If you want to be well prepared for your all day hike you need a daypack that will hold the essentials that are required to ensure you have a fun and safe trip. Your day pack will be instrumental in making your excursion more comfortable and more organized. Lets look at some important things you should consider when choosing your day pack.Buy your daypack from an outdoor store, not a department store. Why? You ask. Well you can get a daypack at one of the big box stores for cheap but you will get what you pay for- a cheap daypack without any of the design features that will make your day hikes comfortable and fun. It is amazing how quickly your shoulders and back can get sore even with only a small amount of weight in your pack. This is just magnified if you don’t use a well designed daypack.
Make sure that the shoulder straps on your new pack are well padded and comfortable for the long haul. For women, you will want to try a women’s specific pack because the straps are designed to fit you better and the pack will often have a narrower profile.
Another important consideration is how well the pack is organized. I prefer front loading daypacks that have the U shaped zipper so you can open the whole pack for quickly retrieving the items you are looking for be it an extra fleece or your waterproof breathable rain jacket. Pockets on the front and the sides are also very handy for those items such as your pocket knife, camera or toque, that you want to get without having to open your pack. You can even put your lightweight rain jacket into the front pocket for easy retrieval.
The ideal size for your daypack is around 30 litres. This will allow you to easily carry the essentials needed to be comfortable and safe on your hike. If you hike as a family and are packing for children you might want to a bit bigger so you have the room for extra clothing and food for the kids. You can also het daypacks to fit the kids and they can carry some or all of their own gear. Remember that you can get specialized daypacks for specific activities such as skiing or rock climbing but that is beyond the scope of this article.
Hydration compatibility is also a nice feature on some daypacks which I really like, especially if I am doing more of a fitness hike and require lots of water to keep me from getting dehydrated. These packs are designed so that you can put your bladder (plastic water reservoir) right into the pack making drinking regularly effortless.
The type of material your pack is made out is also important. Beware of inexpensive packs that are made from lightweight, poor quality fabric as these will rip and wear out prematurely. Durable packs are made from a variety of materials such a nylon, polyester or a blend of both. The more durable fabrics are also made with a finer weave.
Your new daypack should also have a coating on the inside which will make the pack highly water resistant. Keep in mind that your pack will likely not be 100% waterproof so if you are likely to be hiking in heavy rain, you can either get a pack that has a built in waterproof cover or you can put items that can’t get wet into Ziploc bags. Another technique that I have used is to put the items into a larger plastic bag and then into the pack.
Use these tips the next time you buy a daypack and your hiking trips will be more comfortable and organized
