Lastly, I haven’t yet had a chance to test its waterproofing in a huge down-pouring of rain, but it did hold up in some strong winds surprisingly well. Future users may want to seal or waterproof the seams a little better. When hiking, doing gentle stretches each morning and evening can avoid problems. Using some lotion on the feet each night after cleaning also helps prevent blisters. Pack a file for smoothing the toenails during your trip. After the Ozark Trail experience, I found a good podiatrist.
Just about every other daypack I’ve had falls apart under the weight of my books (med school). I also like the fact that for my outdoor activities, it’s designed to hold a hydration bladder. It even has a rain cover built in, which is great when I’m riding my bicycle across town on a rainy day. 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.
My own personal beverage drama every summer has really pushed me to do this review. To me, worrying about the temperature of the drinks I have on my boat is the absolute last thing I want to be thinking about when I am heading out on the water. Cooler’s have become somewhat of a status symbol in the outdoors and many equate the bigger brands with better quality. A higher price tag should mean a higher quality product, right? No, that is not always the case and any outdoorsmen, gear junkie, or general abuser of products will tell you the same thing. Every so often a brand will fly under the radar producing products that are not only a great value but also great quality as well.
A frameless bag with only a few pounds of gear might feel heavier than an internal frame backpack loaded with up to 30 pounds. For most people, I recommend choosing a backpack with an internal frame, unless you need the portability and flexibility of a frameless. 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.
Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections. While this is made of a lightweight water resistant material, it does not have a built in rain flap. While this pack may not be big enough to carry all the gear you need for longer treks, it offers many of the features you would want at a good price. This roomy and practical backpack works well for a multi-day hike.
It also comes with a removable, drawstring style daypack. However, I have found that bag to be rather small, and instead, keep a collapsible daypack in the bottom of my pack instead. I could go on for a while on more details, but you get the idea that it’s well thought out. I have had the bag for going on two years now, and can say that it has held up through miles of abuse across mountains and countries.
Overall, its a great backup to have when traveling, and very inexpensive. A backpack is perhaps the most important part of your hiking setup. Once again, it took me a little bit of time hiking before realizing that, but luckily, I have a few different suggestions after using several packs over the years. And, you don’t have to spend a ton to get something that will work for you.
True, I wasn’t able to remove the rain fly to watch the stars or let the wind ventilate my tent, but I was able to enjoy the day hikes without any sort of worry. In essence, I had committed to the permanent rainfly option by default and there was a certain contentedness that came with that. With the added ozark trail canopy height of an inflatable pillow and sleeping pad my head height was indeed close to the curvature of the tent ceiling but there was still enough room. I did have a few inches along the edge for some clothes, a water bottle, and a headlamp, but that could have been made wider with a narrower sleeping pad.
Surprisingly, you don’t have to spend a lot to get a decent packpack to get you started. If you are building out your gear on a budget, the Ozark Trail 40L Eagle is a bargain internal frame backpack. At under $50, this pack was my main backpack for over a year, and still serves as an occasional backup to my other bags. A frame is important because it will keep your back from getting sore by distributing the weight along your spine and hips, rather than on your shoulders.
As you can see from the photo, I still had foot cream, sunscreen, first aid cream, and Dawn Soap at the end of eight days. The floss is for size reference, but I’m looking for smaller floss containers. I despise plastic floss picks when I see ozark trail canopy them in the woods. Whatever you use should be placed in your trash bag and carried out. I use an empty coffee bag for trash because it’s light and can be folded down to the size needed. At the end of the trip, the bag goes into the trash.