Best day pack - lightweight and size recommendation

Thrill

Thrill

Joined
Sep 9, 2010
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3,598
Taking a trip to Spain this Summer with the family. Want to get a pack that's light but durable and not too big. Want to be able to carry gadgets, snacks, stuff, etc. No laptops. Just big enough to carry the essentials. I'm 6'2 about 210lbs. What do you recommend? Don't want tactical look.
 
With your height a Hill people gear highlander. You would have to invest in small kifaru pull outs or pouches to keep things organized.
 
I needed a small (for packing within other luggage), lightweight, inexpensive daypack to take to Australia and leave there to use on future trips.
Found a discontinued Gregory Fury 24 pack for only $45, brand new with intact retail tags. It's primary purpose is Aussie bushwalking, so I wanted a pack specifically designed and well-suited for that task; it's not a "urban" hipster pack and no one's going to mistake it for military surplus or Army-wannabe.

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So far it's been good for hiking, with proper waist and sternum straps and a contoured shape.
Quality? No worries, it's a Gregory. :thumbup:

On the downside, it's quite small, much smaller than the daypack I use in the states. It holds food, water, maps, a light rain jacket, and has room for a few gadgets. It's not large enough to carry a cold-weather jacket, full-size laptop, or a bunch of textbooks. It's also not padded for heavy loads.

Specs:
1465 cubic inches
1 lb 8oz

Safe travels!
 
My low profile, holds enough, European daypack is a North Face Recon, in black. To lower the profile even further, I use a black waterproof marker to black-out the white lettering. You will see them a lot Europe. They're popular with the college crowd. Carries very comfortably, in all weather. The newest models have been downsized from ~2000cu. in. to ~1800cu. in. Still seems big enough for all reasonable day uses. If you want something with more compartmentalization, go with the Surge, built on the same base platform.
 
Camelback outlaw series. Find a used one. Worth the search. They were made for hardcore mountain biking 1600 cordura, heavy duty zippers, and NOT tacticool. For a day hike (now my baby bag) the outlaw havoc and I use the bigger outlaw uproar for my "daily driver" its pretty big. About the size of the tactical model "linchpin" but like the havoc has a stuff pouch in the front. For stuff you can quickly... Stuff and go I guess.
 
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stock photo of the uproar. Complaint (minor) is unlike the havoc there's not straps on the bottom for lashing like a sleeping bag or whatever.if it did it would be big enough for a weekend camping trip in a pinch. I love and use both everyday. I also have an outlaw chaos, but its small and use it for jogging, walks big enough for essentials.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. The Osprey Daylite is looking pretty good. Nice price and size seems good. Keep the info coming if you have some.
 
I have the Osprey Talon 11, which is similar but with a better back / hip strap arrangement. You might want to check that one out too.
 
Thrill said:
Thanks for all the suggestions. The Osprey Daylite is looking pretty good. Nice price and size seems good. Keep the info coming if you have some.
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I have carried mine for the past 2yrs.. every week-end.. Holding up super.. John :thumbup:
 
I would recommend anything from Osprey from their daypack selections. Great packs that are lightweight and durable. My daughter used one of the Osprey Revo packs for three years in middle school. She was loaded down with books and that thing carried about 25 pounds worth of books and supplies, been dropped, dragged, and tossed about and not a stitch came loose. It still looks great and ready for anything you can throw at it while on vacation or a hike. She also had an Osprey Comet that she used for two years and it held up just as well toting around 25 pounds of books and supplies each day. Now she uses a Mountain Gear daypack which is holding up nicely.

There's also Tom Bihn, which are excellent packs for the money and made in the USA. I own a Synapse 19 and love it.
 
Stuff from REI will probably look pretty anonymous, as long as you don't go for any of the brands known for making laptop or camera bags, you should do just fine.
 
I tried a lot of small overbuilt backpacks, from Maxpedition and Camelbak to a TAD Fastpack Litespeed, and the best one, by far, is the Cobra 2.6 from ATS. It's just big enough for a day's worth of stuff, fits just about anywhere, and carries very comfortably thanks to the straps' upper attachment further down the back of the 'pack. The two tone versions look very non-militant, but are made out of the same 500d or 1000d Cordura. The shoulder straps are curved, and have minimal padding so they don't rub funny or get in the way of anything.

What I really like is that it holds it's shape, very rectangular, no matter where I stuff it (under my desk, back seat of the truck, wherever). It also rides very high and doesn't stick out far at all (4" or so) from my back.

Here's mine, in green and black two tone. The grey and black two tone version lacks the Velcro strip and looks even less tacticool:

 
The Mile High Mountaineering Colfax sling pack might be worth a look. It has a convertible strap, so you can switch from backpack to sling pack really quick. I've been using it as my dad diaper bag this year with no complaints. Lightweight with really nice cordura fabrics.
 
Decided to try the Osprey Daylite. Should be here by the weekend and I'll share my thoughts.
 
Used the Osprey Daylite on our trip and it worked perfect for my needs. Lightweight and held just enough stuff for our daily journeys.
 
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