Daypack Reviews

Exped Skyline 15 daypack in New Hampshire's White Mountains.

Review: Exped Skyline 15 Daypack

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DaypackExped Skyline 15$129, 2 lbs. 5 oz.One sizemoosejaw.com Daypacks come in many sizes and designs these days, some for multi-sport use, some more specialized. But real technological innovation happens rarely in that market. Now comes Exped’s new Skyline 15, which, with one simple adjustment that takes a few seconds, essentially shape-shifts between two different types of pack. To see whether …

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Hikers testing the Osprey Tempest 20 on Telescope Peak, Death Valley National Park.

Review: Osprey Talon 22 and Tempest 20 Daypacks

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DaypacksOsprey Talon 22 and Tempest 20$160, 20L/1,220 c.i., 1 lb. 11 oz. (men’s S/M)Sizes: men’s S/M and M/L, women’s XS/S and S/Mospreypacks.com Daypacks are a little like flavors of ice cream—there’s something for everyone’s taste, and they vary so greatly that you can get to feel like one isn’t nearly enough. So how do you find the right model when …

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Deuter Speed Lite 20 daypack.

Review: Deuter Speed Lite 20 Daypack

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Daypack
Deuter Speed Lite 20
$80, 20L/1,220 c.i. 1 lb. 3 oz.
One size
backcountry.com

At first glance, Deuter’s Speed Lite 20 struck me as a daypack with the right capacity and features for virtually any adventure—and super lightweight, which I like. So I decided to put it to a serious test, on an 8.5-hour, 20-mile, 4,500-foot, mid-September trail run-hike of the Alice Lake-Toxaway Lake Loop in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, including a 1,400-foot, third-class scramble up 10,651-foot Snowyside Peak. And there’s much to like about the Speed Lite 20.

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Gear Review: Gregory Miwok 18 and Maya 16 Daypacks

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Gregory Miwok 18 daypack
Gregory Miwok 18 daypack

NOTE: This review covers an older version of these daypacks. Click here now to read my newer review of the 2019 versions of the Gregory Miwok 18 and Maya 16.

Daypack
Gregory Miwok 18/Maya 16
$100, 18L/1,098 c.i., 1 lb. 10 oz.
One size
moosejaw.com

For most three-season dayhikes—whether it’s several miles or an ultra-hike of 20 or more miles—I want to travel light, and I prefer a daypack that helps me achieve that goal, while remaining comfortable and having a utilitarian feature set. Having been a fan of the Gregory Miwok series for some years for just those reasons, I took the new men’s Miwok 18 out for a spin on various one-day hikes, including the 32-mile, 10,000-vertical-foot Pemi Loop over nine summits in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and came away largely impressed with its versatility for most dayhikers.

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The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak daypack.

Review: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Daypack

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Daypack
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak
$229, 17L/1,040 c.i. 1 lb. 4 oz. (medium)
Sizes: S (fits torsos 15-17 ins.), M (torsos 17-19 ins.), and L (torsos 19+ ins.)
hyperlitemountaingear.com

Lightweight and tough aren’t adjectives I usually use together when describing gear, but they both apply to this daypack. I’ve used it for everything from dayhiking up to several miles on a four-day whitewater rafting and kayaking trip on the Green River through Lodore Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument, on multi-pitch rock climbs at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, and ski touring. Besides carrying comfortably with about 10 pounds inside, it still looks brand new.

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