DEPENDABLE PACKS FOR DAY HIKES

Beginning the hike around Fort Worden State Park, WA.

Just made it back from the Pacific Northwest! I think I’m on caffeine withdrawal from all the amazing coffee I had (shout out to Stumptown!) which is not the easiest thing to deal with while I pack and move to graduate school. But I’m so excited for the move that I’m running off of the adrenaline. Anyway, I’m taking a mellow morning break to collect my thoughts, plan the day, and also write a quick post on what’s quickly become my favorite day pack for all those hiking trips.

I love this day pack, called the Flash 18, from REI. I already have a lovely Osprey backpack for the heavy duty hauling, but I’ve been searching for a light, dependable bag for those days when I’m doing day hikes while “car camping.” I’ve used this pack on four-day trips so far and have really appreciated its storage capacity. For easy reference, a lot of packs have their liter capacity included in their title, so this day pack stores 18 liters worth of stuff. In my world, for the day hike where there was an opportunity for a lake swim, that equates to a full lunch (i.e. sandwich, chips, trail mix, and apple), bug spray, sun lotion, a towel, and a bathing suit. But I’ve also taken this bag to the beach, and was able to pack two sandwiches and two beach towels. Not bad!

Looking out at the Strait of Juan de Fucca from Battery Kinsey in Fort Worden.

There are two features about this pack that I particularly love. The first is a plastic carabineer that connects to the inside of the pack through a nylon line. As a very forgetful person, I attach my car keys to this line as a way to give myself the peace of mind that I won’t drop the keys somewhere along the trail. The second feature is the two cross-body straps. One cross body strap goes over the upper chest while the second runs around the waist. Though I’m used to cross-body straps for the larger cross country packs, I’m realizing why even the smaller bags have them now. Because, hiking a whole day, even the smallest bags will start chafing underarms and stressing the back. 

Hiking up the trail in "Paradise," in the Mount Rainier National Park, WA.

It seems like this bag has a pretty strong base of fans, too. One REI employee told me that all of her coworkers own at least one, and two different people have stopped me on the trail to tell me how much they love the bag too!

I think it usually costs around $40 ($35 for REI members), which seems like a decent price considering its durability. Osprey and EMS also have other day packs with similar dimensions and slightly higher prices. Plus I’m sure there are a lot more similar products out there, so feel free to take your time to find which day pack is right for you. Hope this review helped!