Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack

Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack

Over the years, our team has tested numerous travel bags that purport to be compact, lightweight, ideal for travel, etc, etc, etc. Many have served our needs well … to a point.

None has yet proven compact and light enough that we didn’t give packing it along a second thought – until we found the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack.

Weighing only 2.4 ounces (68 grams) and stuffing into its own tiny stow-pocket (attached, so you don’t lose it), the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack easily fits in the palm of your hand. The Ultra-Sil Day Pack provides the traveler with an ideal take-along-bag that meets many needs – grocery bag, daypack for hiking, shopping bag, sightseeing bag, day trip bag for extra jacket, umbrella, guidebook, and more.

Made of siliconized Cordura with stitching that is reinforced at stress points, this tiny packet expands into a ultra-serviceable pack 19 inches high by 11 inches wide and 8 inches deep.

(For you capacity freaks, it holds 20 liters of good things.) A two-way zip closure opens wide enough to provide easy access to the bag, and is durable enough not to bust open with a bag stuffed to the gills (and we have challenged it!).

Is it a perfect daypack? No. The Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack straps are quite thinly Spartan (put several bottles of wine, some cheese, some bread, and an umbrella, and the straps will dig into the shoulders a bit). Plus, the bag does get hot against your back since there is no back panel or ventilation – but that’s the tradeoff for the ultra-compactness of course. When traveling as we did recently for a month throughout Europe, every ounce counts, and every bit of space in your luggage comes at a premium. That means it may not deliver ultra comfort, but as a traveling just-in-case tote, it delivers function in spades. And at about $30, it’s priced very reasonably too. Means more money to spend on the trip! And on the picnic goodies to go inside the bag.

Of note is that Sea to Summit’s Ultra-Sil line has grown over the years and now includes shopping bags, shoulder sling bags, dry bags, and a number of other items that are also lightweight, portable and packable. Honestly, we don’t leave home without one or more which is why we are happy to bestow the HITT Seal of Approval.