Osprey Daylite Plus Backpack

The Daylite Plus is the backpack people own for a decade. It is 20 liters, enough for a laptop in the padded sleeve, a lunch, a layer and a water bottle in the side pocket, with a ventilated back panel that does not soak a shirt on a walk. It also clips onto Osprey's bigger travel packs as a detachable daypack, which is the trick travelers use.

It suits a graduate commuting to a first job, a retiree who has taken up walking and day trips, and a remote worker who moves between home and a cafe. Osprey's guarantee repairs or replaces it for life, which is the reason to pick it over a fashion bag.

It weighs under a pound and a half and comes in a rotating set of colors; black is the one that goes everywhere. It costs more than a basic pack and less than most of them cost over the years they get replaced.