Best Backpack Leaf Blowers of 2025

Instead of supporting the weight of the tool with your arms—as with a handheld blower—you carry a backpack leaf blower with your shoulders and back, which makes these blowers easier to lug around large yards. We’d know, because we test leaf blowers every fall by dumping 2,500 pounds of leaves in our test field.

If you have a large area to cover or thick piles of leaves every fall, these tools are especially worth considering. Backpack models typically cost $100 to $200 more than handhelds, so they’re probably overkill if you have a small yard or if you don’t have a lot of fallen leaves to clean up.

We’ve tested gas and battery backpack leaf blowers from all the major brands, including Ego, Husqvarna, Stihl, and Troy-Bilt. Below, we’ve highlighted five models that sit at the top of the heap in our tests.

For more information about shopping for a leaf blower, see our leaf blower buying guide. CR members can turn to our comprehensive leaf blower ratings for details on how backpack and other types of leaf blowers perform in our tests for sweeping, loosening, handling, and power.