Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

This is the best daypack I have ever seen or used. It's cheap at $25, about 1050ci, and listed as 10.0oz, but mine is currently 7.9 ounces WITH a foam sit-pad in the pocket (7.3 w/o). I've used it extensively with no problems, for daypacks while hiking and laptop bag for school. It's got pockets on the inside which are great for small items too. I tested it to find out how much it can hold and be comfortable, and with my sitpad it was full with 10 pounds of wood and still felt comfortable. This is a great small pack!

Rating: 5 / 5

This is one great day pack that is relatively light. It has a great harness and it also allows for a hydration pack. The pack provides a few extras (on the inside) that help with organiization. The drawstring on top is adaquate for a day pack.

I even use this in the city as my backpack.

Rating: 4 / 5

If you dont have an "SUL" pack yet, and want to try the concept, this $25 pack from REI is a great start. Use a sit pad as the 'frame' and back pad.
When I'm carrying more than this pack can hold comfortably, I loan it to female hiking companions as their UL pack, and they don't complain about discomfort.
Since most of my hiking gear has to be useful in the 'real world', I found this pack is useful to bring along when shopping, to carry purchases comfortably over a shoulder. A day pack in other words.

If I didn't already have one; I'd buy one; they are that versitile.

It gets a 4 because of the ugly pea-soup color they chose for the new ones. Makes me a little nauseous to look at.. :(

Rating: 5 / 5

bar none the best daypack/stuff sack on the planet "tuff as nails" light as a feather

Rating: 4 / 5

This bag is awesome, as others have said. It is my everyday go-to pack. Points off for the new pukey green color and the fact that REI reduced the # of inner pockets from the older model, which is a few ounces lighter. The flash is just the right size for school, errands, dayhikes, and stuffing in your big pack for hikes away from camp.

Rating: 5 / 5

I don't know what everyone is complaining about. Mine is quite beautiful...when it's on my scale. I cut all the unnecessary frills off mine to reduce the weight. It's very comfortable. I like the way it rides low and nestles in against the spine. I also have a golite ion which I only use if I need more capacity when I go with my wife, or if I need to loan a pack to a friend.

For this price you should get one just in case you think you might potentially possibly need it some time in the future. I've used mine extensively for 2 years and it has held up well.

Rating: 5 / 5

My wife and I both have the REI Flash 18 which is their smallest model. My wife uses hers as an everyday pack (she dislikes purses), and mine is my normal day-hike bag. We have found the quality to be fine. It carries well, even with a full Platy Hoser and all my standard hiking gear and lunch onboard. I'm betting I could even fit minimal overnight gear for a weekend trip in this fairly easily.

This pack is definitely NOT waterproof, but anyone of reasonable intelligence would not expect that from such a inexpensive bag. I found out that I apparently lack such smarts the hard way while carrying my iPhone 3G in an inside pocket of the Flash 18 in a very light rain. The pack and I survived the wetting; my phone did not. I can't blame the pack for that however.

I like this pack and would absolutely buy a replacement when mine wears out. It shows no sign of doing that just yet though.

Michael