We spent one month roaming across Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, in that order. For this trip, I took two complementary bags:

• Osprey Porter 30
• Osprey Daylite Plus

These two bags complement each other because the bigger backpack, the Porter 30, has four built-in loops for attaching either the Osprey DayLite or DayLite Plus bag.

However, while having a smaller day bag that attaches to your larger travel bag sounds like a good idea in theory, the execution isn’t something I’d recommend.

The Osprey DayLite Plus

At roughly 20 liters of capacity, the DayLite Plus serves as a day bag. While traveling (i.e on a bus, plane, etc.), I use this bag for all valuables and anything I wanted to access easily, such as:

• Laptop
• Tablet
• Phone
• Camera, etc.

I opted for the DayLite Plus over the DayLite because the Plus offered more storage, as well as a laptop sleeve. I got my used, “very good” condition DayLite Plus on Amazon for $43 shipped to my door.

Features that Caught My Attention on the Osprey DayLite Plus

Side (Water Bottle) Pocket

Perhaps my absolute favorite feature of this bag is its water bottle pocket. Throughout Southeast Asia – especially on the Cambodian islands – the tall, slim 1.5 liter water bottle was the best option for purchasing drinking water, and the DayLite Plus side pocket held these 1.5 liter water bottles perfectly.

The bag’s top compression strap, though not designed for this purpose, could also be slipped over the top of the bottle, giving additional “wobble control.” I was even able to remove and replace the bottle just by reaching back, without taking the backpack off my back.

15″ Laptop Sleeve

The laptop sleeve is why I had to have this bag. Having a laptop sleeve in the smaller of my two bags, I could keep a close eye and have easy access to this valuable item. I often kept my tablet alongside our 15″ laptop in the same sleeve. It was a very convenient feature.

Outside Stuff-able Pocket

I didn’t find myself using the stuff pocket – partly because I was anxious to lose whatever I put in it. But, that anxiety was unwarranted. On the handful of times I stashed a light rain jacket in the stuff pocket, the item stayed in place just fine.

Smaller Zippered Compartments

In this day bag, I was carrying around lots of necessary travel items, including:

• Reading Glasses
• Sunglasses
• Charging Cables
• Batteries
• Wallet
• Phone
• Keys
• Headphones, etc.

And I felt like there simply wasn’t enough space. Instead of two smaller pockets, I would have preferred one larger pocket encompassing the entire front of the bag – such as with the Osprey Porter 30. Maybe if I had a couple of travel cubes, I would have felt more organized.

Hip Strap

The deal-breaker for me on the DayLite Plus was the meager hip strap – if you can call it that at all. Towards the end of the trip, I was experiencing some lower back pain and ended up carrying the bag by hand.

Perhaps that issue could have been solved with a beefy hip strap set up. But, that’s not a feature on the DayLite Plus – and of course, it wouldn’t be. The bag’s intention is as a light day bag. At only 20 liters of capacity, a hip strap just wouldn’t make sense.

Osprey Porter 30 vs Osprey Porter 46

Before picking up the smaller, lesser-known Porter 30, I picked a Porter 46 at an REI garage sale. The back had a broken compression strap buckle and was selling for roughly $70. I figure I could always fix replace the buckle myself – or send it in to Osprey for repair. After realizing the Porter 46 was simply too big, I nabbed a Porter 30 – used for $60 from a gentleman on OfferUp.

What’s Different Between the Osprey Porter 30 and Osprey Porter 46?

The 30 has almost all of the features of the 46. One exception that I noticed was the 30 does not have a load-lifter on the back straps.

The main difference between the two bags, of course, is the size. If the Porter 46 is too big, the Porter 30 might be too small – at least it was for my purposes. Basically, my DayLite Plus had all valuables and essentials – everything else went into the Porter 30.

Lastly, I noticed the hip pads on the Porter 30 were quite meager. It wasn’t a matter of insufficient padding, it’s just that the hip pads were much shorter. If you have wide hips, this might not be the best set up for you.

Attaching the Osprey DayLite Plus to the Osprey Porter 30

These two bags have complementary buckles and compression straps, designed so that you can attach the DayLite Plus to (more like into) the Osprey Porter 30. I tried this a handful of times. While quite entertaining for my wife and passing strangers, it wasn’t ideal. Eventually, I just wore the DayLite Plus in front in front. There were a few reasons for this.

Profile

Your profile, after attaching the DayLite Plus to the Porter 30, is comical. Especially in a place where you’re already a tall, lumbering foreigner, who’s also carrying a month’s worth of travel gear, wearing this gigantic box behind you is not fun. My wife had to scold me many times for nearly taking out shorter women and children with my bag-weapon, whenever I turned too quickly. You can get twice the storage capacity of these bags in a single bag with a much lower profile.

Weight Distribution

I was more balanced – and thus comfortable – when putting the smaller pack on the front. My wife predicted this immediately, but I was too stubborn to listen because I really wanted to “couple” the bags as they were intended. Once I gave that up, this really improved the profile issue above as well.

Convenience

The loops on the front of Porter 30 were just large enough to wiggle the plastic buckles on the DayLite Plus through. This meant it took some time to attach the bags together. Perhaps as it breaks in more, the loops on the Porter 30 will have more give. But for the handful of times I did it, it wasn’t ideal.

For this reason, I found myself simply stowing away the strap of the Porter 30 and hand carrying it towards the end of our trip.

Osprey Porter 30 Review

The smallest front compartment on the Porter 30 worked well for a shoe compartment. It held both my lower-profile shoes (boat shoes) and also my Xero sandals.

The middle compartment was ideal for sorting and organizing stuff, but I never used it because my main compartment was packed so tight.

The padded laptop sleeve was a very nice feature. Moreover, the lockable zipper and placement at the back made this set up ideal.

Bags in Bags

All in all, this set up just didn’t work for me. Given my experience, I’m going to try something else.  I think my next options are:

• Storing my smaller day bag inside a larger travel bag
• Opting for a single larger travel bag to double as a day bag – by utilizing a single large remove packing cube. (This is likely my first pick so I can always enjoy beefy hip belt support.)
• Wearing the smaller bag on the front, and the bigger back behind

What works for you?  What’s your magic formula for ultra-lite packing?