Mammut Lithium 20 Women’s Backpack Review: Hyper Lightweight Daypack

Whenever I have the option to try a women’s backpack, I go for it. That’s because for me, as a short, narrow and petite woman who travels, having a women’s backpack is a way better fit than a unisex backpack for both men and women.

It’s actually surprising how few brands make women-specific backpacks. For women hikers and travelers, we want a backpack that’s narrower, more lightweight and more safety-focused than men’s bags.

I’m reviewing the Mammut Lithium 20 Women hiking backpack and daypack as an adventure and outdoors pack that’s new to me. If you want to know if it’s worth trying out for your own trips and trais, read on to learn about it.

A summary of the Lithium 20 Women’s Daypack

Mammut describes this highly-rated 20-liter daypack as a compact and “ideally-equipped” hiking backpack.

If I had to describe it, I’d call it a super lightweight and ergonomic daypack, ideal for carrying essentials and supporting the weight on a woman’s body (not a man’s!).

It really does have helpful and handy features that I explored in a thorough unpacking session, during which Dan took the up-close photos you’ll see below.

A few of the highlights in a summary are lightweight shoulder straps and a mesh back panel for carrying support, nearly-weightless water-repellent recycled materials in the build and extra comfort aspects like the sternum strap and padded hip belt (with a surprise phone pocket).

Pros and Cons

Here, I’ll list the biggest benefits and some slight disadvantages I’ve found for the Lithium 20 Women’s.

Pros

A few of the features of the Women’s Lithium 20 I’d write home about are:

• Materials: They’re thin, lightweight and made from 89% recycled materials.
• Comfort: Air flow in the back panel, shoulder straps geared toward a woman’s shape and build, hip belt and ways to customize the fit.
• Features: Dedicated spot for keys, a phone pocket in the hip belt, compatibility with your water bladder or hydration system and detachable (and stow-able) rain cover.

Cons

• Some women may think the fold-out phone storage pocket in the hip belt is a little funny-looking, but at least it’s able to be folded up and put away.

Main features to know about

Here, I’ll describe the main features of this backpack so I can review them a bit more in depth, alongside our exploration photos of this backpack.

Front storage pocket (zippered)

An important feature for me on a hiking or outdoors backpack is an easy-access storage pocket that’s accessible if I sling the backpack around to my front for just a second. This is where I’ll keep a granola bar, a small bottle of sunscreen or any of my other favorite backpacking accessories like binoculars!

“H2O” hook for a bladder system

I haven’t had a bag with a bladder and hydration system in ages, so this is a breath of fresh air for me. While the Lithium 20 does not come with a hydration package, you could slide in your own and feed the water tube through this little snug pass-through.

Mesh back panel

To add to how this backpack manages weight for petite and narrow women like me, the mesh and suspended design of the back panel allows for moisture and air to pass through, and makes this a very comfortable daypack, all things considered.

Sternum strap

This is a must for me, as I’ve hiked with bad hiking backpacks and having to struggle with weight on my chest, shoulders, back and hips was a pain. The sternum strap is high quality and strong on this backpack, and surprisingly, the product page on the website does not mention it!

Pockets and storage on the hip belt

I’ve always been known to use hip belts on backpacks—this is because I’m narrow-framed, and essentially, I’m not very strong in my shoulders. I need all the support I can get when I’m carrying a load, so I always use the hip belt on a hiking backpack.

The hip belt on the Lithium 20 Women’s daypack is padded, and has a “fold-out phone pocket.” What this means is that there’s a nylon phone-sized pocket that literally sticks out, and can stash your phone as you’re scrambling up rocks or walking down a tough downhill pass.

Remember: the phone pocket looks a bit funny. See how it works in my photos. Luckily, it folds back up, and actually, the entire hip belt can detach if you do not want to use it.

Rain cover and storage compartment

Look for the umbrella icon, and don’t blink, because there’s a rain cover that comes with this backpack, and it stows into its own dedicated compartment. This is handy for rolling back up when rain is over.

Key hook

I’ve spoken in other reviews about how I appreciate a good key hook. After all, no one wants their keys lost during a hike—I certainly do not. The zip pocket with a key hook looks and performs just like how I’m pulling it out for these photos.

Overall thoughts

I enjoy hiking, but I’m no expert. The Mammut Lithium 20 Daypack for Women is a non-intimidating daypack for adventurous women who want to get outdoors. There’s nothing overly expert about it, which makes it a good back for hiking hobbyists or anyone who just likes having a very lightweight travel backpack with some handy trimmings like all the aspects I talked about above.

At its current price, I think it’s priced fairly for what I see from other brands. As I look around at other brands making hiking daypacks in the 20-liter volume range, I see brands like Osprey and Gregory pricing higher than Mammut.

Sure, you could get a backpack from a cheap brand on Amazon for a lot less. Would it last for as long as a Mammut bag? That is something I doubt, and I’m exactly the person who picks up on people whose hiking backpacks are fraying, with broken pockets (this happened to my Camelback daypack, actually) and busted zippers. I never want to be that person.

Mammut warranty

One good thing to know is that Mammut products have a two-year quality guarantee. Keep in mind that it doesn’t apply to regular wear and tear that may happen during hiking, like ripped materials from trees or bushes, or color fading from periods of long hours in the sun.

Criticisms

Actually, my main criticisms are not about the backpack itself, because I think it’s functional, well-fitted and priced accurately for what the market norms are.

My critique is that the Mammut website is lacking in a few things I want to know about this backpack that I expect to find at the product page for any backpack I want to buy, namely 1) how much the backpack weighs when empty and 2) how to clean it.

I assumed I’d find out more about the dimensions and weight in the “Product Details” tab of the categories under the product description. It’s not there, though. I asked Mammut directly, and they told me 710 grams, or 1.56 pounds. But you’d never know this via the website alone, and I think it’s a big selling point being missed.

And I thought that under “Materials & Care,” I could find out about how to clean my product if it got sloshed in mud during a hike. There are no details about how to wash my Mammut backpack, though.

So, these two things are my criticisms and I hope Mammut can update the product page to help out their consumers!

Worth it?

I think this is a well-priced hiking daypack for women and for that reason, I say sure: the Lithium 20 Women’s Backpack is a good investment if you’re seeking a woman-forward adventure pack. I would probably count it in as one of the best travel backpacks for women if you have a lot of hiking in your itinerary.

Remember: it’s only 20 liters, so it fit’s the days essentials, including maybe a windbreaker or a layer. If you were packing hyper light for an overnight trip, maybe you could get away with 20 liters. Personally for me, I’d take 30+ liters on an overnight camping trip.

I think the Lithium 20 Women’s is also a durable and environmentally-conscious backpack to buy and have for years to come, as a classic hiking style like this isn’t going off-trend anytime soon.

How to buy one

For all Mammut products, head to the Mammut website. They offer 30-day returns for any product that’s not on sale, so you have time to test out your Mammut backpack and decide if you want to keep it! Here is the Lithium 20 Women’s product page.

For other buying options, check out:

• Backcountry (note that the price may be a few cents higher, with fewer color choices)
• Amazon (note that the price may be higher, OR lower (not sure how), and some colors may be out of stock). Another tip: there is no official Amazon Mammut store, so make sure the seller is legitimate and the brand is authentic.

Mammut & sustainability

Staying eco-conscious as a hiker is important to me, as I’ve focused on sustainability during travel since the beginning of my travel days.

Mammut has a section of the website devoted to “Responsibility,” where you can read more about the brand’s practices in materials, ethical production, energy consumption and even packaging.