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Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack

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Now in a version made from recycled materials, this rugged waistpack converts to a shoulder bag for urban use.

Waistpack body uses polyester fabric made from recycled PET (plastic soda bottles), retaining its strength and durability
Use of recycled PET polyester helps reduce oil consumption and air emissions
Patented Delta Compression System of triangulated straps on waistbelt compresses weight into the lumbar area for a stable, evenly distributed load
Top-loading main compartment, exterior zippered pocket and small interior pocket organize gear while side pockets keep water bottles handy
Webbing loops and lash points let you attach accessories to the pack—or strap it to a full-size Mountainsmith backpack
Features padded and removable shoulder strap and bungee cord for securing extra gear and dual compression straps for stabilizing the load
Hipbelt tucks away for convenient carrying
Extra-large webbing zipper pulls can be opened easily, even when wearing mittens
Fits waist/hips up to 50 inches

Imported.

Item 749966

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Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack

4.5

(based on 15 reviews)

87%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Comfortable (11)
Lightweight (7)
Large capacity / good size (5)
Easy to load (4)
Adjustable (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Day trip (10)
Hiking (10)
Travel (6)
Day hikes (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (8), Casual/ recreational (4), Casual adventurer (4)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (9)

Reviewed by 15 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Nov

2008

(7 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

LOVE (with caveats)

By JTR

from Nagoya, Japan

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Large capacity
Lightweight

Cons

Not enough straps
Slightly ugly

Best Uses

Camera bag
Cycling
Day trip
Hiking
Work bag

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I've had this bag for about 5 years now. The first thing I did with it was to take an exacto knife to the big garish and obnoxious Mountainsmith logo. Next I bought the shoulder straps, without which this product simply doesn't live up to its potential. Later I cut off the hideous yellow zipper tabs and replaced them with 550 cord and electricians shrink wrap. Now this bag is gold. I use it for work (I'm a teacher), and when I get home I take out all my work stuff and put my camera gear in it, the bottle holders also hold lenses perfectly (do take care though). Next I want to use it with my Hennessy Hammock, and see just how light I can go. This bag is awesome (with the straps)!!!

Apr

2008

(7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

I love it!

By 20 year old world traveler/poor student

from Knoxville, Tennessee

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy on my backhips
Large capacity
nice and light
Very adjustable

Cons

Not waterproof
Not water resistant

Best Uses

Day trip
Hiking
School bag
Travel
Work

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I love this bag. I was diagnosed with a serious back/hip problem, and my normal backpack pulled on my shoulder, putting strain on my back, and working it's way down to my lower back. Right now I use this bag mostly for carrying my books around campus (which is a hike in itself!) but I also use it for my weekly adventures into the Smokies. I can just buckle the hip strap and adjust the strapettes, and I have no problems with my hips later. I keep my books (at school) or my jacket in the larger compartment, and all of my "purse" items (phone, camera, wallet) in the front pocket. I also love the small pocket on the back of the pack... I've been known to keep a box of colored pencils back there!

My only complaint is that it is not water resistant in the least. I had three books in it for my classes that day and we had a lovely Tennessee rain storm rolling through. Well, the bag was soaked before I could get it under my jacket, and my books required quite a bit of airing out. They don't make a rain cover for this bag either, so be careful.

Oct

2007

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Mountainsmith refines the waistpack

By Siriusguy

from Fresno Ca

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Day trip
Hiking

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I own the first two versions of this pack, now further improved with a better shoulder pad, sturdier bottle holders and another set of external straps. It is excellent for warm weather, leaving your back uncovered and ventilated. Its somewhat limited capacity might limit its use for colder weather, but it would still work well for cross country skiing in moderate weather. I have one of mine modified with Domke dividers to serve as a camera bag, holding a DSLR body and several lenses up to a 400 mm telephoto. For travel, it makes a great carry-on, but it will also readily fit into a suitcase or larger dufflebag. When it's fully loaded, one can still easily get it into position for carrying by first using the shoulder strap. Then, the hip belt can be cinched on either side to optimize the carrying position. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I'm probably going to get the NEW version!

Feb

2008

(3 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

MUST get additional Strappettes

By leepub

from SoCal

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Good padding
Large capacity
Lightweight
Ventilation
Very adjustable

Cons

Not enough straps
Not well balanced

Best Uses

Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

Superb for fast/light hikes... that is with the use of the additional Strappettes (sold seperately). Without the Strappettes this product is very uncomfortable and very unstable. I pack a first aid kit, dog wear, gloves, hydration pack, small flashlight/emergency gear and trail foods and strap a down vest on top plus two water bottles on the sides... again without the Strappettes this pack swings and sags uncontrollably. Even not packing it to capacity it is still highly unstable. You can really feel the weight pulling you down too. Again WITH the Strappettes, you don't feel the weight of the pack, it stays close to your waist/lower back and does not move/swing or sag at all. I cannot recommend this pack WITHOUT the Strappettes. For a man purse may be, but not if you want to take it rock scrambling. Get the Strappettes if you get this pack... it becomes a 5 star pack with the Strappettes. Oh, it's great not to have a sweaty daypack back.

