YETI Skala 32L review: tough, clever and surprisingly roomy hiking backpack

When Yeti acquired backpack brand Mystery Ranch in 2024, we had to ask ourselves if the Austin cooler kings really wanted to get in on the hiking game, or were they just planning to make more aspirational gear for people who enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of their camping chairs?

I love my Yeti Roadie 15 cooler for car camps, but I won’t pretend I was praying for the Austin brand to release a hiking backpack. Yeti gear is synonymous with rugged bulk and hefty weight, and anyway, my Osprey Tempest 33 has proven itself a trusted haulier for all my hikes over the past couple of years.

But then Yeti appointed the former CEO of Osprey and Camelbak to run its soft goods division, and I’ll admit, my ears perked up.

With the Skala backpack range, Yeti has taken the fundamental component that made Mystery Ranch packs special, the unique Y-shaped zipper system, and added its own trademark robust approach to design.

Billed as a carry companion for alpine days out, the Skala 32L promises easy packing, an ultra-durable build and an adjustable harness for all-day comfort. But does it cut the mustard? I’ve taken it on several day hikes, one overnight backpacking trip in the Highlands and a weekend away to the north of Scotland to find out.

YETI Skala 32L review

Price and availability

The Skala range is available now at YETI US, YETI UK, YETI EU and YETI AU, with prices from $300 / £275 / €300 / AU$475.

It comes in three sizes: 32L, 40L and 50L. For each option, you can choose between men’s and women’s fits and between small and large frames, which the brand says fit 99% of torsos.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the Skala comes with a premium price tag. I tested the women’s 32L, which retails for £275 / $300, which is nearly twice as much as my Osprey Tempest 33 and considerably more than my The North Face Phantom 38. The 50L model costs £350 / $400.

The Skala comes in two smart colours (for now): Ridgeline and Classic Navy, but if Yeti’s coolers and drinkware are anything to go by, we might expect some limited-edition colourways in the future.

Design and materials

Let’s start with the feature that everybody’s talking about, but nobody (including me) really appreciates till they try it: the zipper is genius. This design, which Yeti is calling RipZip, is a carryover from Mystery Ranch and no doubt the very reason Yeti wanted to get its hands on the Montana brand’s intellectual property.

The rugged, waterproof three-way design means the pack can either be toploading or front-loading, and makes it super easy to access gear even when it’s buried at the bottom.

It’s billed as a “single-pull” approach to revealing the contents of your pack, and that's almost true. The centre zipper actually tucks neatly away behind the spot where the other two zips meet (for waterproofing reasons), so I did need to pull those two zips back a little to get at it, but once done, I could easily access my gear, and the weight of the fully loaded lid pocket didn’t topple the pack over mid-rummage.

In theory, a 32L should do for fastpacking, but actually squeezing a full sleep system into a pack this size is usually pushing it. When I saw how roomy the Skala’s main compartment was, I decided to test its limits and see if I could employ it for a quick overnight backpacking trip.

Not only is the main compartment deep, but the stiff Guardcore nylon fabric makes it easier to stuff more gear in, plus being able to open the main compartment fully made it much easier to strategise my packing.

Using the pockets for my water bottle, rain jacket and trekking poles, I put smaller items like my first aid kit and micro crampons in the very bottom where the bag narrows, placed my camping quilt and one-person tent side by side above them, and my sleeping pad on top. Once I zipped it up, I still had room to stuff some extra clothes and snacks in.

The side pockets are really deep, so my water bottle was nicely secured, though once the pack was full, it was a little harder to slide it in and out. It also holds a 3L hydration bladder if you prefer to sip on the go. The hip belt pockets are (just) big enough for my Google Pixel 9 Pro, but I’d really like to see the next iteration with a pocket on the chest strap.

One slight issue with the zipper design is that the front mesh pocket is divided into two smaller pockets. I managed to squeeze my waterproof jacket into one, but it’s not quite as useful as a roomier one.

This simply wouldn’t be a Yeti product if it weren’t bulletproof, and while I haven’t been testing it for too long, from the heavy-duty zippers to the reinforced bottom, it’s clearly built to last, and I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t.

Of course, this also means the pack is heavy, despite the aluminium frame, though I’m surprised to find it’s only 300g heavier than my Osprey. As pack sizes go up, it obviously gets heavier, and this becomes a problem for longer adventures.

Performance and comfort

The tough build of this pack means the fabric is stiffer than most, and I was concerned about bruising on my hips and collarbones, which is sometimes an issue, but so far I’ve had no such problems. That’s due in part to close to an inch of padding on the back panel, hip belt and shoulder straps, which also made this pack exceptionally breathable on a recent warm day.

It’s also helped by the adjustable design, which makes almost every aspect customizable, including a sliding sternum strap and a hook-and-loop back panel. The load-bearing straps let me pull the weight really close to my body for stability during a scrambly summit, though I can’t say whether this would apply to the 40L and 50L sizes.

Verdict

The Yeti Skala is well thought out and well executed, excelling in comfort, stability, packability, and access. The design makes it very appealing to use on the trail and to gear heads who want to get out there but aren’t worried about a little extra weight. If Yeti really wants to get serious about hiking, they’ll need to consider trimming some grams, but for a first attempt, I’m really impressed and excited about what’s to come.