Osprey Ariel 65

“My husband uses his exos 58 as a day pack, and routinely carries it like 30% full. It’s his go to pack for anything more than 25-ish liters, he has a 32 liter and 35 liter pack, and prefers the Exos 58 because it’s dang comfy. Just tighten up the compression straps, so the stuff inside doesn’t move around too much. The Ariel handles weight like an absolute CHAMP, it’s designed to carry heavier loads, so when it’s not fully packed, it’s just going to be a bulkier day pack. But again, tighten the compression straps, like all of them, or else you’ll have a wobbly backpack. Make sure you get the right torso size, because this backpack is not remotely comfortable if it’s too long on you. Lmk if you need sizing help, I’ve been trained by Osprey (I work for an outfitter) and frankly I cringe when I see people on the trail wearing a completely wrong fitting backpack. Like bras, most people are wearing the wrong size backpack, and/or incorrectly adjusted backpack.”