Osprey Daylite Review (Daypack vs Travel vs Plus pack)

The Osprey Daylite is a lightweight, foldable backpack perfect for short treks and city excursions. Our experts trekked through tropical mountains with this model. They appreciated the breathable mesh back panel and shoulder straps of this bag. The sleek design made it extra appealing. In addition, the mesh water bottle pockets, compression straps, and readily accessible front pocket made this bag a pleasure to use on day hikes and while traveling.

Osprey Daylite comparison chart

Osprey Daylite Daypack Review

Osprey Daylite Daypack Review

Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack Review

Detailed Review of Osprey Daylite

The Daylite is an attractive choice for people looking for a small daypack. It offers breathable back panels and shoulder straps, a hydration compartment, and front zipped pocket, compression straps, and water bottle pockets.

Comfort

The 3D mesh fabric on the shoulder straps helps to wick moisture away. The hip belt was a welcome addition, but it was rarely necessary while carrying only a few items. The gear loops may be a little inconvenient for fast activity. However, it’s a nice feature if you need to run or jog with the pack. The back panel was comfortable and allowed for some ventilation in a hot and humid environment. This bag kept our testers’ backbone dry when trekking through the hills in summer.

Weight

The Daylite is a lightweight model that weighs only 16 ounces. Therefore, it will not burden you down in any way. However, it offers few features and limited carrying capacity because of its low weight. If that sounds good to you, great; if not, consider packs with more features and more excellent capabilities.

Versatility

The Daylight is a Simple daypack with just a few features. We found it to be less versatile than most packs we tested, which have four reconfigurable compression straps, a front pocket, and an ice axe loop because it doesn’t have a front pocket or only has two compression straps.

This bag’s lightweight and straightforward, making it ideal for transitioning between city and mountain climates. It looks just as good on a short day hike as it does on the bus.

Ease of Use

However, we appreciated the sleek style, which disappeared from view and mind. The most significant drawback we discovered is that the water bottle pockets on the sides are too small; they can hold a regular one-litre water bottle if you put it in before filling up the pack.

We loved this pack for traveling, but the bottle holders were a bit smaller than we’d prefer.

If you forget to grab a drink or pick one up later, we hope you’ll join us in wishing they were more prominent. To keep small items like sunscreen, your phone, and keys accessible, you’ll need to put them in the top zipped pocket, which is the perfect size to store necessities. In addition, the external access hydration pocket makes it easy to fill-ups.

Durability

The Daylight is made of 210-denier nylon on the front and 420-denier packcloth on the bottom. We predict that this pack will last a long time for many adventures. However, if you’re looking for a climbing pack, we believe that burlier, more straightforward ones are superior alternatives.

Value

The Daylite is a good value for the features offered. While some of our reviewers liked the versatility of some more expensive models, several testers appreciate the simplicity and design appeal of the Daylite. It’s ideal for individuals who want an essential panel-loading bag.

Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee

Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee is something we appreciate as well. This promise from Osprey is that rather than replacing products, they will repair them. In addition, Osprey will repair your pack for free if you believe it has any flaws or problems in construction that have caused damage.

What We Like of Osprey Daylite

1. Lightweight

According to our experts, the Osprey Daylite Pack is a very lightweight daypack as its empty weight is only 0.5kg. Therefore, we stuff our daypack into our luggage for flights or train trips when it’s more convenient.

 2. Small and foldable

When the pack is complete, it is 46cm tall, 24cm wide, and 22cm deep. This is the perfect size for routine usage, and it folds down when not in use, so you may keep it in a drawer or box for your next adventure.

3. Very durable

We seek out once-in-a-lifetime experiences that get our hearts racing and take us deep into nature when we travel. As a result, our travelling gear must be highly durable. We’ve taken our Osprey Daylite backpack to different places and found the Daylite pack has withstood everything we’ve thrown at it.

The bag has a 210 denier nylon shell and an even sturdier 420 denier packcloth base.

What We Don’t Like of Osprey Daylite

There are so many features of Osprey Daylite which our experts appreciate. However, there are a few disadvantages of Osprey Daylite.

