best daypacks

Gear Review: Osprey Manta AG 20 Daypack

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Osprey Manta AG 20
Osprey Manta AG 20

Daypack
Osprey Manta AG 20
$155, 20L/1,220 c.i., 2 lbs. 11 oz.
One size
Ospreypacks.com

How much stuff goes into your daypack? If you routinely carry upwards of 15 pounds or more (including the pack’s empty weight) on dayhikes, unless you possess a spine of steel, it really makes sense to get a pack designed for comfort with that kind of payload. When Osprey brought its groundbreaking Anti-Gravity suspension to the men’s Manta and women’s Mira daypacks this year, I decided to take the Manta AG 20 out for some trail mileage, including a 14-mile, 3,000-foot dayhike of 11,049-foot Telescope Peak in California’s Death Valley National Park to see how it measures up.

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Gear Review: Gregory Salvo/Sula 28 Daypack

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Gregory Salvo 28
Gregory Salvo 28

Daypack
Gregory Salvo/Sula 28
$130, 28L/1,708 c.i., 2 lbs. 7 oz.
One size
moosejaw.com

The trend toward ever-lighter gear has resulted in a spate of minimalist, ultralight daypacks—many of which I have reviewed and liked. But if you prioritize comfort and features in a daypack, Gregory hasn’t forgotten you. On dayhikes ranging from seven to 12 miles, from Yellowstone’s Mount Washburn and Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River to Utah’s San Rafael Swell, Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands National Park, and Kane Gulch, and Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly, and even some cross-country skiing, I found the Salvo 28 rocks for comfort and ventilation.

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