How to Choose Daypacks

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Prepare for a big day out with the REI Co-op Ruckpack 28 travel pack, packed with enough storage and organization to keep you ready for any and all adventures.
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View the REI Co-op Ruckpack Product LineView all REI Co-op Travel DaypacksBest Use | Travel |
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Bag Style | Backpack |
Gear Capacity (L) | 28 liters |
Gear Capacity (cu. in.) | 1,709 cubic inches |
Number of Exterior Pockets | 2 |
Hipbelt | Yes |
Laptop Compartment | Yes |
Fits Laptop Size (in.) | 15 inches |
Carry-On | Yes |
Raincover Included | Yes |
Material(s) | 210-denier nylon ripstop |
Dimensions | 20 x 11 x 10 inches |
Weight | 2 lb. 11 oz. |
Gender | Unisex |
Fits Torso Length (in.) | 17-19 inches |
Fits Waist/Hips | 28-44 inches |
Frame Material | Rigid foam |
Sustainability | From a Climate Label Certified brand |
From feedback to field testing, all of our gear is dialed-in by REI Co-op members. Their adventures informed every stitch and detail—making for better, longer-lasting gear.
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Over the years, I've owned several REI bags. Trail 25, Flash 18, Rucksack 18. The Rucksack 28 is by far my favorite one. I started off with the Rucksack 18, but then decided that I needed the extra space and upgraded to the 28. As much of a minimalist as I'd like to be, having two kids in tow or having to catch 4 planes in 1 day means the 18 was just too tiny. PROS: The Look- The thing I like the most about the 28 is that it is a larger bag that can carry all of my travel gear, but at the same time, it doesn't look too bulky while wearing it. It still seems sleek and clean, even if it's packed to the brim. The fact that you can hide the extra loops and bungees (plus it's hidden daisy chain) makes it a nice blend between an urban and technical bag. Top Of Bag Storage- The top pocket of this pack is also really helpful when traveling through an airport. I feel like when you're at the airport, it's essential to have your ID, boarding pass, money, etc. ready to go without having to unpack or dig through your bags. Several of my last trips included my two young children, which meant not only keeping track of my important stuff but theirs too. That top pocket is an impressive "kitchen junk drawer" type area that you can toss all the critical items that you need frequent and quick access to. (You know what I mean, where all the important stuff that you can't get rid of is but is too miscellaneous to make organized.) Rain Ready- One of the things that drew me to this bag was that the tag advertises that it is "rain ready." I've used this bag in a pretty good rain, without the fly, and the outer fabric of the bag was soaking... but nothing inside the bag got wet. And I probably should have had the sense to stop and put the rain cover on it, haha. It's nice knowing that the rain cover is always there and built right in. (This is a nice upgrade from the 18, since the Rucksack 18 does not have a rain cover built into it.) CONS: Hip Belt- I love that this has a hip belt for when you need to get your jog on and scramble through the airport! I do wish that it either had a way to completely disconnect the hip belt straps, or something built into the straps to keep them wound up and out of the way when they are not in use. (You can snap the buckle closed and tighten up the belt, but the strap ends still dangle around. A big pet peeve of mine!) I was able to solve this by purchasing a couple of "strap organizers" that you can wind the straps up on and use a bungee to keep it all together. (See photos!) Interior Organization- The top pocket and the side pocket are amazing on this bag, but I do feel like the internal organization could use some work. Inside the bag, the main compartment is lined with mesh pockets. I appreciate the attempt of these pockets, but I don't find that they are beneficial because they are mesh and do not have any pleats or anything that allows the pouch to expand. I tend to get worried when I see mesh on a backpack since to me, it feels like it's something that's going to rip or wear out quickly. Even if they didn't have more expansion to them, I would feel much better if the material wasn't made of such delicate or stretchy mesh. Side Storage vs. Side Access- On one side of the bag, there is an amazing side storage pocket. It even features a pocket within that pocket. (That pocket is one of the most satisfying and useful pockets I've ever found on a bag!) On the other side, mirror to it, is a zipper that provides side access to the main compartment. I can see how this could come in handy, however, I don't think I've ever used it. I'm usually able to and very much in the habit of open the top bucket-style opening and getting what I need from the "conventional" way. Some might disagree with me, but I would have preferred if that side access point was another side storage area. I will note there is that mesh lining pocket that I talked about before. But again, I don't have much confidence in the mesh and I don't have much use for it. I think more spaces to tuck small gadgets and cords would have been more useful. OVERALL: In the end, I feel like the pros are very big and the cons are very minor issues. It's a well made, well designed, good looking bag. I bought it in black because I get all of my gear in black, white, or grey, but I have to say that the green and the tan colors are beautiful in person!
