Rec on daypacks

karltimber

Hi,

any recommendations on a daypack - prob a soft back one.
22-30L job would do the trick.

for the usual gear - wet-jacket,over-trousers, gaiters, etc.

thanks

K

DeepSleeper

No specific recommendations, but would you consider going a little bigger? I've used a 40L for years and find it ideal - enough space for everything and no need to squash stuff in.... Some days it is only half full, but there is enough space there for winter days when more gear is required.

karltimber

possibly, I have a larger one but seems too big just for day hikes.

will re-try it on again and fill with gear (haven't used in a while) and see.

But would still like a smaller unit - side pockets for a drink, good strap system,

thx

SomeFool

I have a berghause freeflow, would recommend it, think it's 35 litres, I use it for day hikes and shorter alpine climbs, very comfy pack.

johnnyk66

I've been using a regatta survivor 25 for the last two years, lots of room for gear etc., good straps and rain cover.

The Dagda

SomeFool wrote: »

I have a berghause freeflow, would recommend it, think it's 35 litres, I use it for day hikes and shorter alpine climbs, very comfy pack.

+1

I second the freeflow. There's nothing worse than the "sweaty back" that turns cold when you take off the pack. The design of the freeflow pretty much eliminates that problem. It does compromise the usefulness of the interior space a bit though.

Alun

Bothy my wife and I have Berghaus freeflows too (32+8 I think). The freeflow system does work well, although the gap between your back and the back of the rucksack does mean that if you do fill it up quite heavily, your centre of gravity is pushed a little too far back for my liking. OK if you're walking on the flat, but if you get into any scrambly stuff, it can pull you backwards a little ... well, that's my experience at least.

Also, the quality on both mine and my wife's has been pretty bad. On mine, the metal clip that forms part of the back lengthy adjustment snapped in two (repaired with a carabiner), and some of the stitching on the side pockets has come unravelled. On my wife's one, the shoulder straps have simply come unstitched from the body, zip pulls have disintegrated and the side pockets also came unstitched. She's on her third example and I'm on my second so far.

SomeFool

Alun wrote: »

Bothy my wife and I have Berghaus freeflows too (32+8 I think). The freeflow system does work well, although the gap between your back and the back of the rucksack does mean that if you do fill it up quite heavily, your centre of gravity is pushed a little too far back for my liking. OK if you're walking on the flat, but if you get into any scrambly stuff, it can pull you backwards a little ... well, that's my experience at least.

Also, the quality on both mine and my wife's has been pretty bad. On mine, the metal clip that forms part of the back lengthy adjustment snapped in two (repaired with a carabiner), and some of the stitching on the side pockets has come unravelled. On my wife's one, the shoulder straps have simply come unstitched from the body, zip pulls have disintegrated and the side pockets also came unstitched. She's on her third example and I'm on my second so far.

Mine has been going since 2008 and n problems yet, must be lucky! It was a replacement for my Lowe alpine walkabout which was just starting to give up after 12 odd years of abuse!

karltimber

Thanks for the info folks,

good to have 2 -3 models in mind when looking & trying on.

cheers.

K

Alun

FWIW some of my walking friends swear by their Deuter rucksacks. My old rucksack was a Lowe Alpine one which apart from a slightly frayed waist strap and being slightly too small was still going strong.

Generally the trend seems to be for lighter sacs, and hence lighter and thinner materials. I'm not sure whether this is necessarily a good thing in terms of longevity especially if it's being used a lot as mine is.

dogmatix

I use a Deuter 28L daysack and have had it for 5 years now and find it great for all types of walking and all seasons. My only gripe about it is the airflow system at the back which uses a rigid plastic board to prevent contact between sweaty back and bag - i find it affects the ability to stuff items into the daysack.

Alun

dogmatix wrote: »

My only gripe about it is the airflow system at the back which uses a rigid plastic board to prevent contact between sweaty back and bag - i find it affects the ability to stuff items into the daysack.

Yes, the Berghaus one is the same ... the board is curved which makes it less than optimal. In fact, in practical terms, I think that my 32l Berghaus holds almost the same amount of stuff as my old 25l Lowe Alpine.

