Osprey Daylite Plus Backpack Review

The Osprey Daylite Plus is a 20-liter multisport daypack that’s great for hiking, cycling, travel or campus. It has lots of interior and exterior pockets, including a laptop sleeve, to keep you organized but it’s light enough that it won’t slow you down. The Daylite Plus is 50% larger by volume than the 13-liter Osprey Daylite Pack and is better for carrying extra clothing layers, food, or a hydration system for day hikes or travel.

Specs at a Glance

• Volume: 20 liters
• Gender: Unisex
• Type: Panel
• Weight: 19.8 oz
• Hydration compatible: Yes
• Laptop sleeve: Yes
• Materials:  210D Nylon Double Diamond Ripstop, 400HD Nylon Packcloth bottom

Backpack Storage and Organization

The Daylite Plus is a 20-liter pack with a tall main compartment and panel-style opening that makes it easy to see and find things inside. There’s a laptop sleeve and a second zippered compartment with a key fob and mesh pockets to help you stay organized. Pens, pencils, keys, eyeglasses, snacks… There are lots of uses for this pocket, and it’s nice to have it separate from the main compartment so things don’t get mixed up together. 

As a daypack, the Daylite Plus has an optional, removable webbing hip belt if you’d prefer to use the pack without it. If you use a hydration system, the pack has an external hydration pocket between the shoulder straps and the main compartment, which helps keep your gear and electronics dry if your hydration system springs a leak. It’s also a lot easier to remove a hydration bladder from an external pocket like this to refill or clean it.

If a hydration system isn’t your thing there are two mesh side pockets on the Daylite Plus that are sized to fit one-liter Nalgene bottles. The side pockets don’t have compression straps to hold taller bottles in place, but the tops of the pockets are elastic and help keep bottles from accidentally falling out.

The pack also has a front shovel pocket that’s great for stuffing a jacket, and another pocket on the outside that’s good for stashing snacks or other personal items. There’s no lack of pockets or storage on this backpack.

If you’re traveling, you can also clip the Daylite Plus’ shovel pocket compression straps to the outside of a larger Osprey backpack for convenience, so you only have to carry “one” bag. It’s a nice solution for getting from a train station to the youth hostel on foot. Which packs and bags? the Aether or Ariel, Volt or Viva, Ace 75, Farpoint 80, Porter Series, Shuttle Series, and Sojourn Series.

Backpack Suspension

The Daylite Plus has a foam back panel with a center stiffener that gives the pack body, making it easier to pack and protecting your back from sharp objects. The foam back panel has slots cut out of it, covered with mesh to aid ventilation. On a hot summer day, this pack does not feel sticky on your back.

The shoulder straps are also made with a soft, flexible, slotted foam – also covered in mesh for comfort.  The straps are wide enough to comfortably carry a load of books and a computer without digging into your shoulders.  The foam is used only on the neck and shoulder area, not on the chest area of the straps, allowing the straps to be super soft, thin and flexible.

There’s a handle in between the shoulder straps that you can grab to carry the pack like a briefcase.  I really like this since there are times when you want to carry the pack but not wear it.

A simple 20mm webbing strap and buckle make up the waist belt.  There is no hip padding. I like that this strap is removable.  If you like the security of clipping your waist strap, you can have that.  But if you don’t like using the waist strap, you can remove the dangling webbing without damaging it.

Recommendation

The Osprey Daylite Plus is a great backpack for day hiking, everyday use, taking on an airplane, and to the office or campus. The ample number of multi-use pockets makes this pack super versatile for a variety of activities and needs. At only a pound, it’s incredibly lightweight for a pack that can “hold a shape” and support laptops and books. After using this pack, I wish I had had something like this in college to carry stuff to my classes and on weekend hikes in the woods. I enjoy using Osprey packs, and the Daylite Plus Backpack is another winner.  They do a nice job of providing durable and well-designed backpacks with excellent functionality at a modest cost.  

Updated 2026.

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