Appearance. This pack looks quite nice, and overall it looks like a lot of effort went into its design. It would be a very long review if I listed out everything that had a zipper, but there are plenty of options for organization if you so choose. The main compartment opens from above and one of the sides. There’s a top compartment for smaller items, a side organization pocket with spots for pens and notepads and the bottom one, which is primarily for the rain cover. Outside you have the nicely padded shoulder straps, an upper chest strap and belt strap. The latter two also have a bit of elastic for stretch unless you really tighten everything up. It also has padding and ventilation against your back. This was a nice touch with the recent weather. USE I started this out by trying to stuff everything I could into it to get a sense of what it would take. It does about what you would expect a pack this size to do. Enough equipment for an overnight fit fine, a couple day trip would be doable if you packed really light. An older 14” laptop also fit fine into the hydration bladder compartment, a 17” laptop did not. This also pointed out that the pack appears to taper. So, while you may be able to fit something through the top, it may not push all the way down, unless it compresses. It’s not much, and in normal use I don’t see it being a problem. The pack does include the raincover, so this is not really a concern, but the bag does not have covered zippers, with the exception of the raincover compartment. Setting the bag outside in a heavy thunderstorm showed the bag material sheds water fairly well, and the only water I saw on the inside afterwards was from it seeping through the zippers. So, for light and short showers, I might not bother with the raincover, anything more, and I’m putting that cover on. The cover has some nice attachment points to the bag, and it’s not hard to get on. The side pockets fit a 32oz Nalgene bottle fine and I wasn’t worried about it falling out. But, they’re tall enough that I cannot reach back while wearing the bag and grab whatever is in them easily. Side pockets have been my preferred location for keeping a point and shoot camera and water bottle, so this is a downside to me. I walked around with this bag for several days and it felt fine the entire time. I’m not used to padded straps, so I did have to shift those back and forth a little,but it was never uncomfortable. It stayed fairly centered on my back the entire time and didn’t shift with strides, which was a very nice change from some other bags. Nitpicky The tag mentioned that the ruckpack has locking zippers. It does have a locking zipper, but only on the main top opening, the side opening to the main compartment does not. The only way this would help is if you had something like a laptop in the hydration bladder compartment that couldn’t bend and be taken out the side. Overall Overall, I really like this pack. It looks like the designers did their research into what was oftenly used on a bag this size, and I’m impressed. For my medium to long dayhikes and overnights, this will likely be the pack I’ll grab. I received this pack from REI in exchange for a “candid and honest” review.
You know what’s funny? I bought this bag to replace a larger bag that I had been using on trips, hikes, and as my daily city bag (I live in San Fran) but this bag feels bigger and better. Not bigger as in larger on my back, but bigger in storing everything I could need for whatever I’m doing. It’s hip and sternum straps make it perfect for hikes around parks, running to catch a BART (subway, for all you non-San Fran ppl) train that you more than likely missed, or for riding your bike around the city without it jumping around on your back. It’s hydration pack friendly and has a separate area for one (it could probably fit a 3L), but if I’m not using that area for what it is made for, then I just use it for laptop storage. Also the mesh divider lets me easily see what I threw inside of it, but for super quick access I just throw things into the top pocket. Love the double water bottle storage so I can have my coffee and my Hydro Flask within reach (unless my coffee is alright in hand...). All in all, if I needed to buy another one consider it picked, shipped, and at my door because I would have already bought it.
I've had this pack for over 1 year now. I've taken it through the snow peaks of tahoe, the cliffs of point reyes, the beaches of LA, the 2 hour lines of disneyland, and the high deserts of the mojave. It is both spacious and compact for almost any occasion while also saving my back from pain after easily 8-10 hours of wear, it is incredible comfortable and supportive. I have the Brown version of this, the color is amazing easily able to stand out, i noticed the color wasn't listed which is a bummer, i probably would of gotten a second one easily. The laptop sleeve is perfect for a 13" macbook pro and i'm glad that padded on every side for the occasional bump. I'm also happy of the abundance of loops for me to strap on the outside for additional storage. The mesh lining has not let me down in the slightest, very little signs of wear or tear. But by the most handy thing about this bag is the hideable puch at the bottom where you can store the water proof canopy which has come in handy quite a few times or remove it and use it to hide potentially valuable objects or other items. The only thing I would possibly change is that i wish the top most pocket had a thin mesh in it to lock in place valuables that could fall out or smaller items you don't want to have direct contact with others.
