Ideal size for a daysack
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I tend to use something around 25L mainly so I can get my fleece and jacket in there if the weather turns bright; I don't like stuff like jackets and fleeces tied around my waist.
It is always good to go to shop and try some on. There is a huge range of packs and some suit different peoples body shapes better than others.
25/30 litres is a good size and a hip belt is good to get the weight off your shoulders for comfort. I’m not a huge of Gooutdoors but they have a large range and you can add weights to them and try them on.
25/30 litres is a good size and a hip belt is good to get the weight off your shoulders for comfort. I’m not a huge of Gooutdoors but they have a large range and you can add weights to them and try them on.
That depends on the model. The early Jaguars before the SA back system, were around 50-55 litres. The later ones with the SA, range from 55 L to 80l but they usually have the litrage emboidered somewhere on the them.
It is all relative I guess, anything between 18 and 28 ltrs I would consider a daypack, but what you can comfortably carry depends upon your build, your age and fitness. I see young kids with school packs which compared to the size of their bodies make a Berghaus Vulcan look small.
I use a Highlander Cereberus 30l.
Ideal as a day sack or an overnighter with basha kit for 2 season use.
Ideal as a day sack or an overnighter with basha kit for 2 season use.
I remember reading outdoor magazines in the distant past (when TGO was simply The Great Outdoors). They all used to say 30-35l or 50l in winter to carry the extra kit you must carry to be safe in winter walks. Lol!
In summer I used to get by with a 5 or 7l bumbag. I once enjoyed an autumn overnighter using a 20l alpkit Gourdon drybag style rucksack. That was tarp, bivvy, quilt, stove, warmth layer, waterproofs, mat (OK a 130g CCF from Robens that I cut down to just torso sized so perhaps 65g), food and water. Plus few other things I've forgotten but you get the idea. You can actually sleep out with very little rucksack cavity if you're committed to doing so.
So the question is like asking how long is a length of string. The answer is whatever you want it to be.
BTW 20l was stuffed for me and being a cheap rucksack without the best harness it rolled about a bit but the low weight didn't make that an issue. When you're walking with enough for a night or few and it feels lighter than the it you used to carry for a day trip. Well you certainly have a spring in your step. I used to camp out one night and meet a walking group partway up the hill on a group walk and my overnight day pack was lighter than most of the group's bags. When organising these meet ups they used think my heavy bag will slow them down, not after they saw my kit!
Anyway, I digress a lot!!!
Imho a 15 to 25l rucksack is about right. With a few caveats. First if you carry more kit than most you will need more or cut back on kit. Second, bigger ppl need bigger sacks for the same kit but also perhaps for better fit of the bag. Thirdly two rucksacks with the same capacity from two different brands will not be exactly the same volume I real terms. Many reasons my just down to brands pulling a fast one. Some styles of rucksacks suit your needs more than others and others have better features that when to carry more such as large, external, stretchy mesh pockets to carry often needed bulky waterproofs outside the main bag. In that case it might seem to you to have more actual capacity than another bag labelled with the same measured capacity. That's partly down to volume measurement standards I reckon not working well for some designs.
As I said, no simple answer.
PS sorry I'm still a little bit too much of a gear nerd!
In summer I used to get by with a 5 or 7l bumbag. I once enjoyed an autumn overnighter using a 20l alpkit Gourdon drybag style rucksack. That was tarp, bivvy, quilt, stove, warmth layer, waterproofs, mat (OK a 130g CCF from Robens that I cut down to just torso sized so perhaps 65g), food and water. Plus few other things I've forgotten but you get the idea. You can actually sleep out with very little rucksack cavity if you're committed to doing so.
So the question is like asking how long is a length of string. The answer is whatever you want it to be.
BTW 20l was stuffed for me and being a cheap rucksack without the best harness it rolled about a bit but the low weight didn't make that an issue. When you're walking with enough for a night or few and it feels lighter than the it you used to carry for a day trip. Well you certainly have a spring in your step. I used to camp out one night and meet a walking group partway up the hill on a group walk and my overnight day pack was lighter than most of the group's bags. When organising these meet ups they used think my heavy bag will slow them down, not after they saw my kit!
Anyway, I digress a lot!!!
Imho a 15 to 25l rucksack is about right. With a few caveats. First if you carry more kit than most you will need more or cut back on kit. Second, bigger ppl need bigger sacks for the same kit but also perhaps for better fit of the bag. Thirdly two rucksacks with the same capacity from two different brands will not be exactly the same volume I real terms. Many reasons my just down to brands pulling a fast one. Some styles of rucksacks suit your needs more than others and others have better features that when to carry more such as large, external, stretchy mesh pockets to carry often needed bulky waterproofs outside the main bag. In that case it might seem to you to have more actual capacity than another bag labelled with the same measured capacity. That's partly down to volume measurement standards I reckon not working well for some designs.
