We hike anywhere from 3 to 4 miles at a time up to 7 miles with a goal of a 10-mile round trip day hike. Sometimes it’s a single trail or we combine multiple trails at a state park. During these longer hikes I found it useful to have a large hiking bag and not just a school backpack. Generally, you get what you pay for when you purchase cheap hiking gear.
I did instantly notice the difference of carrying a lighter bag. I also don’t really prefer single compartment stuff bags, but, this works for what I need. With access to the Ozark Trail available year-round, hikers will need to prepare differently for each season. Ozark springs see a lot of rain and varied temperatures; Ozark summers tend to be hot, muggy, and wet; Ozark winters can drop below freezing. Wet weather is common to the Ozark climate, especially in late spring through summer, and fosters a breeding ground for bugs, mosquitos, and ticks. Consider bringing waterproof shoes and treating your clothes ahead of time with permethrin to repel insects.
The entire trail is open to hikers and offers easy and moderate hiking conditions. Much of it is also accessible for mountain biking and horseback riding. Trailspace’s community ozark trail canopy of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top daypacks. The bottom line is that hiking is great for families, and the more you get young kids on the trail, the better.
Of course it has no side water holsters, or lid pocket, or hipbelt strap, but I think that all contributes to its low weight. For the water bottles I just use Platypus .5 liter and 1 liter flat style bottles, which you can fit in the main body of the pack on top of your other gear. ozark trail backpack Here’s another AWESOME thing about the Ozark Trail Atka day pack. It’s sized to fit every airline’s carry-on size requirements. My son and daughter each took one of these on a trip through Europe and they carried it on every plane, train, and bus they rode without any problems.
We earn commissions from purchases you make using the retail links in our product reviews. The Ozark Trail cooler is made from polyethylene, which is the most common kind of plastic in use today. Yes, you will most likely see differing results when adding cans or bottles into the mix. If you are adding warm drinks to your ice, you will see reductions in the overall length of time your ice will stay cold. If you need a good cheap bag you need to see if the Ozark Trail Back Packs will work for your needs. This feature requires an active Backpacking Light Membership.
There’s no way I can justify paying five times more for something that might carry just as well. I plan to pick up another if/when this one wears out. I know some will immediately dismiss my review simply because I bought this pack at WalMart.
The one downside with integrated rain flies is the lack of ventilation and temperature control. We had great weather – not too hot and not too cold – but it did rain for about 5 minutes. My friend chose to not put up his rain fly betting on the perfect weather to continue while enjoying the stars at night. During those five minutes of rain, he was ozark trail canopy a little more stressed as the risk of a wet sleeping bag had not been completely mitigated and he rushed back to the campground. I, on the other hand, could have stayed out longer. True, I wasn’t able to remove the rain fly to watch the stars or let the wind ventilate my tent, but I was able to enjoy the day hikes without any sort of worry.
This pack will make great for a day at the beach with an extra change of clothes, flip flops, keys, tanning oil, towel and a iPod or stuff your lightweight sleeping bag and a jacket. Just about every other daypack I’ve had falls apart under the weight of my books (med school). I also like the fact that for my outdoor activities, it’s designed to hold a hydration bladder. It even has a rain cover built in, which is great when I’m riding my bicycle across town on a rainy day. With the added height of an inflatable pillow and sleeping pad my head height was indeed close to the curvature of the tent ceiling but there was still enough room. I did have a few inches along the edge for some clothes, a water bottle, and a headlamp, but that could have been made wider with a narrower sleeping pad.