1. The mesh back panel is thin

The back panel on this backpack is breathable, yet it is relatively thin. Because of the way the Daylite’s design is built, anything with hard angles in your pack can dig into your back. However, if you carefully pack your daypack with care, making sure hard items (such as laptops) are flush with the back panel, you should have no problems. It also serves as a cushion against your back if the hydraulic reservoir is full.

 2. The shoulder straps are simple.

 If you fill your daypack, the shoulder straps may become painful. Because this Daylite bag isn’t built for heavy loads, the shoulder straps are skinny. This pack is best suited for carrying a water bottle and raincoat on a day trip or sightseeing in town, but it isn’t suggested for transporting ten hardbacks to the library.

 3. No rain cover

There is no rain cover included with this daypack.  This wasn’t a significant drawback because you can buy one.

4. The inner pocket is a small

We’re getting more specific to our business now! Osprey Daylite’s inner pocket is large enough to fit a Macbook Air 13″, which is our preferred device. 

Customize Your Osprey Daylite Backpack for You

There are several ways to customize the Osprey daylite backpack to make it yours.

 Choose from 3 sizes.

 The Osprey Daylite has a smaller capacity of 13 litres. There are two more sizes to pick from

1. The Daylite Plus pack

This pack has an extra storage compartment at the front, and it can hold 20 litres.

2. The Daylite Travel pack

The RFID-blocking lining of this bag protects your valuables from identity theft and includes a waterproof pocket for additional storage. It has an extra storage compartment and comes with an RFID liner.

 Choose from 5 colours

The Osprey Daylite and Daylite Plus backpacks are available in five distinct hues.  Green or crimson, is our favourite option.

Buy a rain cover for your pack

This daypack does not include a rain cover, as we previously said. However, most manufacturers’ rain covers will fit on an Osprey Daylite pack. We suggest getting a high-visibility rain cover to ensure that you can be seen in low-light situations like during a city stroll or on an outdoor journey.

Other Versions of the Osprey Daylite

We tested the 20-liter “Plus” version of the Daylite, and Osprey offers a variety of alternative options in its Daylite line. The essential Daylite daypack, which costs $60 and has 13 litres of capacity, is the most comparable; it lacks the front stash pocket found on the Plus model.

The 13-liter Daylite is a good choice for travelling, but its hiking usefulness is limited due to the smaller capacity and lack of storage. Daylite includes a sling and waist pack, as well as tote bags (30, 45, and 60L), duffels (30, 45, and 60L capacities).

The new 15-litre packs with top-loading cinch closures and daisy chain attachment points. Importantly, none of the Daylite designs is available in women s-specific models.

Compare Osprey Daylite to Similar Products

Name	Osprey Daylite	REI Co-op Flash 22	Osprey Daylite Plus	REI Co-op Trail 25	REI Co-op Flash 18
Volume	13 L	22 L	20 L	25 L	18 L
Measured Weight	454 g	357 g	584 g	876 g	255 g
Back Construction	Mesh and soft foam	Simple foam pad	Mesh over vented foam	Contured, foam pad	Simple foam pad
Hydration Compatibility	Sleeve for 2L bladder or tablet, bladder not included	Internal hydration sleeve	Internally accessed sleeve, holds up to 3L, bladder not included	Internal hydration sleeve	Internal hydration sleeve
Hipbelt	3/4″ webbing, removable	3/4″ webbing removable	3/4″ webbing, removable	3/4″ webbing	3/4″ webbing removable
Number of pockets	3	5	6	6	2
Materials	210D nylon and 600D packcloth	Nylon	Nylon	Nylon	Nylon
Pros	Lightweight, great breathable back panel, Durable build	Lightweight, minimum features, comfortable	Simple style, lightweight	Affordable, simple design, versatile	Inexpensive, lightweight, minimum storage
Cons	Little small size, small pockets for water bottle	No durable, no bear heavy load	Small size, minimal features	Heavy volume,	Minimum features, thin hip belt

Final Thoughts

Having traveled extensively with the Osprey Daylite Daypack, I can confidently say that it has exceeded my expectations as a reliable travel companion. Its thoughtful design, well-organized compartments, and comfortable carrying experience have made it an essential part of my travel gear. Whether I’m navigating busy airports, exploring new cities, or embarking on outdoor adventures, the Osprey Daylite Daypack has consistently delivered in terms of functionality, durability, and comfort.

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Last update on 2024-04-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API