Day Pack Recommendations – Maximum Ventilation

[Al K]

I am looking for a 20-30 liter day pack that I would use for day hikes as well as when I am hauling stuff for family trips (ie the zoo). My main concern is ventilation as I live in South Florida and I want to minimize the sweaty back feeling as much as possible. One pack I am looking at is the Osprey Stratos 24 which has the “AIRSPEED SUSPENSION” as well as the Hikelite 26. Any other Osprey models or other brand/models I should consider?

[Bob Shuff]

I have an older Stratos, and would only warn that the volume on that one is deceptive.  With the curve of the pack, anything bulky doesn’t fit well.  I handed this down to my son now, and use a cuben/hybrid pack (Zimmerbuilt Quickstep) for day hikes.  It’s not as uncomfortable as some other materials.  I find packs with foam like the GG Gorilla to be worse than fabrics.

My back sweats and it’s super uncomfortable when you stop and take off your pack.  If there is a dry breeze it can chill you quickly, but then that doesn’t describe South Florida.  In still or overly humid air, I don’t know what you can do to solve this.  If someone has a pack that works better, I’m all in, so I subscribed to see other recommendations.

 

[Michael K]

I’d go for the Stratos 34 because as Bob said…….with the curve, the volume in the 24 makes putting in any sizeable objects challenging or awkward.  This is the first daypack that I’ve had which actually has a torso long enough to carry the weight nicely on the waist which will be nice on family trips.  I use this bag on technical day hikes and when guiding groups of students.

[Dalton Cooper]

I love the REI Flash 22 as my go-to up in North Carolina, summers included, but that doesn’t really sound too ideal for what you want since I get a fair amount of back sweat with it.

My Dad uses the Gregory Zulu 35 and uses it for everything including Adirondacks peak bagging, weekend trips, and shopping at the public market. It’s a little on the heavier side but he loves that it’s well-ventilated (I got my sweaty back genes from him) and it does have a really great frame for when you need to bring more stuff on mountain day hikes.

[Sam Farrington]

Any Osprey with a suspended mesh backband. Some of the most recent models put less tension on the backband, which improves comfort.

[Roman Vazhnov]

Vaude Citus 24 LW

[Paul S.]

An unconventional approach is to only use one shoulder strap at a time and alternate as needed.  That will give you max airflow.  Of course this only practical if you don’t have too much weight.

Another idea is use a lumbar pack but 20 liters might be too awkward.

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