Stu’s Osprey Daylite Duffel 60 review details a superbly designed load hauler with outstanding environmental credentials. We hope you find it useful.
Most of us need to carry around a diverse range of kit. Maybe it’s your work gear during the day and then kit for that evening gym visit to the gym. At the end of the week it’s hauling your weekend kit. You could have a bag for every situation but maybe a one bag fits all makes more sense. Osprey have designed their Daylite Duffel range to offer a one bag fits all solution.
Features
The Daylite Duffel 60 is available in three sizes (60, 45 and 30 litres) and three colours (wave blue, dustmoss green and black). As Osprey promise, it’s certainly a simple bag.
It consists of a single lined main compartment accessed through the padded zip-up top panel. There is a long zipped side-pocket with an internal key clip and a zipped top-pocket. All the zips have chunky zip-pulls. Note that the locations “side” and “top” are interchangeable depending on how you choose to carry the bag.
You can wear it as a backpack or carry it over your shoulder. Alternatively, you can simply grab it and go. The straps are designed to work as the shoulder straps on a rucksack or wrapped together as a grab-and-go handle. A velcro velcro wrap on the handle fastens them together and they can then be thrown over your shoulder. Additional padded handles across the ends mean it’s easy to haul around. Finally, there’s a stretchy and secure mesh water bottle holster.
Sustainability
In line with Osprey’s outstanding environmental credentials, the Daylite Duffel series is made from Global Recycling Standard (GRS) certified 300D recycled PET packcloth. The GRS certification means Osprey can verify the responsible social, environmental and chemical processes used in production. We wrote about Osprey and sustainability here.
The main body fabrics are also bluesign approved. This independent organisation ensures that production methods optimise sustainability. This is measured through the responsible use of resources and impact on people and the environment.
Lightweight And Yet Durable
By far the most impressive feature of the Daylite Duffel range though has to be the weight. The bag tested offers 60 litres of storage space in a flexible, practical and durable manner, and all for less than the weight of a loaf of bread. The 60 litre bag weighs 700 grams and the 45 and 30 litre versions weigh 600 grams.
Despite their light weight however, these bags are no lightweight performers. The fabrics feel light yet strong and top and bottom padding protects the contents from bangs and scrapes. The fabric used is not waterproof, but I’ve certainly found it can keep showers at bay.
Osprey’s Almighty Guarantee
The interior stitching and seams are sewn to Osprey’s usual high standards and the main seams are reinforced. It is also lined to further increase durability. You will get many adventures out of the Daylite.
Finally, Osprey’s All Mighty guarantee covers any defects in manufacture over the reasonable lifetime of the product. For other repairs Osprey pledge to charge a reasonable amount for any out-of-warranty service.
In use
The aim of the Daylite is to offer a lightweight duffel bag that can be rolled up for storage and yet have the durability for load hauling. Does it meet those aims? At first I thought it was too flimsy. I opened the top lid and the bag immediately flopped flat as I tried to pack it. The straps also kept flopping into the bag.
Surely a bag with Osprey’s attention to detail shouldn’t be so awkward to use? I soon realised it was just about how I used it though. Once the straps are fully extended the bag holds itself open and holds its shape. I have soon got to grips with its individual characteristics.
Carrying Options
A key part of completing this Osprey Daylite Duffel 60 review is to consider the carrying options. As a backpack the duffel is very effective. The padded lid forms a comfortable back panel that moulds nicely. The straps are constructed from shaped gridded mesh foam and offer a really comfy fit. It will work for everything from carrying stuff while on your bike to journeys around the world.
That’s about it as far as the harness goes though. There is no chest strap or hip belt. It is a duffel bag though and I’d be happy to wear it as a backpack all day if needed. Apart from the weight of the contents, I really didn’t notice the duffel on my back as it was so comfy.
With the straps joined to make a single carry-strap, I found that the ends of the bag bow together. The extent of this depends on how much is in the bag, but it is definitely noticeable. When a duffel has the handles attached to the sides of the bag rather than the ends this isn’t a problem. But, when I thought about it, my other duffel does exactly the same thing if I use its shoulder-straps rather than the side straps. Maybe it is exaggerated by the thinner fabric, but it is a compromise you’ll soon learn to live with.
Additional Storage
The long side compartment is large enough to usefully act as separate storage for wet or muddy items. For example, it easily accepts my size 10 approach shoes. I’ve also found that, because of the lightweight construction, it is easy to turn the bag inside out and sponge the inside clean.
The end pocket is a useful size for storing things like your pocket electronics. The padding gives rigidity to the ends of the bag and acts as a protector for the contents. The position of the zip would also make it awkward for anyone to open it without being noticed.
Summary
Completing this Osprey Daylite Duffel 60 review has been a pleasure. The Daylite excels whether carrying things for overnight stays or hauling climbing gear to the wall. It has consistently proven both its versatility and durability. As a final thought, I think the Daylite duffel 60 looks really cool.
As is usual with Osprey’s products, function and form are not mutually exclusive. They find a way to combine the two to create great looking products that really perform. An added bonus is the bags sustainability credentials. Full details on the Daylite range can be found on the Osprey website here. The short video below also highlights the bag’s key features.