Daypack recommendations?

[whitethaiger]

My old, simple day pack has served me well for little day hikes until now. Yesterday, however, it showed it's limitations on a 9.5h hike. My shoulders are quite sore today. Since I want to do more of this type of hike I'm now looking for something new, more comfortable.

I stopped by a store ealier and tried the Osprey Stratos 24 AirCore. It felt nice loaded with 20lb. I like the idea of the AirCore feature (air buffer between back and pack), it promises to kept the back dry(er).

Any recommendations/suggestions for day packs?

Some requirements I can think of:
- size should be close to 2000 cu.in
- must be comfortable with some weight, most hiking is in the desert and taking a gallon of water is common
- should be light, the water will weigh enough

 

[paulj]

In my experience, the best thing for sore shoulders is a pack that is long enough to put most of the weight on the hips, using the shoulder straps mainly to keep the pack from tipping over backwards. So the upper most shoulder strap attachment point should be at shoulder height or more.

An alternative is a large hip/lumbar pack.

paulj

 

[1leglance]

I love REI for the stuff the have and the way they stand behind it...
my day pack is a TRAVERSE which is around the size you want.
A couple of things I like...
-bladder sometimes I use it sometimes I just fill nagelenes
-mulitple compartments that way I can stow snacks, poncho, rope, first air, binoc's and other stuff in an easy to get to manner
-hip belt that will support wgt, usually I tuck it away but nice when I am fully loaded, it also has a couple of little pockets for compass, snack, or whatver so you don't have to take your pack off.
-durable with great service, I beat mine to death and I know if there is ever a problem they will help me out

Just my thoughts since you ask

 

[Ursidae69]

I use an Osprey Switch 25+5 and I really like it a lot.

 

[goodtimes]

I use a Camelbak Rim Runner, and am happy with it. It is a bit smaller than you are looking for though (1500 in^3).

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

I've gone through a ton of packs because of shoulder fatigue.... have only found one for me so far. I love the North Face Recon pack that I have. I packed most of 3 weeks worth of clothes and camera equipment in mine while I was in Costa Rica.

I use it for hiking too. I think it works great for the ~10 mile hikes, with plenty of water and food weighing it down. Its got small, but supportive hip straps and a sternum strap. Hasn't caused shoulder fatigue on me yet.

EDIT: I also use the backpack when I am on my motorbike. Since I dont use saddlebags (dualsport bike, and I hit alot of tight trails when I go places) I often use the backpack to carry my tent, 2 shirts, socks, underwear. I strap my summer sleeping bag on the outside of the bag. I'd guesstimate 30lbs in the small bag. I loosen it enough for the weight to rest on the seat. But tighten it up when in the woods.

NORTH FACE RECON

Backpack in action
And an example of why I dont use saddlebags.

 

[whitethaiger]

Thanks for the good suggestions so far, I'll investigate.

In my experience, the best thing for sore shoulders is a pack that is long enough to put most of the weight on the hips, using the shoulder straps mainly to keep the pack from tipping over backwards. So the upper most shoulder strap attachment point should be at shoulder height or more.

That's exactly the problem and solution!

I use a Camelbak Rim Runner, and am happy with it. It is a bit smaller than you are looking for though (1500 in^3).

Size requirement is an estimate, but on a hike like Saturday where temps change from hot to way below freezing (with wind chill) and one has to carry all the water/food for a day it quickly adds up. It does not help that my clothes are all XL/XXL, something that makes a difference when looking at in^3.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Been using a Mountainsmith Bugaboo for a while, probably better than 10 years by now. It's 2500 cu-in and works pretty well for me. If I was to replace it, I'd be looking at packs like the Arcteryx Bora or Silo, Osprey Talon or Stratos, Dana Sluskin or one of the Gregory Z packs or Targhee.

View attachment 11055

Hit the shop and try a few to see which fits best. The only thing I don't like about my Mountainsmith is that when it was made skis weren't nearly as fat as they are now and my Tua Nitrogens (which aren't exactly new either) don't fit in the ski loops.

 

[offroad_nomad]

Take a look at the Arcteryx Bora 35.

Mountain Gear Ad

 

[paulj]

The Bugaboo was sized to be the largest pack that could fit under an airline seat (at one time, anyways). I have one, but found that it was just a bit short for me, though it has worked for others in my family. I've had two packs that work, but in both cases I had to rework the shoulder straps. I changed both the straps (from the replacement bin at REI) and changed the mounting method.

In my case most of the shoulder pain was caused by straps that crossed too close to my neck. By moving them to the outer, bony parts of the shoulder I reduced that problem.

Sometimes getting a pack to fit requires understanding your own quirks, and finding ways around them.

paulj

 

[whitethaiger]

Plenty of good suggestions, now if only I had a store close by that would stock more models. REI had the Gregory Z and Osprey Stratos, the Gregory they had didn't fit me, the Osprey felt good. I'll check Adventure 16 next week after the Trophy

 

[Jeeptrekker]

Being not as young as I used to be, I have become a believer in the Light Weight Backpacking philosophy, even for day hikes and searches. I have used a Gregory G pack for overnighters but was looking for something smaller for a summer search/day hike pack so I gave the 1850 cu. in., 1 lb. 12 oz. GoLite "Vision" pack a try. I love this pack. It fits me well and even though there is no padding in the waist belt, it seems to work well with no soreness. I loved it so much that I bought a GoLite "Infinity" (3000 cu. in. @ 2lb 7oz) for winter search/overnight pack. This is also a great pack. Unfortunately, both of these packs have been discontinued but the Vision is still available at www.prolitegear.com for $71.00 (close out). While most of the GoLite bags are frameless these have a plastic frame sheet that works well under light loads. The new GoLite models with frame sheets and alum. stays that look interesting are the "Lite-Speed" and the "Pursuit" but at 3000 cu. in. are probably too big for day hikes (even though each weighs less than 3 lbs.)

 

[whitethaiger]

Those GoLite's sound interesting also, even though it appears that most packs are pretty light these days. The problem with getting a pack is that one really has to try it for fit.
I went to Adventure 16 in Oceanside today and got my torso measurement in the process of checking out packs. I'm not sure it means much since the pack that ended up fitting best was one for a larger torso.... The selection in the small store was rather limited, I'll probably have to go to one of their bigger stores for a better selection.
The Orsprey Atmos 35 felt quite comfortable at first, but then I wore it around the store for a while loaded with 20lb and I started to feel the straps on my colar bones. The straps don't have much padding at all.

 

[Jeeptrekker]

Because of where I live, we have to rely heavily on mail/web order stuff. Yes, it is often a crap shoot. I would think you would be able to find a GoLite dealer in SoCal though.

 

[whitethaiger]

After trying out everything in the local stores I went back to Adventure 16 and tried a different size of the Osprey Atmos 35. After walking around the store for 20min with 20lb it felt comfortable. So I went with it.

Last Saturday Robb and I did some hiking in the Anza Borrego State park. The first test for the pack. It felt quite good, sofar I'm very happy with it.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.