Back in 2020 my wife and I decide on a last-minute backing trip to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. Because of this we realized we didn’t have all the gear we needed. We had our shoes, trekking poles, and water bladders. They were more camera bags and short-day sling bags designed to be warned for light duty walking or short hikes where all I need is water and place to store my wallet, phone, and trail snacks. The one downside with integrated rain flies is the lack of ventilation and temperature control. We had great weather – not too hot and not too cold – but it did rain for about 5 minutes.
It is also designed to hold a 15″ laptop in the padded pocket. For our trip I decided to carry about 25 litters that included 3 liters of water, camera gear, and other hiking gear we may need on the trail. It was completely full and with it properly fitted to my back it worked great and feels good on my ozark trail canopy back.
A backpacking stove is a convenient way to boil water for dehydrated meals and instant coffee without adding a lot of weight to your pack. Trailspace’s community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top daypacks. I’ve had this pack for 2 years and I’ve beaten the living daylights out of it and it still performs just as well as the day I bought it. I can’t think of a reason not to give it 5 stars. I priced other internal frame daypacks before my trip and this was by far the cheapest.
The pockets work great for holding 32 oz Nalgene bottles or 40 oz insulated water bottles. I suggest have equal weight on both sides or switch the weight around. I normally don’t need it, but it does a good job at tightening up the bag up.
Other items that you may want to keep at the foot of the sleeping area are also hard to access or reach if your head is near the door. For these styles, it seems most people want their head at the door side and so they have a constraint for which way the tent is set up if the ground is not flat. On the other hand, accessing the tent from the middle, or on the long side, gives one more degree of freedom. Assuming a symmetrical tent, like the Ozark Trail, my head could be placed at either end and both options would feel equally comfortable. In fact, my particular tent spot wasn’t completely flat so I quickly rotated my sleeping bag so that my feet weren’t above my head all night.