Gasherbraun

I have used a North Face Angstrom 30 for the last 4 years. It is used daily for work so takes the weight of a laptop, heavy DSLR + Lenses + Kit + smaller camera + other assorted stuff. It also gets used heavily on the hills in all weather (laptop is not carried in these circumstances but the cameras are) and the contents have never suffered water ingress although I did make a couple of adaptions with some small carabiners for the rain cover. It has done the Art O'Neill for the last 3 years and proved comfortable over long periods although comfort is very subjective; it has no airflow system which some people do not like.

I am actually due to change it soon simply because I need a bigger sack but otherwise very happy with it...........and I am not normally a fan of North Face :-)

hmmm

When my Berghaus recently expired, I went for a Deuter. I like the firm backing, because it means that the air flow system works even when the bag is full - the Berghaus would compact against my back.

Rucksacks are very personal though - they're like boots, buy them in a physical store where you can try them all on.

Some of the things I looked for were:
- Airflow system
- Lots of pockets for organisation
- Pockets I could reach while wearing the pack
- A system for holding hiking poles
- Sit right on me (above the hips)

The Dagda

hmmm wrote: »

When my Berghaus recently expired, I went for a Deuter. I like the firm backing, because it means that the air flow system works even when the bag is full - the Berghaus would compact against my back.

Rucksacks are very personal though - they're like boots, buy them in a physical store where you can try them all on.

Some of the things I looked for were:
- Airflow system
- Lots of pockets for organisation
- Pockets I could reach while wearing the pack
- A system for holding hiking poles
- Sit right on me (above the hips)

Are you sure you had a Berghaus Freeflow? Coz all the features you mention are all on the 3 year old Berghaus Freeflow 35+8 I have...

Edit: On second reading you didn't specify it was a Berghaus Freeflow so apologies if you didn't mean the same Berghaus model that has been mention previously in this thread.

Roen

Osprey Talon 22l for me. Fits waterproofs, spare fleece, lunch, 2 or 3l of water,gloves, hat and bits and bobs no bother. Been using it for day hikes the past year and its great.
And the main thing. It comes in snazzy colours.

Orion

I use a Camelbak Octane 8+. It's 8 litre expandable to 13. I find that's plenty of space for a day bag. The hose from the 2L hydration bladder clips along the shoulder strap and is easily accessible to drink from. I find it very comfortable - I originally used it for adventure racing so it's nice and snug on the back without making your back sweat. All you really need in a day bag is waterproofs, first aid kit, grub, torch, bivvy bag etc. When I'm going on a long hike I open out the zip to make it 13L and have plenty of space for everything I need. Bear in mind that when you have a bigger bag the tendency is to fill it so small is better.

It doesn't have any system for holding the poles is the only thing - but my poles collapse to about 1.5 feet and I only use one anyway so I just carry it.

karltimber

Hi,

after reading here and other reviews - I got the Deuter 28 Futura in great outdoors.
The venting back system, lightness and overall use-ability is what weighted the decision.

will report back after a few uses - soon.

thanks folks for all replies,

K

karltimber

Hi,

Just a follow-up on my day-pack choice, after a trip up Lug on Sunday.

I had bought the Deuter 28L bag.

Light enough day-pack, with plenty of straps to keep all your items compressed . Pole hooks worked well.
The seperate compartment in the bottom is good so your wet gear (dry or wet) can be kept there.
The system to keep the bag off your back worked very well with no dis-comfort at all.

One down side is the water bottle holders, cannot be reached whilst wearing the day-pack. So a bladder will have to be bought, not too dear either, and the bag is set up for it too.

Overall, a great buy. Very pleased with it and well able to hold more than just day trip items too.

Thanks for the tips folks.

K

Gillo

Alun wrote: »

Generally the trend seems to be for lighter sacs, and hence lighter and thinner materials. I'm not sure whether this is necessarily a good thing in terms of longevity especially if it's being used a lot as mine is.

It's the spin off you get, I remember loads of people complaining about the old KIMMsack by Karrimor (back when they were a decent brand), they didn't seem to get that is was specifically designed to be as light as possible. I prefer the heavier fabrics myself, just for the extra durability.

