Pack the Essentials in Osprey Hikelite 18 Pack
By Jill Robinson 
Bringing along a daypack on your travels is usually a good
call. You can leave the bulk of your gear in your hotel room each day when you
venture out, and only bring the essentials. When camping, no need to pack
everything up to take a day hike when you can just bring what you need for the
day and keep your camp all cozy for your return.
The Osprey Hikelite 18 is better than your average daypack.
Often, those packs are as minimal as possible in order to
stay lightweight. That’s great for some purposes, but opting for minimal also
gets rid of some elements of comfort. One of the stand-out features of the nylon-fabric
Hikelite 18 (weighing 1.49 pounds) is that it’s got a ventilated AirSpeed
backpanel—allowing for airflow between your back and the pack, so you don’t
have to keep the sweat cycle going every time you wear it.
Additionally, it’s difficult to find a minimal daypack with
an integrated raincover. You don’t have to worry about the day’s weather when
all you have to do is pull the cover over your pack to keep everything dry when
the weather turns gray and wet. Sure, you can bring a trash bag along for your
daypack that doesn’t have an integrated raincover, but remember what happens
when you have to remember more and more elements in your packing? You often
forget things.
Other features include an internal hydration sleeve that fits
up to a 3-liter reservoir, a scratch-resistant pocket for sunglasses and
electronics, stretch-mesh side pockets for smaller items, a trekking pole
attachment, upper side compression straps, a removable webbing hipbelt, and a
sternum strap with that all-important whistle.
The Osprey Hikelite 18 pack comes in a variety of colors: black, shiitake grey, blue baca, aloe green, elderberry, tomato red, and kumquat orange. It lists for $85 on the Osprey site .
