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Is the Osprey Daylite Plus the worst daypack made? Read on to see our review of this pack.
Here at Jones Family Travels, we LOVE Osprey Packs. We own 5 of them. Almost always, Osprey Packs perform above and beyond expectations. They’re a bit pricey, but so far, they’ve been worth every penny.
Then, I got the Osprey Daylite Plus pack. I bought the Daylite Plus for the sole reason that it attaches to my new Osprey Porter 46. I rarely need the additional space, but it’s nice to have a daypack when I reach my destination for all the little things you need to carry while exploring and going on day hikes.
Worst Daypack: Osprey Daylite Plus
So, what is it that I don’t like about the Daylite Plus? Why would I say it’s the worst daypack, available?
Well, to start, it may not be the worst. There’s plenty out there that are worse. However, at the $65.00 price point, I would definitely say it was the worst daypack on the market, today.
Using Amazon gift cards I’d saved up and buying the color that was on sale (I wanted the granite color, but blue is cool, too), I only paid $15 for my Osprey Daylite Plus. If I’d spent $65, I would have sent it back.
Also, the Osprey Daylite Plus has really small accessory pockets. I have a hard time fitting the little miscellany that I normally keep in my Talon 22 accessory pocket in the Daylite Plus accessory pocket. Pens, keys, small lens cloth, etc. It does have a key clip to keep your keys safe and organized in the accessory pocket, as well as a couple mesh pockets for organization.
The water bottle mesh pockets are also too small for almost all water bottles that I carry. The Daylite Plus does have an external water bladder sleeve, which I think is a great feature, but I’m just not that big of a fan of water bladders.
The side mesh pockets are virtually useless. I’m not sure there’s a water bottle made that will fit in the side mesh pockets, especially once the pack is full of gear. I’m certain that you’d never fit a Nalgene in the pockets.
The main compartment on the Daylite Plus is pretty good. It has a padded laptop sleeve against the back panel and plenty of room for my needs on the go around town or a theme park. I typically use the interior sleeve for my Kindle or an iPad.
On the exterior, Osprey has the “Shove It” pocket panel where you can throw a few small items. Osprey’s sales copy says “great for stashing a light rain shell (rain jacket) and other smaller items.” Not. A. Chance. It’s pretty small. It’s nice to have that exterior pocket on day hikes to be able to easily reach the most common things you need. The Daylite Plus just doesn’t have that capability.
The straps on the Shove It pocket panel also provide the top attachment points for the Osprey Porter series. Using these clips and the clips on the “hip belt” of the Daylite Plus fed through loops on the Porter series attach the two packs together. It’s very awkward and slightly challenging when you’re trying to attach them with any amount of efficiency. In other words, don’t be in a rush to attach the Daylite Plus to the Porter series.
One other thing to keep in mind with the Shove It pocket and attaching it to the Porter. When you detach the clips to attach or detach from the Porter series, the Shove It pocket flaps open and pretty much anything you had in that pocket falls out. Just a slight design flaw, especially if you keep your wallet in the Shove It pocket, like I initially did.
The last thing I’d like to note, the straps on the Daylite Plus have an awkward horseshoe shape at the top that also creates a hand holding point for carrying the pack. This top strap tends to bunch against your back while carrying the pack, creating a slightly uncomfortable carry.
Osprey Daylite Plus Specs and Features
The Daylite and Daylite Plus can be added on to the following Packs: Aether/Ariel AG Series, Aether/Ariel Pro Series, Volt/Viva Series, Shuttle Series, Sojourn Series, Farpoint 80, Farpoint/Fairview Wheeled Travel Pack Series, Farpoint/Fairview Trek Series and Porter Series.
- Large panel-loading main compartment
- Attaches to a variety of compatible Osprey packs
- Side mesh pockets
- Front pocket with mesh organizer and key clip
- Spacermesh shoulder straps with integrated handle
- Multi-function padded interior sleeve for a hydration reservoir, laptop (14″) or tablet (iPad)
- Mesh-covered backpanel with slotted foam
- Fabric front panel shove-it pocket
- Vertical zippered front panel slash pocket
- Removable foam frame sheet suspension with center stiffener allows dynamic body movement
- Mesh-covered die-cut foam backpanel provides comfort and ventilation
- Spacer mesh harness with integrated handle. Additional die-cut EVA foam padding (Daylite Plus only). Adjustable sternum strap with whistle
- Removable 20mm webbing hipbelt
Osprey Daylite Plus Pros and Cons
Let’s look at some pros and cons of this backpack from Osprey.
Pros
- Attaches to the Osprey Porter series of travel backpacks
- Small, lightweight daypack
- Padded, internal laptop sleeve
- External water bladder sleeve
- Osprey’s amazing lifetime warranty
- Sternum strap with emergency whistle
Cons
- Cost
- Small accessory pockets
- Awkward, challenging attachment process for Porter series
- A useless Shove It panel pocket
- Uncomfortable shoulder straps
- Rain cover not included – this is typical with all Osprey packs
I’m glad I have the Osprey Daylite Plus for when I need a small daypack on my travels and I’m also glad I only paid $15 for it. If it didn’t attach to my Porter 46 travel backpack, I would not have bought it for $15, either.
What are your thoughts? Is the Osprey Daylite Plus the worst daypack out there? Let us know in the comments.
