Lauren’s day pack reviews on Camelbak and Osprey
Hi! over the last two years I’ve really increased my hiking and along they way increased my gear to choose from. As I’ve started to hike on longer trails and in different climates, I’ve felt the need to adapt my packs accordingly. I’ve been fortunate to be able to add packs to my to collection as I know they aren’t a cheap purchase. The nice thing is that all my packs have held up well and are still in use
Camelbak Arte 18 ($59.99):
Gear Capacity: 16.5 liters
What I like: Good price point. 2 in 1 Design: Converts from pack into reservoir sleeve. Super light weight. Small pack, but still has a lot of room. I have been able to fit a small jacket into it + snacks, and other items
What I don’t like: It is frameless so there is no support with this pack. That it only came with 1.5L bladder for water. Only one main pocket, other than two side pockets for water bottles.
This was the first reservoir pack I have owned. The main reason I got this pack at the time was because of the price point. It has held up really well over almost two years of use. I have used it for short and long day hikes. Because this pack is relatively spacious regarding gear capacity, I have been able to take it on those longer day hikes and fit a small jacket in it for when it is cold out. I ended up getting a 2L bladder for this pack because it only came with 1.5L. Since this pack is super light weight and is able to change into a reservoir sleeve, there is no support to this pack. I don’t like that there is only one main pocket because it makes it harder to store stuff in a more organized way.
Osprey Skimmer 28 ($130)
Gear Capacity: 28 liters
What I like: Comes with a 2.5 liter reservoir (some packs don’t come with one included). The amount of different pockets to store gear, snacks, etc. There is support with this pack – Dual upper and lower side compression straps. The frame is atilon foam for great support
What I don’t like: I am not a fan of Osprey’s magnetic bite valve attachment to hook the hose of your reservoir to bags. The idea of it is nice, but I find the little attachment is easy to lose and the replacements are $5+
This has been my go to long-day-hike backpack. It easily fits a jacket or other layers when hiking in colder weather. I also like how many different pockets there are with this pack, making it easy to store items in a more organized fashion. On the inside there is a pocket for keys on the top and I like to store my wallet there too. There are side zipper pockets that I like to store hand sanitizer, my face mask, tissues, and anything small like that. Additionally, there are also pockets on the hip belt that I store small snacks in for easy access! Overall, I really enjoy this pack. I bring this pack with me on medium to longer hikes. While this big of a pack probably isn’t necessary for medium hikes I still like to bring it for the support and storage. Packs are expensive. I used Quadpay to pay for this one because I wanted a bigger and better pack than my Camelbak for the longer hikes we were doing.
Gear Capacity: 20 liters
What I like: There is a frame to support the weight of the pack. There is also a hip belt to help support the back, with hip pockets. There are 6 external pockets. It is super light weight, but still has the pockets to store items easily. Are able to adjust the torso length
What I don’t like: There is no reservoir included
This is one of my newer backpacks. I wanted something smaller than my Osprey with 28L of gear space, but something that still would have room for my gear and still give me support, unlike my Camelbak. So far it seems like a great pack, but I will update as I hike with it more!