The Osprey Cyber 26L Daysack,
cost £90
Why I chose this
I didn’t want something that was too big and heavy. This 26 litres rucksack is big enough to fit in everything I might need on a day out, including my large Nikon D700 camera. I also use a rucksack when I visit London for the weekend and, among other things, I’ll have my laptop or my iPad with me. This particular Osprey rucksack would easily hold my 17″ laptop and everything I would need for an overnight stay.
What I loved
All the different pockets and compartments.
1. At the bottom of the pack is a compartment, perfect for storing my laptop leads etc. For smaller leads and other gadgets, there is also a separate pouch to help keep things organised. I found both really useful. Great idea!
2. The front panel zipped organiser pouch with internal sleeves and key clip is perfect for flight tickets, pens, passport etc. Again this was very helpful when travelling.
3. The zipped pouch that sits at the top of the bag, with a scratch-resistant lining, is perfect for a pair glasses. I never need to lose mine in the bottom of my bag again!
4. The main compartment is big enough for a large camera, cagoule and a whole load of other items. It also has two document sleeves which were useful but it was tricky to put documents in there without emptying the contents first.
5. The fleece-lined, padded laptop sleeve is just right for my 17″ laptop plus there’s an inner zipped pocket for a tablet, which fits my iPad perfectly. Excellent!
Showerproof: I got caught in a shower in London and was pleased that, although the bag was wet on the outside, everything inside remained completely dry.
Comfort: The padded shoulder straps were comfortable and the vented back panel helped keep me cool, even in Mallorca’s midday sun. An absolute godsend.
What I didn’t like
1. Getting confused between all the different pockets and forgetting where I put what, although as I got used to it that was less of an issue.
2. Not having an outer water bottle side pocket.
What I hated
1. Their UK website spells organiser with a ‘z’.
Tips
I think the black version would be more practical than this light gray material covered rucksack, which is liable to show the dirt and might be tricky to clean.
Don’t be tempted to put your mobile phone in the top pocket (3.) which, although makes it extremely easy for you to find and answer before the voice message kicks in, it is also the perfect place for a pickpocket to find it. I learnt the hard way in Italy just how skillful they can be. On the plus side, the loops on the double zips mean that a small padlocked could be used, although that does rather shout “There’s something worth nicking in here!”
Conclusion
Overall I’m extremely pleased with my Osprey Cyber Daysack. As long as I’m sensible about where I put anything valuable, it’s pretty much perfect. It’s well made so should last me a long time and therefore worth the cost of £90.
The Osprey Cyber ‘nap’ sack, Kat’s cat approved!
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Thank you for nice review.
Could you please measure and post dimensions for notebook compartment. There are too little bags capable to hold 17″ notebook and I doubt if that would be able to host my Asus N751JK.
Thanks.
My laptop which is 25cm by 38cm and fits in with room to spare. The pocket for it 30cm wide by 45cm, however, as it curves at the top the biggest laptop it would take would have to be a little smaller than this. The second pocket, where I keep my iPad, would take something 22cm by 28cm max. Hope that helps. It’s over a year since I wrote this and I’m still delighted with it and still use it regularly, especially as my carry on bag when flying.
I’ve just bought ‘pepper black’ version of the rucksack myself.
It looks very good and made of high quality materials.
My Asus N751JK measures 415x280x35 and fits snugly.
Thank you very much for help and good advice.
My plesaure. That’s great to hear 🙂
That is a handy bag! There’s nothing worse than everything getting all jumbled up in your bag, especially cables.
And I love it that you didn’t like organizer being spelt with a z 😉
I love it and use it all the time!
Great choice Kat! I just finished 6 months on the road. Both my main backpack and my day backpack are Osprey… despite being pushed into crowded buses, on the roof of vans, and out for all kinds of hikes both of my Osprey’s still look brand new.
That’s really good to know but it doesn’t surprise me that they are made to last.
I’ve been thinking about getting a rucksack for a while now and this one looks great. I like that it’s fairly conservative in colour on the outside but with that lovely pop of lime green internally. As you say should last a long time too.
I’m really pleased with mine and I really find that compartment at the bottom so useful. Helps keep me organised (and I sorely need the help!)
Kat, that’s really helpful! Thank you! I have been looking at the Lowepro bags and that helps me know that they’re really as good as they claim to be! At this point I think what I need is a small bag which gives me room for camera + 2 lenses, since I’m pretty new to the whole thing and don’t have a lot of gear.
Hope your day is going well!
EWM
This rucksack has a great combination of style and practicality, something I always look for. Like the lime green lining and so glad that it is cat approved too.
I’m really delighted with it and I’m sure it will serve me well on my travels.
Hey Kat, great review! Love the pic of the cat on the bag.
Interested… do you have any reviews of stylish dslr bags?
EWM
Hi Emily,
I haven’t reviewed any DSLR bags but I do like Lowepro.
I have three! One that just takes a camera with one lens attached.
A rucksack which has a padded lower compartment with room for a body and two lenses. Above this is just a normal rucksack compartment so handy if you want to take other things with you.
Lastly a rucksack that holds quite a lot of camera kit (a couple of bodies and a few lenses) but little else. So which you chose depends on how much kit you want to take.
They are all well made and I’ve had them for a very long time.
Currently I love using my Osprey Daysack with the small Lowepro bag I have for my camera either carried inside or in addition to the Daysack.
Hope that helps!
Kathryn