 This Product
Osprey Daylite Wheeled Duffel 40 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | | |
| Price | $200.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $275 List | $170 List $119.00 at Amazon | $120 List $119.99 at Amazon | $88 List $72.25 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | From hopping planes to hopping rocks, take your gear just about anywhere with this lightweight carry-on, backpack combo | Made for extensive travel, this bag has clean modern lines mixed with a bring-your-lunchpail-to-work kinda vibe | An affordable four-wheel roller with impressive storage space and numerous color options | A host of useful features combined with a durable foundation and solid functionality make this reasonably priced softshell an easy choice to meet your carry-on needs | A great bargain bag perfect for shorter jaunts and basic travel |
| Rating Categories | Osprey Daylite Whee... | Away The Carry-On | Samsonite Omni PC H... | SwissGear Sion Soft... | Amazon Basics 20-In... |
| Capacity (35%) | |||||
| Ease of Transport (25%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (20%) | |||||
| Design and Functionality (20%) | |||||
| Specs | Osprey Daylite Whee... | Away The Carry-On | Samsonite Omni PC H... | SwissGear Sion Soft... | Amazon Basics 20-In... |
| Weight (Measured) | 4.6 lb | 7.4 lb | 6.8 lb | 7.3 lb | 6.6 lb |
| Exterior Dimensions | 22.0" x 15.0" x 8.0" | 21.7" x 13.5" x 8.5" | 21.5" x 14.0" x 9.5" | 23.0" x 14.1" x 10.0" | 22.0" x 14.8" x 10.0" |
| Main Compartment Volume (Measured) | 43.5 L | 35.5 L | 39 L | 40.5 L | 36 L |
| Exterior Material | Recycled polyester | Polycarbonate | Polycarbonate | Polyester | Polycarbonate |
| Number of Wheels | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Pull Handle Heights | 1 (40.5") | 4 (27", 34", 37.5", 41.5") | 5 (25", 30.5", 33", 36", 41.5") | 3 (28", 34.5", 43") | 2 (33", 41") |
| Opening Style | Top lid | Half shell | Half shell | Top lid | Half shell |
| Locking System | Zipper loop | Combination/TSA lock | Combination/TSA lock | Zipper loop | None |
| Number of Exterior Pockets | 2 | None | None | 2 | None |
The Osprey Daylite Wheeled Duffel 40 is our favorite pint-sized gear-hauler for several reasons, but our favorite features are its generous storage compartment and its ability to transform into a backpack or duffel with ease.
In terms of its overall capacity, the Daylite is the ultimate twofer (two for one) or BOGO (buy one get one). It's not only the lightest bag on our list but also offers the most space for your stuff. Topping the scales at just 4.6 pounds, the Daylite also boasts our lineup's largest interior volume at 43.5 liters.
So why are the Daylite's weight and volume important? The answer is directly related to airline weight restrictions. Most U.S. domestic flights don't enforce a carry on weight limit; however, some U.S. airlines do, and that average limit is about 35 pounds.
Weight limits for international flights vary greatly, with the average being about 20 pounds (some can be as low as 15 pounds). Taking these restrictions into consideration, the Daylite's weight and volume suddenly make complete sense: the Daylite offers more room for your stuff but also offers you a greater weight differential than heavier bags.
In short, you can carry larger, heavier things. This is a real plus when you need to pack bulky, heavier gear like rope, laptops, camera gear, or boots.
Keeping with our twofer analogy, the Daylite has the grit of an off-road vehicle but the sleekness of a race car, making it one of our favorite go-anywhere bags. At first glance, we immediately noticed its large, premium wheels. Each 2.5-inch wheel rides on its own separate axle and boasts a thick rubber riding surface with a rugged, all-terrain tread. We pulled our Daylite over pavement, dirt, gravel, and grass without any serious impediments. And when terrain became too aggressive, we loved the fact that we could simply convert our Daylite into a backpack… talk about versatility.
