I'm pretty adverse to logos, which is what turned me off the HikePro bag. I ended up going for the Amazon packable 25L daypack. It's solid black and has a lot of the same features. Currently just over $10 too.
Amazon Essential Packable Daypack. I've had mine going on three years now. My favorite thing about it is no branding like the HikePro bags and pretty much all the other ones.
Looks like it’s currently out of stock but I bought one of these backpacks. Compact, lightweight, dries quickly, and depending on what you’re carrying should be able to squeeze into lockers
Amazon Basics Ultralight Portable Packable Day Pack https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01AIVT2AE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_MW550A8JR84CMSVERDJQ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Your packing list lacks a water bottle. Save yourself a couple of euros per day, and fill up a water bottle at your accommodation with free, clean tap water (it's something we have in Europe, yes), and help the environment while you're at it.
> Also wondering about getting a compressible day pack for those jaunts around the city. Anyone have any cheap options for that?
AmazonBasic. Got a external mesh side-pocket for water bottle too.
I meant to type "packable bookbag"
I swap between my AmazonBasics Ultralight and an old JanSport, like this that I got in college with our logo on it.
The Amazon bag is nice. Fits a lot, has two side pockets, and can pack into itself. My only real complaint is that it has no form if there's not a lot in it, or it can be sort of "saggy" at the bottom if I'm just carrying relatively heavy stuff like books or portable chargers and no jacket to pad the bottom. The straps aren't that great/comfortable. But overall it's cheap, minimal, and carries plenty.
The JanSport has a little bit more structure, but no side pockets. The straps are way more comfortable. I always carry notebooks/journals/books, so the bottom of this bag does a better job accommodating those items without making the bag feel weird to carry. It fits a shit ton. The front pocket has a smaller pocket inside which is nice to separate small items. It's way harder to pack comfortably in my Minaal, though. If I do pack it over my Amazon bag, it's usually for the aesthetic and sentimental bias!
I think 28L might be too much for most seven year olds. The average seven year old weighs 50 lbs, so for them to carry 20% of their body weight, you’d have to keep the pack at 10 lbs or under.
A budget option, though still on the bigger side, would be the Amazon Basics Backpack 25L ($16). Link.
For more water resistance and longevity, I’d get the Tortuga Packable Day Pack 19L ($39). Link.
For a step above that, there’s the Campus Backpack from Bellroy 16L ($95). Link.