Gear

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a twenty to thirty litre rucksack which i can pack in side my 75ltr pack for day hikes while backpacking. An OK pack without lots of padding, or a ventilation panel in the back is the sort of thing I'm looking for.

cheers
Feral Boy

It depends how well featured you want it to be and what weight you're prepared to carry, but here are a few suggestions...

At the basic end of things Eagle Creek do a Packable Day Pack, not much more than a bag with a zip opening, 1 small mesh side pocket and some simple straps, very compact and quite light.

Some of the smallest Kimmlite packs might fit the bill - the AR22SL or AR25 weigh about 400 to 500g and squash down (I used to use an original Karrimor Mountain Marathon pack in the way you're after - these are its descendants). I think both Macpac and Salomon make similar things aimed at runners/adventure racers but I'm not sure they're as light.

Berghaus have a couple of small specialised packs the 64zero and 49zero (weighing 640 and 490) or a range of daysacs called Cubics which include 20 and 25 litre models, or possibly better still a Cubic 6+15 which is a bumbag/rucsac hybrid at 450g. Jon did an OM review of it (a while ago) here. I still use its predecessor, the Blitz, they're great as long as you don't want things like mesh pockets or pole-attachments.

Anyway I hope that's given you a few ideas to get you started.

I'd look at some kimmlite stuff maybe. Simple and packable, not sure how comfortable they are though.

The Berghaus 64zero looks like a good bet too.

I'd go for a pack aimed at adventure racers or mountain marathons. They are extremely light and surprising comfortable. I''ve got a Lowe Alpine one (rush 27l) which is fantastic - I now use it as my regular daysack as it's so comfy. The wee pockets on the hip belt are very useful.My bloke uses the KIMMlite 20/22l (?) and it's good too (surprisiingly durable for the feel of them too).

I used to use an old 25l Lowe Alpine - Alpine Attack which was a very lightweight mountaineering pack with no padding, but to be honest I found I missed the comfort of padded straps too much.

I'd second the Berghaus convertible bum-bag things - nice and light and it's handy being able to use it either as a bumbag or a small pack. Osprey and Macpac both make larger packs which have convertible lids so you can use them as bumbags as well, if you don't already own a big pack.

I would recommend the Kimmlites. I have the Dyneema based Jirishanca and its brilliant aswell as being comfortable, indistructable and does roll down really small and in fact it even rolls so small it goes into its own lid which then zips up to make a purpose made stuff sack!

You have to remember that you can't fold up normal daypacks as the stiff back system will not bend.

Berghaus 64 zero. Cracking wee pack. I got one for 35 quid in a sale back in November. I had it out on the hills yesterday with most of my winter gear. I wouldn't take it on long winter days in more lonely spots, however it did great for me. I have added a couple of shock cord loops etc for my ice axe, crampon bag etc..It has loads of external pouches etc including handy little zipper pouches atttached to the waist belt. great for GPS/small camera... I bought it mainly for my summer walking, however it's up to a lot more if you are carrying other lightweight gear.. weight wise you would hardly notice it in your pack and also packs quite small (need to be flat as it has a flexible back system that would probably be damaged if rolled up.)

On some lightweight packs the back is simply stiffened by a sheet of foam (thick rollmat) that sits in a sleeve and can be removed.

Something like a bum bag can be very good. Osprey do a very light Solo pack that used to be attached to the bigger packs, but you can buy this on its own. It is very light and great for a simple day's walking. It even has a hydration sleeve in it. And it weighs nothing (or so it seems).

if you are interested gear-zone have the 64 zero reduced to £30.....