Osprey Sportlite 25 Day Pack, Pine Leaf Green / S/M

Upgraded from the Osprey Hikelite 26L . I normally only do day hikes, often times in finicky elements. I was excited about the external water reservoir, a feature not on my old bag. The bag is very comfortable and can hold quite a bit, however I was quickly let down when I realized it did not come with a rain cover & storage pocket for the cover. My biggest complaint is that the trekking pole loops on the bottom are very small compared to the Hikelite 26L & do not hold my poles very well. If I have the protective tips on my poles, the poles do not fit through the loop at all. Overall, the bag is alright, but there is room for improvement.

The Deuter Sportlite Daypack is a nice concept, however, I find the design pretty poor.25 liters is a good size for a daypack: Extra gear (if needed) can be fit in this backpack with plenty room to spare. The hip belt pockets are another positive aspect of this pack, enabling small items (snacks, lipbalm, sunscreen, etc. ) to be easily accessible.The division into 3 compartments (excluding the separate water reservoir back panel) is also a nice concept: You can sort your items however you like, there is a smaller top pocket and two bigger compartments, the center bigger compartment has two additional pockets for extra organization.The side mesh pockets are also fairly generous: You can fit quite big water bottles securely in there (I used a 1-liter Smartwater ... MoreThe Deuter Sportlite Daypack is a nice concept, however, I find the design pretty poor.25 liters is a good size for a daypack: Extra gear (if needed) can be fit in this backpack with plenty room to spare. The hip belt pockets are another positive aspect of this pack, enabling small items (snacks, lipbalm, sunscreen, etc. ) to be easily accessible.The division into 3 compartments (excluding the separate water reservoir back panel) is also a nice concept: You can sort your items however you like, there is a smaller top pocket and two bigger compartments, the center bigger compartment has two additional pockets for extra organization.The side mesh pockets are also fairly generous: You can fit quite big water bottles securely in there (I used a 1-liter Smartwater bottle for reference), these pockets are quite high too, so no worries of them falling out whilst you are out-and-about.But, there are two major downsides which made me return this daypack to my local REI store.1.) The water reservoir concept.There is a special compartment designed just for your water reservoir. As opposed to traditional packs, where the water reservoir is located in the main body of the pack, the Osprey Sportlite 25 has a compartment right behind the back panel, which is supposed to fit your water bladder.This was probably designed this way so the water bladder does not interfere/ take space away from the main body of the pack, yet a new problem occurs with this design: A full water bladder pushes against your back panel. When wearing this pack with my water bladder filled, it was immensely pressing against my (lower) back, causing the air circulation/ back ventilation to worsen drastically. I was sweating more than usual, which was uncomfortable on longer or more challenging adventures.2.) The back ventilation (This is partly a consequence of Nr. 1).There is no significant ventilation concept on this pack, which is probably a consequence of this pack reducing weight as much as possible (as this is supposed to be a lightweight daypack).There is merely a mesh panel at the back, which would be fine, but paired with the water reservoir concept it provides insufficient ventilation.If you sweat more than the average person or are doing more strenuous activities and want to have the possibility of using a water reservoir (with a clever design), I would not recommend this pack to you.

Most of the time I find Osprey has their packs perfectly dialed, everything is so handy and intuitively designed, so I was a touch disappointed with this one. It's a great pack, but I was hoping for a few more internal pockets than it has (it's just the main compartment and a smaller pocket on the top flap). Would be handy to have a few more internal organization pockets/areas to segregate things instead of dumping them into a big old black hole of backpack! Other than that, super comfortable, love the airscape on the back. Will work well for a daypack, tons of room for stuff and layers and... But if you prefer a bit more separation/sorting for things then maybe consider another pack or get another small bag to store inside it.