By Steve Mann Hikers use day packs more than other types of backpacks, including expedition, backpacking, and lumbar packs. The popularity of day hiking, along with decreasing amounts of extended time-off contribute greatly to this sales trend.
Day packs range widely in size and features.
For this review, I call 'em all day packs. A novice may have difficulty overnighting with 3500 cubes-it takes several trips to the backcountry to distinguish what you need from what you want. The JanSport Tahoma II surprised our test crew. As the least expensive pack in the review, our expectations were, well, less extensive. The Tahoma is a very good pack, with solid technical features.