As I said, no simple answer.
PS sorry I'm still a little bit too much of a gear nerd!
I have a couple of packs that I use regularly one is an old macpac 20 liter zip top pack which I use for short easy day walks in good weather. I can normally squeeze food, drink, binos and a bit of emergency kit in to it with a little extra space just in case.
If I'm going further afield or out in winter I'm taking my fjallraven 38 liter pack as its has the space for any spares or other equipment I might need. 38L is getting in to full sized pack territory but you do get things like a proper load bearing waist belt which ads to stability and load bearing comfort. It also has good side straps so you can squeeze it down and reduce the size if you are taking less kit. When the 20 liter pack finally dies ill just stick with 38 liter and just put less kit in it.
If I'm going further afield or out in winter I'm taking my fjallraven 38 liter pack as its has the space for any spares or other equipment I might need. 38L is getting in to full sized pack territory but you do get things like a proper load bearing waist belt which ads to stability and load bearing comfort. It also has good side straps so you can squeeze it down and reduce the size if you are taking less kit. When the 20 liter pack finally dies ill just stick with 38 liter and just put less kit in it.
The Berghaus Cyclops Roc is about 60ltr IIRC? but I can tell you it's a freakishly hard wearing rucksack. With the larger Berghaus rucksacks be sure to check the frame size (2, 3, 4 etc) for a good fit. For reference I'm 5ft 5in and size 2 is perfect for me.
My go to one at the moment is my Bundeswerh mountain backpack, it’s the Cordura one, not a copy. It’s a perfect size, not sure, but I’d say 30 litres and is tough as old boots. I keep an original folding Bundeswerh folding sleep mat in the compartment at the back which is actually meant to go in to give it structure and comfort so nothing digs in your back, no matter what you’ve got in. I always take that mat because it makes a really comfortable sitting pad, because you’re raised a couple inches, you have a better posture- I get a bad back if I sit cross legged on the flat ground. It also has the advantage of being able to tuck an axe/hatchet down the back of the side pockets. Simple pack, comfortable, no zips, nothing to go wrong. Just how I like it. 
I reckon that 30 litres for a day sack is fine, unless you're heading mountain-wards in winter. I've found that clothes and kit that were neatly and snugly packed at home have a habit of expanding and being unruly on the day out; having that little extra space makes everything much more manageable!
Get one that fits your anatomy, fulfills your design criteria (number of pockets, style etc) and that is lightweight.
I often use my snazzy ligthweight 60+ L backpack for day hikes, simply because it's much lighter than my other backpacks. Although my Vaude day sack is slightly more comfortable with it's hip fins in warm weather.
I often use my snazzy ligthweight 60+ L backpack for day hikes, simply because it's much lighter than my other backpacks. Although my Vaude day sack is slightly more comfortable with it's hip fins in warm weather.
Different times and places need different sizes and shapes of rucksack.
But if you pick winter hill walking as the most extreme choice and buy a pack for that; then it will have plenty or room for most other times and places.
My favourite day pack is 42 litres with options for extra pockets to extend it into a day & a half pack. I've tried smaller packs all the way down to the tiny Camelback MULE but keep returning to the tall skinny pack with the larger volume.
Of course if you are not 1850 tall and an XXL in mens clothing and don't always pack a down jacket and a bivvy sack you can use a much smaller pack but I think it's a mistake to try and cram a lot of gear into a small pack, better a larger pack tightened down. YMMV.
For small loads I like my old MountainSmith Day, one of the largest bumbags around but still only 15 litres internal volume, the water bottle pockets fit a surplus canteen and cup very well which is a bonus
But if you pick winter hill walking as the most extreme choice and buy a pack for that; then it will have plenty or room for most other times and places.
My favourite day pack is 42 litres with options for extra pockets to extend it into a day & a half pack. I've tried smaller packs all the way down to the tiny Camelback MULE but keep returning to the tall skinny pack with the larger volume.
Of course if you are not 1850 tall and an XXL in mens clothing and don't always pack a down jacket and a bivvy sack you can use a much smaller pack but I think it's a mistake to try and cram a lot of gear into a small pack, better a larger pack tightened down. YMMV.
For small loads I like my old MountainSmith Day, one of the largest bumbags around but still only 15 litres internal volume, the water bottle pockets fit a surplus canteen and cup very well which is a bonus