I've alway found Berghaus great, on had one problem with their great and that was when I snagged a rucksack on a pretty sharp rock, my fault and not a quality issue.
I use the North Face Interval 25 on the bike and on summer hikes, it's lasted great for three years, I also use it going in and out of the gym a lot so it's had a fair bit of use.

Mark#1

I know this is an old-ish thread, but I was interested to read that comment on the Regatta Survivor - I've used the 35l version often enough to know I don't like it for hikes/walks. It's fine for lugging stuff from car to climbing centre or for a hotel or B&B break, but the back/straps are crap for me for walking. The hip belt seems to be angled upward, making the hip belt buckle sit between my bellybutton & sternum.

I've been on the hunt for a couple of months now for a good 25-30l day pack. I currently carry my stuff (camera gear, binoculars, flask of hot drink, bottle of water, sandwiches & snacks, rain jacket & pants, first aid kit, hat & gloves, spare insulating layer (sometimes a fleece, sometimes a synthetic-filled "puffer"-type jacket)) in my Tamrac Adventure 9 camera/laptop pack, which is in the region of 25l or so.

Everything all fits fine, but the pack isn't comfy to carry for long. I'm walking maybe 1.5 hours every day (some days twice that) with the pack on my back, up & down steep hills & regularly over pathless uneven ground.

I have a Berghaus Verden 60+10, which I really like, but it's no day pack, even with the side compression straps.

The Freeflow 25+5 was on my list, but it's heavier than other packs I was considering, and I don't like its single lid buckle - I'd prefer the security of the more typical two buckle set-up. Also on my list are the Jack Wolfskin Rambler 28, Lowe Alpine Trek 27 & Quest 27, and Osprey Kestrel 28.

I like Lowe's Airzone back/strap system, and I know they're well respected, but I think a couple of the Osprey's features might just pip all of them for my moolah.

The Osprey has a pocket on each side of the hip belt (the Lowes & Wolfskin have just one), a water bladder compartment outside the main pack (Lowe's & Wolfskin are inside), two axe/pole loops (Lowes & Wolfskin have one). The Lowes appear to be narrower than the Osprey, which I like.

I'll try the Trek 27 when Great Outdoors get one back in stock. I like it over the similar Quest 27 because of the separate lower compartment. I haven't found any shop in ROI to try an Osprey Kestrel in the flesh - anyone know of any?

Haven't yet considered Deuter - how do you Deuter guys like yours?


Mark

Alun

53 Degrees North do Osprey stuff. There's no Kestrel on their website, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't stock it. Maybe give them a call?

Mark#1

Cool. I'm actually hitting them tomorrow anyway, for some stuff they're holding for me.

Thanks.

Mark#1

53DN don't do the Kestrel, and I didn't like the Talon. Between my last post and now, I've read a few more bits and pieces about the Kestrel, and one comment I saw concerns me - the placement of the water bladder just behind the harness/straps can cause a bulge that can be uncomfy.

They did have a FreeFlow 25+5, and it was very comfy (unloaded), albeit supposedly heavier than some other similar-sized packs. If only they'd built it with two lid buckles...

Agree that packs are worth trying on, specially in the larger sizes, where you'll be carrying more weight than in a day pack.


Mark

Mark#1

Tried on a Lowe Trek 35 in Wild Side in Bandon this week. It was padded out with paper or plastic or whatever (no weight), so I got a broad idea of how the 27 might fit. It was quite comfy, with the hip belt sitting nicely on the hips. Quite light too. Half considered going for the 35, just cos that's what they had in stock, but I'll wait till I can see a 27 in the flesh...

Mark#1

I got the Trek 35l on Friday. When I saw the 27 in the flesh, it seemed small compared to what I was expecting, and a coil of climbing rope pretty much filled the pack, so I decided the 35l would be a better bet.

It comfortably took 3 pairs of climbing shoes yesterday, along with 4 harnesses, some lunch for 4, a little bit of climbing hardware and a small first aid kit, with space to spare.

I'll be using it daily for the next few months, so I'll get to know it quite well.

:-)