Gear Review: Barefoot Wanderlite Day Pack

Recently, there have been discussions of the ultra-light day packs. The one’s weighing about 2 ounces and can fold down to attach to a key chain. I think we all agree these are meant for casual, light use. 

Then there are the sturdy day packs, weighing in at around a pound and nowhere near foldable, collapsible or whatever. 

Then there is the middle ground. The foldable/packable day bag that takes up little room when folded up, weighs about 1/2 a pound, and holds a lot.

The Packbarefoot Wanderlite Packable Day Pack. fills that niche.

The bag is made of  420d nylon, fills out to 18 x 14 x 8, has a packing capacity of 1925 cubic inches/32L, weighs 9 ounces, and rolls down into the size of a soda can—maybe a little bigger. 

The backpack straps are 2” wide and made of soft nylon. They are fairly comfortable even when carrying a heavier load.

There is a small pocket in the front. The main compartment has a clamshell like opening for easy packing.

I loaded it up with 9 lbs worth of stuff including the two water bottles seen in the above photo. The Wanderlite seemed sturdy and held the weight with no problem. I felt it could easily hold a few more pounds. Because it’s so lightweight, it doesn’t keep it’s shape and items do tend to shift around. 

This “Made in America” bag is a good option for those looking for a versatile, lightweight, no frills  day bag. It’s $28 and available from the factory in Colorado. It also comes with a lifetime warranty due to defects in materials or workmanship. 

Now, if I could just convince them to make a something similar but in a shoulder bag and one that could be worn across the body.

Barefoot Packs supplied a Wanderlite for review. 

(Frank II)

Update on July 19, 2011 by Frank@OBOW

I forgot to add this important note from their website:

Barefoot Enterprises dedicates the net proceeds from the sale of Wanderlite packable daypacks to support the work of World Vision : helping the world’s poorest people work toward bettering their lives and communities through intelligently and compassionately  applied microlending and agricultural activities. 

Comments

[Liz]

oh, oh, i have one of these, and i wanted to chime in that, even with a heavy pack, the shoulder straps do NOT cut into you, even though they are just woven strips. And they do carry a lot! A bargain, and at a great weight /capacity ratio.

Honor compels me to say there is no slit for a camelback bladder, and that you are better off with nalgenes, or water bottles you recycle.

[Alan B]

As a Tom Bihn Tri-Star user, very nice recent review of course, perhaps Frank II might comment whether he would prefer to travl with the Wanderlite, or with the somewhat more expensive Tom Bihn Packing Cube Backpack. which during transit could maintain discipline over his potentially unruly underwear:

http://www.tombihn.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=TB0924

Using a TBPCB instead of a Large Packing Cube and a different vendor's daypack would seem to save around 4 oz. and $8, though of course the TBPCB has somewhat less capacity than a Wanderlite.

[Andy]

I have a Civita Day Bag that weighs the same and cost $20, but it's only 900 cubic inches. I like the padded straps on it but the zipper always got caught. If I had to do it over I'd seriously consider this, as it was the other bag I believe that OneBag recommended.

Apropos of nothing, I really like that this blog is going back to reviewing gear. Kudos to the team.

[Frank II--Editor]

Alan...The answer is neither one. I prefer a messenger bag/shoulder bag as my day bag over a backpack style.

I also prefer a solid color bag over the Dyneema pattern on the TBPCB.

When I'm traveling, say by plane or train, I like to take a smaller bag,say my daybag, out of my main carry-on because it's carry my "distraction" kit--ipod, kindle, chargers, etc. If I use a packing cube that doubles as a daybag, I have nothing for my "kit,"

Andy...the Civita was my day bag for years. It served its purpose. I even tried the Civita shoulder bag but I didn't like it. My older Civita was with the original nylon. The newer ones are some microfiber/polyester which is not my favorite material.

[Liz]

I use mine when my travels involve long day hikes with lunch and jacket.

[Andrew]

Nice review Frank (nice comments Liz!). Design looks like an enlarged Jansport classic 'Superbreak', which is 12 ounces, doesn't roll up well due to the padded straps, and has 30% less capacity (25 L vs 32L).
I like that it's made in the USA and that proceeds go to charity. Nice. I may have to order one.

Another +1 for the gear reviews. Frank, I like shoulder bags too, but in hot weather I don't like the strap across my chest.

I'm guessing you could cut a small hole for a Camelbak or Platypus Hoser with no problem? And if those are 2 liter water bottles, that's a lot of bag for 9 ounces.

[Andrew]

Well, I bought one based on Frank's review, have used it on a recent motion-week trip, and I love it. Excellent build quality, very packable, very sturdy, holds a lot ( enough that I recently used it as the all purpose daypack/'personal carry on second bag' for an extended trip).
The flat straps are surprisingly comfortable. It has carried 20+ lbs of groceries with no problems. 32 Liters is a lot of capacity. I wish it came with a small inner zippered pocket for keys etc, but that can easily be improvised, and the outer pocket could be a little larger/deeper. But a great choice of bag. Zipper pulls aren't "lockable" but the pulltab rings are large enough to allow a small carabiner , or mini lock , to secure them together. A lot of sturdy daypack for 9 ounces and under $30.