Also included are side profile daisy chains for carrying items externally. This pack was also designed for maximum comfort. It is made with a low-profile ozark trail chair adjustable sternum strap to help you get the perfect fit and air-mesh padded shoulder straps and back panel for comfortable carrying without a frame.
I bought this pack recently on a whim while shopping Walmart. I needed a day pack and didn’t really have lots of time to search at REI for the various styles provided having only gone to one store. This daypack ended up being the cheapest after a quick perusal. All told, I’ve had the pack on my back for about 50 miles. Keeping the load under 15 pounds seems to be the key.
At the same time, my head wasn’t zero or six feet from the door, but about two or three feet at all times. Choose this pack if you prefer a smaller yet spacious design, as it has useful features and the durability of larger options. By default, this unexpectedly ozark trail canopy ended up being my go-to daily bag for several months. It’s been stuffed to capacity with almost everything I had to carry, including, but not limited to, outerwear, lunch, groceries, laptop, iPad, a Bose speaker, and combinations thereof.
Find the best backpack for your next outdoor adventure using our independent reviews and ratings. 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. I took this pack on a 5-day mountain bike ride from Pittsburgh, Pa., to Washington, D.C., and it performed very well. The set-up was understandably a few steps shorter, which is always nice when setting up in the ozark trail backpack dark. More than once in the dark I’ve attached a rain fly upside down and we had to restart that particular step. This tent was close to foolproof when it came to the rain fly because it was already connected. Not the best choice for long trips or hikers who need to carry a large amount of gear.
For the water bottles I just use Platypus .5 liter and 1 liter flat style bottles, which you can fit in the main body of the pack on top of your other gear. Here’s another AWESOME thing about the Ozark Trail Atka day pack. It’s sized to fit every airline’s carry-on size requirements. My son and daughter each took one of these on a trip through Europe and they carried it on every plane, train, and bus they rode without any problems. It’s also small enough that it wasn’t inconvenient for them to have it with them everyday.
It was pretty easy to make adjustments from the side door access. End-door access would have made it more difficult. We like that this pack has a lot of pockets including a zipper that allows you to access the middle of the pack without opening the top. Includes Trekking pole attachment points, compression straps and a sleeping bag compartment.
Funds, however, were non existent and my CFO (i.e. my wife) wouldn’t increase my discretionary fund. Temperatures can swing from chilly mornings to sweltering afternoons. Pack rain gear to stay warm and dry, and consider bringing one set of clothes to change into at camp as well as one or two sets of clothes for hiking. One of the best parts of backpacking is settling around a campfire and enjoying a hot dinner after a long day of hiking. You may find it helpful to make a list of meals for each day you are out on the trail to ensure that you are not over- or under-packing for your trip.