The right daypack to bring along on vacation is sometimes an elusive beast. Go in the ultra-light direction, and you often lose comfort and space for everything you need to bring along. Head in the other direction, and sometimes you’ve just got a heavy pack and wish you didn’t bring so much weight.
Take a spin with the CamelBak Arête 18 pack, a lightweight, minimalist pack that has some of the features of those beefier daypacks.
The main compartment is top loading and closes with a drawstring, and the top folds over for more security. There aren’t a million pockets in which to lose your small items. The pack has exactly three: one exterior zipper pocket and two exterior multi-function pockets. That way, you’re not tempted to bring along everything, and you can focus on the most essential items.
The low-profile design of the pack makes it perfect to stash in your suitcase for those days when you need to bring a few things along with you and leave the rest behind in your hotel room. The straps are have venting so you don’t have bit strips of sweat on the front of your shirt when you get where you’re going, and the sternum strap helps keep the pack securely on your body.
The pack is also optimal for those of you who hike, camp and climb. Leave most of the gear in camp and take this along for your summit pack.
One of the things I like the most about the Arête is the included hydration reservoir. Not all packs with a hydration compartment also include the reservoir, but in this case, the 2-liter Antidote reservoir is an added bonus. It fits perfectly in the pack, and the air-light fill port has a huge opening—making it quick and easy to fill, as well as clean. Opening the cap is also simple, with CamelBak’s intuitive 1/4-turn cap.
But what if you need a larger pack, as well as a lightweight daypack? No problem. Just turn the Arête into a reservoir sleeve, by pulling the loop at the bottom of the bag. The sleeve can be used in your larger pack, and keeps your water supply handy. Then, when you need that daypack, change the Arête back, and there you have it.
The CamelBak Arête 18 pack comes in black/graphite, blue jewel/silver and engine red/lime punch, and it lists for $65 on the CamelBak site. It’s also available at Amazon.
Take note that the Arête 18 has a subtle redesign (with changes such as making one of the side pockets into a zippered pocket) planned for a January 2016 release, as well as a new Arête 22 version, in case the 18 is too small for your needs.