Large wheels and aggressive off-road treads usually equate to more vibration — not an ideal characteristic if you're trying to compete with super smooth spinner wheels found on most carry ons. However, this is a small negative trade-off for an adventure bag. But if you care, we specifically noticed this vibration when rolling on smoother flooring found in airport terminals.
In addition to a rougher ride, we also held back on offering our highest marks for this metric due to a thinner, wobbly trolley handle, and a slight tendency to tip over when standing fully loaded. Lastly, we shaved a few more points off of its ease of transport score for being a two-wheeled roller bag. This type of luggage is simply not as maneuverable as its four-wheeled spinner counterparts. However, for the style of carry on it is, the Daylite is still very easy and enjoyable to transport.
The manufacturer opted to construct the Daylite's exterior shell from 600-denier recycled polyester instead of nylon. We loved the recycled part, but we questioned why ballistic nylon (the standard fabric for many adventure bags and soft-sided carry ons) wasn't the fabric of choice. However, as we tested and used our Daylite, we began to appreciate its polyester construction. Polyester tends to have a finer thread, which results in strong, soft, less bulky fabrics. Polyester also repels water better than nylon, and it handles abrasions more gracefully. These characteristics come in handy if you're regularly hauling gear into the woods or climbing hand over foot up a rocky shelf.
Other construction features that caught our attention were high-end buckles and clips, a reinforced polyester kick plate, strong grab handles, and backside bumper rails. All of these factors propelled us into giving the Daylite an excellent score in this metric. Of particular note, we are impressed with the use of reverse coil zippers on the exterior of the bag. This type of zipper conceals the zipper teeth behind a cloth flap, making the zipper more water-resistant. One downside to this option is a slower, more stubborn zipper that requires a bit more effort to open and close.
All totaled, we found the Daylite to be a perfect blend of beauty and brawn. It glided (tumbled?) through all our stairwell tests with ease, its seams are double stitched, and its zippers — although harder to slide — are tough as nails. Our only true complaint was the Daylite wasn't quite as water-resistant as we hoped it would be. That's not to say it leaks like a sieve. However, after drenching it with hose water, we found its interior to be slightly damper than some of the other softshell cases it was competing against.
It's perfectly at home in the overhead bin, and it rolls through airports like it owns the place. Even better, it seamlessly converts to a backpack and gladly hauls your gear into the great outdoors. We packed and unpacked our Daylite with countless combinations of clothing and gear and were pleased to find that it could handle a wide variety of payloads.
In addition to its main interior storage compartment, the Daylite offers three additional exterior pockets and one interior mesh pocket. Our favorite was the largest exterior side pocket, which runs the length of the bag, and is a perfect place to shove last-minute items or dirty clothes.
We loaded our Daylite with endless blends of ski boots, collapsed trekking poles, rope, climbing gear, bulky clothes, hiking boots, and even a wet suit, day pack, small backpacking tent, and a sleeping pad. It swallowed them all easily, and the rugged interior straps held everything in place well. Even better, its softshell style allows the bag to contort to oddly shaped items. When the trip is finished, the Daylite's duffel collapses into its bottom tray, making it very flat and easily stored just about anywhere. The Daylite's design and function are nearly perfect. However, we held back on giving it perfect scores in this metric because we took into consideration that its style and outdoor vibe target a more specific demographic.
Generally, the Osprey Daylite appeals to the outdoorsy, adventurous type, those looking to haul some gear for an out-of-state weekend. However, we feel a slight case can be made for the average traveler who simply wants the freedom of duffel-style packing and the option of wheeling, carrying, or backpacking their luggage through various airport mazes. So, if you relate to either of these types, the Daylite should be a serious consideration for your next trip.
Another great gear-hauler carry on to consider is the The North Face Rolling Thunder 22". We loved this bag for its flashy style, weather-proof duffel, hardy wheels, and thick nylon bottom. If a traditional carry on suitcase is more your style, take a look at the SwissGear Sion Softside Expandable 21-Inch. If you'd prefer a more structured hardshell to keep gear safe in transit, we suggest the Samsonite Omni PC Hardside Expandable Spinner 20-Inch or the Amazon Basics 20-Inch Hardside Spinner.