This bag is a great all around day pack. I can easily fit a 3L water bladder and it has holes on both sides of the bag to let you feed the tube out to the left or to the right. I was able to fit a liter size Nalgene in the side pockets and probably could have fit my 1.5 liter bottle as well without it falling out. There are pockets everywhere so it took me a while to figure out how to best set this up for a day out but that's a fun problem to have! I took this out on an urban day hike (read: lazy walk in 100+ degree temperatures) with a water bottle, my mirrorless camera, an extra lense, a book, an iPad Pro, and random necessities. This bag held it all and made getting to everything a breeze. I really liked that one side of the bag unzips to get to the inside of the bag. This turned out to be a great way to actually use my camera bag as an insert and have that protection without needing to take the bag on and off to get to anything I needed. If I needed my wallet or water, it was easy to swing the bag around the other way. The only pocket that is hard to get to with the bag on is the top pocket and it is the biggest storage area outside the main compartment. I also took this bag on a day hike in the woods and it was just as comfortable as on my urban day hike. While a water bladder does eat up some of the main compartment, I easily got my camera bag inside with room to spare. The back padding and ventilation is amazing. I hardly knew I was carrying anything on my back either time. I really appreciated having the built in rain fly and can't wait to actually use it. Great all around bag that is big enough to carry your 10 essentials plus some!
My girlfriend and I bought two Ruckpacks (28L) last year for the Everest Base Camp trek. The packs were great. However, I was surprised by the color of my pack (a seaweed green that looked very different from the photos online), so I traded packs with my gf. Now I use this pack every day that I walk to work. Even fully loaded with over 20 kg (45 lbs), the straps are comfortable and have not torn. I trained for the trek by putting a 30 lb cast-iron Ruck plate in the hydration sleeve, along with my laptop and other gear, and walking 6 miles a day on my daily commute. The hydration sleeve has a plastic hook that I was worried about, so I had to twist it around so it wouldn't snap while the metal plate bounced up and down rubbing against the clip's open edge. It's true you can bypass the locking zipper on top by accessing the side zipper, but I don't mind. On the other side there's a nice hidden pocket inside the side pocket, where you can put a passport and other valuables. I secured the side zippers by clipping a keychain ring with a quick release so it's not quite so easy for someone to open the side pockets quickly. It's a very good-looking pack that rides higher on your back instead of slouching down (blob-like) on your lower back like many day packs do. It looks clean, with a hidden chain of lash points up along the sides -- as you can see in the photos, it's easy to attach extra items like a sleeping bag (or two!). Also, it's so nice that it has a rain cover. It might not be useful most the time, but when you need it, it's awesome.
I spent a few months with the Ruckpack 18. It never let me down, but it was a bit small for my taste. I also would have liked side access to grab things stuffed into the bottom. Enter the Ruckpack 28. Except there wasn't a self contained pocket in the underside of the lid, which I had already come to appreciate in the 18. I took it to Jose Sewing Service (in Dallas), and Jose added a gusset to close up the top and added zippered access from the bottom instead. Voila! Nice big pocket that's easy to access in flight without having to worry about items falling out. I also had some tabs with rings added to either side of the laptop/hydration sleeve to secure pouches as needed. The original opening will make a good pen pocket for those times I don't want to get into the bag. I can't wait to use this on its first trip next week!
As someone who likes to stay organized, and likes to know exactly where every bit of their pack is, I highly recommend this pack. I primarily use it for fishing trips, short stays, picnic hikes, and any other time that would require me to bring along a few things. Pockets and compartments are well placed and there is an extensive list of amazingly useful attachment areas. I use the trekking pole hold downs to carry a folded up fishing rod, and the easy access pocket on top for my dogs essentials on the trail. Backpack maintains shape when packed, which helps carry it comfortably. The bright Orange color has grown on me, and now I really dig it. Highly recommend this if you can snatch it up on a sale!
Wanted a good day back with a bladder holder, support, and space. Tried on various backpacks (CamelBak, Vasque). This back pack doesn’t have the ventilation (can just losen the straps for gap on the back to allow air flow), the back support technology, or the easy to access pockets on the hip straps as the other back packs BUT what I was surprised, it carried the weight best. Gaurenteed, only walked around the store with them weighted for 1/2 hour each, but could feel with the others. This packback, which was the last one try, relieved the pain. Later discovered the great side pockets and love the one, open main compartment. REI designed it very well.
Received this Ruckpack last month and have used it twice already. The pack is not only comfortable, but it is also hands down the best pack I have used. The straps are perfectly positioned, there is ample storage for weekend trips and longer if necessary. The vented back with the ridges make a full load very comfortable and ease any strain on the back. Lastly, the material has held up very well and seems to be very durable. I highly recommend this pack for anyone looking for a solid, durable and comfortable pack.