Fourteen ounces, sixty dollars, and honestly excellent within its limits — the Flash 22 might be the easiest recommendation in the entire daypack market, provided you respect what it is. This is the pack you throw in a suitcase for trips that might include a trail, grab for a two-hour hike, or stuff into a bigger bag as a summit pack. The design is ruthlessly edited: two bottle pockets, a lid pocket, and nothing you do not need. At two-thirds the price and a third of the weight of budget-feature rivals like the Quechua MH500, its value is unmatched, and as a second pack nothing touches it. The limits are structural, literally. It is frameless, so past about 12 pounds the load stops standing off your back and sags onto your shoulders — fine for a shell, water, and lunch, punishing with much more. The thin fabric that makes the weight possible also wants gentler treatment than a $175 pack; drag it over granite and it will show the trip. The verdict depends entirely on the question. Best only pack for a regular hiker? No — the framed options carry real loads far better. Best 14-ounce, $60 pack for light-and-fast days and travel? Nothing else is close.
Just 14 ounces and around $60 — unbeatable value as a second pack Ruthlessly simple: two bottle pockets, a lid pocket, nothing wasted Packs into a suitcase or a bigger pack as a summit bag Frameless design sags onto your shoulders past about 12 pounds Thin fabric wants gentler treatment than pricier packs