There’s a lot to love about this pack, but most of all it’s the overall comfortability and ease of use that really makes the Speed Lite 20 bag great. It has a fairly unique V-shaped design that spreads the weight of the pack evenly between your shoulders, making it hug the shape of your back. This will allow you to move quickly without shifting your center of balance too much at all. This makes it great for fast-moving activities where you don’t need to carry too much gear, like skiing, mountain biking, short hikes, or even trail running. Another thing that I enjoy about this pack is that it is hydration sleeve compatible. This is great because it means you can use it to replace your conventional hydration packs that don’t offer as much gear storage space.

Honest & Personal Review

How We Got The Results

Comfort

The ventilation of the back panel is one of the few things I dislike about this pack. However, although it lets almost no air through, the padded mesh panel is extremely comfortable and spongey. The same goes for the compression shoulder straps, which are some of the most comfortable that I’ve tried in a small and lightweight daypack. The aforementioned V-shaped body helps distribute the weight between your shoulders, so even if you load this thing up a fair amount, you won’t feel too much strain. The issue here, however, is that the unpadded hip-belt doesn’t offer as much support as I would like. We might argue, though, that it is just a 20L pack you won’t be carrying a ridiculous amount of gear with you and therefore don’t necessarily need a lot of support from your hips.

Weight

While the Speed Lite is not the lightest 20L pack ever, it most definitely isn’t heavy. It weighs 538g which makes it great for fast-paced activities. Although it does have a slight weight disadvantage when compared to some other 20L packs, it makes up for that by having more features and being more functional than the others. 20L may not be perfect for absolutely every day activity, but it’s plenty of space for shorter hikes or general day-to-day use in an urban environment. You might have to think a bit harder about what you want to take for the day, but 20L is definitely enough space to carry all your necessities (whether that be food, water, a camera and a first-aid kit for a hike; or a small laptop/iPad and other business tools).

Versatility

The Speed Lite 20 isn’t quite as feature-packed as similarly sized packs such as the Osprey Talon 22, it still offers a decent bit of functionality. It has an internal hydration sleeve (up to 3L) and is small enough to replace a hydration pack completely, but it also offers all the other essentials that a daypack needs for hiking.
The panel loading main compartment is large but maybe doesn’t open up as much as I like. Aside from that, there are four exterior pockets, including two side and two front stretch-mesh pockets. As always, these are essential on any daypack for storing things that you’ll need constant access to on your hikes, such as water bottles, snacks, rain jackets, etc. There are a number of loops and lashings on the outside of the pack where helmets, trekking poles, and ice axes can be attached, further adding to the versatility of the pack.

Build Quality & Durability

Deuter’s Speed Lite 20 is made from tough Hexlite 210 ripstop nylon, and the frame is made from Derlin POM plastic, which offers lightweight and flexible support. This pack is pretty durable for such a compressible and lightweight design, and the zippers were tightly sealable. It held up well against everything I threw at it, and I’m positive that it will stand the test of time for daily use for anyone else as well. I liked the unique U-shaped design that I’ve already mentioned a couple of times before. It makes for comfortable use and looks good to boot. I even found that it looked stylish enough to be used to take to work or to class. All in all, a very nice and simplistic design from Deuter.

FAQ – Deuter Speed Lite 20

Comparison Table – Light Daypacks