Osprey  Daylite Daypack

I've used it for bike rides, day hikes, trail running, and attaching to larger Osprey bags. It's just about a perfect little pack. It fills a niche where there aren't too many small packs to compare with. It's attractive, comfortable, and light; yet sturdy and full featured. As always, Osprey's materials and workmanship are top notch and the Osprey All Mighty Guarantee is reassuring. If you have other large volume Osprey packs it integrates into their AddOn attachment system, so you can attach it to a larger pack to get to your destination. I have a Porter and an Aether bag, the DayLite happily hitchhikes along, to be available for side trips and extra adventure. It fits well. I'm a stout fella with broad shoulders and a deep chest. The shoulder straps are well designed. While they have minimal padding, they have an ergonomic contour far more comfortable than other smaller packs I've tried. It has a sleeve for a hydration reservoir, and hoops in the shoulder straps for the hose and bite valve. Unfortunately, there isn't any kind of hook or loop in the hydration sleeve to hold up your reservoir, so you can end up with an uncomfortable blob of water at the bottom of the sleeve. I put an improvised hoop of cord around the yoke between the shoulder straps to hold up my reservoir to keep it from sagging to the bottom. It's also missing some features that were present on older models. There used to be a loop of strap and a D-ring on the bottom of the pack. This was perfect for a red blinky light if you were using this pack on a bicycle at night. I do like the reflective elements on the bag, these are new. There is a reflective piping and oval design that are visible on the back and from the sides. It makes the bag better suited to a bike ride that might extend into dusk or darkness. There used to be a zig-zag of shock cord on the outside that was perfect for holding a rain shell. Without this, there's no good place to stow a wet rain coat on the outside if the weather improves. I miss this feature. The old Daylite had hidden pockets to stow the waist straps when not in use, the new model does not. I have a long, broad torso, so the waist strap doesn't do much for me, so I took it off. The waist strap will be either in use or in the way, or it can be removed. It's a shame there's no easy spot to stow it in without taking it off. The current foam back panel is an improvement over previous versions. The pack can ride snug but still breathe in warm weather. The older back back panel interfaced with your back at three points in the lumbar and scapula regions (and there was some rubbing and hotspots), the new pack fits more like sock and spreads contact across your back. No pack is perfect for every use and every condition. This pack excels at what it was designed for. It is best in class for small accessory day packs.

I picked up the Osprey Daylite about a week ago and was fairly excited to try it out. In terms of the bag itself, I’ve been very happy with the quality and features included. The front pocket is good for organization, and even though it holds only 13L, you can fit a surprising amount in if you pack it well. The hydration bladder compatibility is also a plus, but with my full 2L bladder, I can only put it in and take it out when the bag is empty, and it cuts significantly into the space in the main compartment. However, the main reason I bought this bag was the “add on” compatibility with other Osprey packs, since I already own an Osprey Aether 70 pack, and it seemed like a great idea for extended camping trips with several day hikes out of base camp. Unfortunately though, this feature turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the bag. There are plastic clips on the Daylite which you put around loops on the Aether (slightly different attachments depending on the pack), and the whole system is frustrating and poorly designed. They work alright when both bags are entirely empty, yet when my Aether is fully loaded, the Daylite just barely reaches the top loops doesn't even reach the loops on the bottom ones. So after about 10 frustrating minutes, I realized that the two bags simply won’t attach when they’re both full, and when the Daylite is empty, it still barely attaches. Another consequence of this poor design is that you don’t get the advertised additional 13L of space to a larger pack (I thought mine would now be 83L). I suppose I can’t speak to how it attaches to other Osprey packs, but it seems like a system with clips (like those on the chest and hip belt) would work much better, and the slightly increased weight is negligible compared to the improved convenience. Ultimately, the bag itself is light, seems to be good quality, and has all the basic features you would need for the purpose and price. So if you intend on using it as a standalone bag, I would recommend it. However, if one of the main reasons you want the bag is because of its add on compatibility with another Osprey pack, just recognize that it isn't quite as convenient and useful as its made out to be. Hopefully, Osprey will tweak this feature in the future because it has a lot of potential.