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.