REI Stoke 19 Pack

Comfortable day pack with ample storage space! Only drawback is the small bottle pockets.

I received this day pack as a recent birthday gift. When I first pulled it out of the box I was surprised at how tiny it seemed. It is deceiving though because it can actually hold a lot.

On my first day trip with this pack, I carried 2 lunches, 4 oranges, bug spray, sunscreen, keys, and a couple maps and I would say it was only halfway full. The straps are very easy to adjust and the pack is extremely comfortable. At times I forgot I was wearing it!  

I like the fact that it has the large main compartment, a smaller upper compartment perfect for your GPS, maps, and keys, and then it has the easy to access front mesh compartment which is nice for things you want to access and stash quickly like snacks.  It also has hip pockets which is perfect for Chapstick or a pocketknife.  

I would say the only drawback to the pack are the side water bottle pockets. They are not quite large enough to hold a Nalgene. I purchase some of the 1L Smart water bottles but the pockets are cut on a diagonal so those fell right out. I also purchased some collapsible water bottles but those also fell out.

Finally I settled on 2 Gatorade bottles and those worked for hiking but if I bent over to tie my shoe or something, usually one would fall out. Because the pockets are small, they somewhat limit how much water you can carry if you do not use a bladder.