Osprey Daylite Plus

This backpack is smaller than expected, but the quality is excellent. The material feels durable, with well-stitched seams and sturdy zippers that hold up well under regular use. Despite its compact size, it’s thoughtfully designed with enough storage space for essentials like a water bottle, snacks, and a light jacket—making it a great choice for day hikes.The ergonomic design ensures a comfortable fit, and the straps provide decent support without digging into the shoulders. While it may not be ideal for those needing extra capacity for longer trips, it’s perfect for short outdoor adventures or everyday use. If you’re looking for a reliable, lightweight bag that won’t weigh you down, this is a solid option.

The osprey daylite doesn't have any unique features you would expect from the brand but the high quality and great aesthetic are still present. the colorway I chose looks great to me and the design is modern without being flashy. on my scale, this pack weighs just over a pound, spot on the specs. the weight is impressive considering the pack's use of 300d and 600d poly fabric, heavyweight materials that are time-tested and known for durability. the fit is excellent and easy to dial in--I loaded it up with about 20 lbs of gear and food to test it and was able to keep it comfortable all day. very few people will ever put that much gear in a daypack, though. at 13L the size is perfect for long dayhikes where you want to carry several meals and some gear. it's not big enough for an overnight in most cases. this was ideal for me and serves a specific niche. the main zip is durable and wide although i generally prefer cinches or rolltops. the secondary pocket is flat and more for organization than anything else and uses the same grade of zipper. the shoulder straps are extremely breathable and the light hip strap is a nice addition that I appreciate. the back panel is a high-quality perforated foam. it allows some airflow but isn't as impressive as the more involved panels of larger packs. for the price and considering the rest of the pack, I feel this is adequate . overall, if you need a larger daypack I feel this is a well-priced, premium, and durable option with a great look!

It isn’t perfect but this bag still earns five stars. I love it.Pros: It’s a high quality, beautifully designed bag— entirely as expected considering it’s an Osprey bag — with some very thoughtful details.I’m using it for biking to work. It’s so lightweight, and although it looks small and narrow, it does hold a lot and is practical and versatile. The laptop compartment can actually accommodate a laptop bigger than 14 inches — yesterday at work I carried a 15 inch laptop (easily!), my 11 inch iPad, my purse, glasses, small cosmetic bag and other odds and ends, and there was still some room.I was a bit confused about the very first pocket in the front area, which I had never seen — turns out it is what Osprey calls a “shove it” pocket. ( New to me). It kind of expands/flops open, you can shove something in there quickly (like an jacket) and then you close it by snapping the straps, which wrap around the zipper area of the main compartment. These straps also can cinch down for compression of the main compartment. (There is a short video in the Amazon listing that demonstrates how this pocket and the straps work). The bottom of the laptop sleeve is elevated, providing some protection for your laptop from damage if the bag is placed on the ground forcefully. The back panel is especially great — there is this mesh design over a soft “ribbed”foam material that cleverly provides some airflow so you aren’t so sweaty. The chest strap is practical, and both the waist and chest straps are removable, providing additional comfort and convenience. I found the shoulder straps comfortable and right sized for me (5 foot 5 woman).The bag is 19 x 11 x 9.5 inches, which makes it just a touch too large to serve as a personal item for travel per most airline requirements, but it certainly is small enough to be a carryon. The top of the harness has a luggage “pass through” and it looks like it could be strapped on top of a suitcase easily with the chest and waist strap— I have not tested this yet but I saw reviews on the Osprey site that other people had.Another part I absolutely loved about this is the look of the bag, the fabric which is very nice, and is water resistant. And most of all, the recycled content and the environmentally and socially responsible sourcing and manufacturing across the supply chain under this so called “bluesign system.” I did some reading up on this and it really makes me want to support this brand in the future. Osprey isn’t just offering this as an extra expensive option —they have been ramping it up over time and 80% of their 2025 product line is bluesign. That is a real motivator for me to support Osprey, but it is also frosting on the cupcake, because the quality of their bags is not decreased or sacrificed. This bag appears durable. The cost seems about what I would expect.Cons: The bag doesn’t stand up well on its own; you have to lean it on something. That is not an overly important design feature for me or how I plan to use it but could be a deal killer for others. The “ shove it” pocket seems great in a hurry —like for example you are getting off the plane and throwing in an item at the last minute before you deboard — but it’s open at the top to rain or pickpockets and the straps which close it partially block the zippers for the main compartment. Meaning, you can’t really unzip the main compartment far at all when that pocket is closed. So you essentially have to open the “ shove it” pocket to get to the main compartment, unless you can get what you need without unzipping the main compartment— just sticking your hand in the partially unzipped main compartment and digging around. To unzip the main compartment all the way, you have to unsnap the straps that hold the “shove it” pocket shut —and then the “shove it” pocket is loose and open so you would either need to remove what is in there or keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t fall out. Again not a deal killer for me; it’s just a bit of a trade off and something I’m trying to get used to.

