I usually travel with a lighweight daypack. It’s under three ounces, holds 18 liters, and can hide in a hiking boot in my backpack.
Of course I could use my 30-liter backpack as a daypack: it’s just a little larger than a typical 20-liter daypack. However, the lightweight daypack comes in handy:
- Later this month we’ll be visiting the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Only small packs (maximum length 35 centimeters) are allowed into the Alhambra, so I’ll use the lightweight daypack to hold items such as sunscreen and a phone.
- When traveling in Japan, I often stow my backpack in a locker while hiking for the day. I could empty the contents of my backpack into the locker, then use my backpack as a daypack. A lightweight daypack seems more practical.
The daypack is not perfect. There’s only one zippered compartment, and no water bottle pocket. It’s also waterproof, which once proved a problem when I put my phone and water bottle into the pack. The bottle leaked, and I found my bricked phone submerged in a pool of water at the bottom of the pack.
I now put my phone and camera in a ziploc bag.
I sometimes carry a less-compact daypack that has a water bottle pocket and two zippered compartments. It’s not waterproof, it’s bulkier and, at 7 ounces, it’s heavier.
Gear is always a compromise.
