Do the same at the bottom corners if the pocket is deep.

Repeat on the other side, but don't simply mirror it. Consider a taller, narrower pocket for a flask on one side and a wider one for a bottle on the other. Asymmetry is your friend on a daypack.

Shoulder Strap and Hipbelt Pockets

Shoulder strap pockets are the ones you'll use most. A simple sleeve of stretch mesh or lycra, roughly 9cm wide and 12cm tall, will hold a phone, a cereal bar, or a small camera. Sew it directly to the strap webbing if there is any, or sew through the strap padding if it's light. Bartack the top and bottom of each side seam.

On the hipbelt, a flat zip pouch for keys, a compass, or a small lens is well worth the effort. Use a light coil zip and keep the pouch shallow — 12cm by 8cm is plenty. Anything bigger swings and rubs against your hip.

No-Sew Options and Field Testing

If you don't have a machine, or you're not ready to commit, there are decent temporary options. Hook-and-loop wraps around the pack's side compression straps will hold a soft bottle sleeve. Elastic webbing loops threaded through existing daisy chains work well for a folded map or a pair of gloves. Self-adhesive repair tape will hold a lightweight patch in place, though never trust it with anything heavy.

Whatever route you take, test properly. Load the pocket, walk a few miles, and check for stretched stitching, sagging elastic, and any distortion of the pack's shape. If the pocket pulls the side panel out of line, move it lower or add a tab to spread the load. Seal any seams you've made in waterproof fabric with a silicone sealant, then give the whole thing a wash and dry to check the elastic recovers.

The first pocket is always the fiddliest. The second takes half the time, and by the third you'll be muttering about why packs don't come this way in the first place.