This Osprey pack is a great day pack for hiking, biking to work, or just stashing some gym clothes. I've been using Osprey packs for about 20 years - my primary backpacking pack is an Osprey with the heat molded hip pads, and I have put tons of miles on it all over the US and Europe, and after 15+ years there's not a split seam, tear, or any other defect (in fact, I'm taking it to Denali this summer). So the Osprey packs are high quality - the price tag (about $75 at the time of this review) may seem steep but when you consider that the pack will last literally for decades if properly maintained.This daypack sets itself apart from my other daypacks (for reference, I have an ultra light REI pack I use for trail running, a REI @3 liter daypack, and a @4 liter Camelback daypack I generally use for travel) in a few ways. First, at just over a pound it's got a nice light weight without sacrificing durability - the material build is solid. Second, the storage is next level - there's the main pocket as expected, but adds a shallow middle pocket which I prefer because my gel packs or maps are easily accessed. It's a small thing, but not having to fish around the bottom of the pack for what I need quickly is a huge plus. Finally, there is a stuff-it pocket on the outside with adjustable straps to compress whatever you stuff if with. The obvious use would be a jacket ... and in fact that's just what I used it for. Shortly into my day hike at a local forest, I shed my jacket, rolled it up, and stuffed it in the stuff-it pocket and cinched up the straps. This is a much better idea than the old style bungie straps that my REI and Camelback packs have (my jacket never seems to stay put in those bungie straps). Finally - the pack has the obligatory elastic water bottle pockets on the sides that easily hold a Nalgene water bottle.Overall, a great pack. I will say this is probably not a good size for someone looking for a pack for school ... it's just not big enough for books and electronic gear like laptops that I see kids carrying these days. For day hikes though, I'd be hard pressed to find a better pack with the subtle features that set this pack apart.

And that's saying something! Every single thing that I get that's been sewn together in any kind of way (other backpacks, clothing, towels, sheets, and even shoes), always has at least a few loose threads on it somewhere. But I haven't found a single loose thread on this backpack. There may be one or more somewhere on it that I haven't seen, but I'm pretty thorough. And even if there is, the quality of this backpack is still very impressive.It isn't made by a stiff material so it might seem kind of limp, but that's how it's supposed to be. It's certainly lightweight, as it only weighs just over a pound. It's comfortable to wear and can be adjusted to be very secure on you so that it doesn't bounce around any. Which would be thanks to the adjustable waist strap that buckles, as well as the adjustable chest strap that buckles. Oh, and the chest strap's buckle also has a little "stranger danger" whistle on it. Also, the interior sleeve doesn't only fit a 14 inch laptop. It can also house a hydration reservoir, as there is a hole in the top that the drinking tube can be fed through.This backpack is also made by keeping our environment in mind in a BIG way. Sadly though, it isn't cheap to make things the right way. And so, that's why it's price is a little high. I know, I don't like it either. But the only way I see around that, is if we did away with money and all agreed to work just to better ourselves, AND each other. Only THEN, would resources finally become more important than profit. Because as it stands, we all don't really have a choice but to pursue money. Our societies are structured so that our very survival, and that of our families, depends on it... But anyway, if you can afford it, I would highly recommend getting this backpack. Or anything else made by Osprey.