Oct

2007

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

All Purpose Bag

By GoDucks

from Portland, OR

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact
Lightweight
Tough

Cons

Best Uses

Day trip
Disc golf
Hiking

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I bought one of these bags 10 years ago and it shows no sign of wear other than being quite dirty and stained from mud. I've used it day hiking, backpacking (as a pack for day hikes from a camp), to hold my discs for disc golf and also for work and school. I also purchased the 'strapettes' which are great for heavier loads or just to use all the time as a small backpack. It's great to have a backpack that only covers half your back-you sweat less on some of those hot, rigorous hikes.

Sep

2007

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

The BEST Waistpack

By Cjj

from Evergreen, CO

About Me Casual/ Recreational, Hiker, Skier, Traveler

See all my reviews

Pros

Carries everthing
Comfortable
Separate compartments
Tough
Waterbottle holders

Cons

Best Uses

Day trip
Hiking
My Purse
Traveling

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I LOVE this product! I use it daily as a purse. I wear it around my waist which gives me both hands free for shopping! It's great for day hikes with the two bottle holders and large enough that you can fit in raingear and snacks. I have a bad lower back and had Mountainsmith (I own four different Mountainsmith packs) first recommended by an [...] salesperson. The lumbar support is terrific. I wear my waistback snugged buckled around my waist and it definitly helps with the lower back pain. When taking a walk or hike I can carry two water bottles or a waterbottle in one holder and an umbrella and my cell phone in the other. I cannot say enough good about this product. When I first started using it as a purse my friends kidded me about it. Now several of them do the same!

Dec

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

New day pack

By comm

from Mesa, Az

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Load

Cons

Difficult To Adjust

Best Uses

Day Hikes
Heavy Loads
Travel

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I was looking for a everyday carry pack that was between my 1200 c.i. back pack and a 400 c.i. Camelbak MULE. After much debate on what I wanted I took the radical step of going with the 850 c.i. DAY lumbar pack. And I am so glad that I did.

The item comes with the shoulder strap. It works just fine and if the pack is not used daily would not be an issue. I would strongly suggest purchasing the Mountainsmith Strappettes which convert shoulder carry to backpack style carry. It distributes the weight much better and for back pack users is a much more natural carry.

The Day model easily fits 1L Nalgene bottles. This is not true of the smaller Tour lumbar pack. This was a very big deal for me.

I use this bag to carry all my daily needs for work or weekends. It carries all I need without all the extra space I found in my normal back packs. For a while I was switching out the shoulder strap and Strappettes based on if I was in town or on the trail since I use the same pack for both. Now I just keep the Strappettes on 24/7.

Most of my use of the bag has the hip belt tucked behind the back pad. A nifty trick. This back pad also has a top opening for thin reference material; a map, To Do list sitting in a cart, tickets/passports and such.

I have also made the Day my primary day hike pack. I have carried everything I need for the hike, plus an emergency overnight kit and 100 oz of water without any noticeable issues (using the Strappettes). For that much water I have two 1L Nalgenes in the outside pockets and a 2L Platy-bottle laying flat in the main compartment. That still leaves more than enough space inside the bag for everything a person needs for a full day of trail use.

As many reviews have stated online, the bag is fairly bombproof. One hike took me up/down a Cat 4 climb and the pack was dragged over several sharp rocks and slides. It was dirty but didn't tear or fray.

Things that are not so great? All these are extreme personal nitpicks. I'd like to see the Strappettes sold with the pack. Of course the cost would go up but I think the packs would see more daily use by casual users. I'd like to see a belt keeper on the hipbelt so the excess strap doesn't hang down, I ended up making a loop with doubled sided velcro. In future models maybe even a small clip on the hip belt for a place to snap on a GPS or camera pouch.

Feb

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Best Pack by Mountainsmith!

By WildlifePreservation

from Michigan

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Load
Good Suspension
Highly Adjustable
Large Capacity
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Day Hikes
Extended Hikes
Heavy Loads
Light Loads
School
Travel
Wet Weather

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

This is my second pack by Mountainsmith and I am more impressed than before! It was a chance for me to have a bag without sub-compartments, but it grew on my very quickly. I can use this bag for pretty much anything! The waist straps are very useful for long hikes and for carrying books to class and back. The water bottle holders on both sides have a brilliant design and can hold a lot. It also keeps water out fairly well when it's raining. Couldn't be more confident in a pack! Thanks Mountainsmith.

Nov

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Look Ma, No Shoulder Straps!

By Johnie Walker :-)

from Fort Worth, TX

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Load
Highly Adjustable
Large Capacity
No Shoulder Straps

Cons

Hasn't held up that well
Not waterproof

Best Uses

Day Hikes
Extended Hikes
Light Loads
Travel

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

For two years, I've worn this daily on my five mile walk to work, and also on my 10/year, 25-mile hikes. And, I carry it with me whenever I leave the house, even if I'm not walking. It holds everything I need for 25 to 100 degree, all weather hiking (and living!), and is *much* more comfortable than a backpack. It's not waterproof, and a bottle pocket and one of the handles ripped out. But, I love it dearly.

Dec

2008

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Pack, Steep Price

By georgeattvr

from North Carolina

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Highly Adjustable

Cons

Best Uses

Day trip
Hiking

Comments about Mountainsmith Recycled Day Waistpack:

I use this on a daily basis to haul books and tools around at work, but it also works great for quick hikes, bike rides, and makes an awesome little pack to haul around bouldering gear in. Too expensive (unless you pick it up from REI outlet!)