The 8 Best Backpack Leaf Blowers To Clear Your Lawn This Fall

Husqvarna’s gas-powered 360BT backpack leaf blower gives you commercial-grade power for clearing leaves off larger properties at a reasonable price. Its 65.6 cc 2-cycle engine boasts an air volume of 890 cfm, ample for clearing leaves from larger yards, while its top wind speed of 232 miles per hour makes it capable of moving larger debris and clumps of wet leaves.

At the same time, Husqvarna’s X-torq engine makes the 360BT more fuel-efficient, cutting its emissions by up to 60 percent.

Keep in mind, though, that this power also comes with a high decibel output, so be sure to wear ear protection when operating this machine. At 23 pounds, it isn’t as heavy as it could be, and the backpack features ample padding on the backrest, shoulder straps, and hip belt for a very manageable carry.

All in all, the 360BT is one of the more comfortable gas-powered leaf blowers you can strap to your back.

Troy-Bilt is known for producing quality yard care machines at a reasonable price, and that holds true with the TB51BP. For less than $300, it produces enough oomph to make it a worthy backpack leaf blower.

A powerful 51 cc 2-cycle engine produces top speeds of 220 mph, and an estimated air volume of 600 cfm, which keeps pace with far pricier models. We like the Troy-Bilt’s longer flex tube, which makes it easier to work around tighter landscaping. It also features a handy cruise control feature on the throttle, so you can lock in a specific air speed rather than holding the trigger down.

With decent power and a comfortable design, it’s a solid choice for thrifty homeowners.

We’re partial to Husqvarna’s mid-duty leaf blowers for homeowners with large properties. We’ve owned and used a 130BT for years, so we can vouch for these machines, both in terms of their leaf-moving ability and their durability and ease of starting. The 150BT continues that tradition.

This model has several improvements over our old timer. First, it’s got more power. Second, it has improved shoulder, waist, and chest straps that not only make the machine easier to carry, but more importantly, help hold it to you if you have to work your way across a hillside or go over and around obstacles. Suppose you have to climb a ladder while wearing this thing, to get the leaves off a flat-roof building, like we used to do. You come to appreciate features like that.

In terms of the aforementioned easy starting, we found this machine started with a single pull, and a lazy one at that. So if you’re looking at the heavier end of the mid-duty range of backpack leaf blowers, look no further.

If you’re looking for a noise-conscious alternative to those ear-splitting gas powered backpack leaf blowers, Ryobi’s Whisper Series runs more softly than the rest. Using a battery-powered electric motor instead of a gas engine, this backpack leaf blower runs at a far quieter 59 decibels.

Even with the volume down, it’s surprisingly powerful, producing an air volume of 730 cfm with a max speed of 165 miles per hour, which is plenty of power to handle larger yards.

With battery ports for two 40-volt 6 Ah batteries and an efficient brushless motor, it runs for up to 60 minutes, which is notably longer than the runtime of most cordless electric backpack leaf blowers. The batteries also charge up quickly–under an hour–so you shouldn’t have much down time on big jobs.

Last, but not least, the Ryobi Whisper series is as easy on your back as it is on your ears, weighing in at a manageable 21 pounds.

In terms of power, you have nothing to fear with the Ego. It blew the leaves out of the test rectangle faster and farther than nearly every blower we tested. That’s thanks to the truly powerful stand-alone fan ($400 on its own), which is compatible with different batteries of varying capacity. We tested it with a massive 28-amp hour battery and backpack harness that runs $1,400.

All together, you’re looking at a piece of yard care equipment that costs roughly $1,700. On the other hand, if you want commercial performance, that beast of a battery enables a run time of nearly 1.5 hours. Considering the blower by itself, we particularly liked that the handheld unit is only 6.4 pounds. It’s tethered to the battery by an electrical cord instead of a tube, which allows you to switch hands, something you can’t do with many backpack blowers.

The Echo X-Series PB-9010T backpack blower lives up to the promise of a professional-level machine. With its combined air speed and volume, we cleared leaves in our 6- by 12–foot test area in a remarkable 4.9 seconds.

You’ll definitely want to wear hearing protection using the PB-9010T, though, as all that gas-powered goodness isn’t quiet, measuring 101.2 decibels at full throttle. We found the backpack straps and padding comfortable, and the blower tube was easily adjustable for people of different heights.

This is a great value, too, helping you do more work in less time and for less money, with a five-year warranty. (Under commercial use, the warranty drops to two years.)

Greenworks’ 80V cordless leaf blower is light and compact, making it ideal if you aren't too keen to feel the extra strain that a backpack leaf blower puts on your body. At just under 15 pounds, it’s one of the lightest backpack leaf blowers you can strap on to your back.

Electric blowers are also generally less physically taxing to use, since the backpack doesn’t vibrate as much as would a gas-powered leaf blower.

Despite its small size, the Greenworks Pro still packs a punch, producing an air volume of 610 cfm with a top speed of 180 mph, thanks to its brushless motor and large 80-volt battery. Just keep in mind that you’ll only get about 20 minutes of run time on a single charge, which isn’t ideal for large properties, but at least it recharges quickly–just 45 minutes. Think of it as a built-in break for your back.

Most backpack leaf blowers weigh around 25- to 30 pounds, which means you need a certain amount of core body strength to carry one around. With a dry weight of just over 13 pounds, Echo’s PB-265LN is markedly lighter, making it a good fit for smaller folks, and those of us worried about straining our backs. It’s also quite comfortable, with a padded backrest and shoulder straps.

Though its smaller 25.4 cc engine won’t enable this machine to keep up with larger, heavier backpack leaf blowers, it still packs enough punch to reach max speeds of 158 miles per hour and move air at 375 cfm. While that may not be enough power for larger properties, it’s sufficient for clearing small to mid-sized yards.