The Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4 is a 20-litre day pack that sits right at the crossover between urban carry and lightweight outdoor use. At 425g, it’s one of the lightest bags in its category — but does the rest of it hold up?
I’ve been using it for three weeks across a mix of scenarios: a three-day family trip to London in mid-March, regular dog walks through the woods, and a handful of short hikes across the South Downs in wet conditions. In this review, I’ll cover the key features, how it performs in real use, who it suits, and whether the £75 price tag makes sense.
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At a Glance
| Rating | 4.3/5 |
| Best For | Day hiking, city travel, commuting, lightweight family trips |
| Price | £75 |
| Capacity | 20L |
| Weight | 425g |
A genuinely lightweight day pack with more organisation than you’d expect at this price. It handles city travel and short trail days equally well, comes in four colour options, and at 425g you barely notice it’s there. Good value if you want one bag that does both.
Tested over three weeks across a London city break, South Downs trail walks, and daily dog walks in mixed UK conditions.
Top Features of the Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4
At 20 litres and 425g, the Faro 0.4 punches above its weight for organisation. What’s impressive is how much Bagsmart has packed into a lightweight frame without the bag feeling cluttered or over-engineered. Every feature has a logical place, and once you’ve loaded it up a couple of times, everything clicks into an intuitive routine.
Full-Front Zip Opening
The entire front of the bag unzips, allowing you to open it flat and access everything at once. For travel, this is a genuinely useful feature — no more rummaging blind for a charger at the bottom. It’s the kind of thing you take for granted until you go back to a top-loader.
Large Front Zip Pocket
A generously sized external zip pocket sits on the front of the bag, perfect for items you need to grab quickly — snacks, travel cards, your phone while navigating. Positioned just right for one-handed access on the move.
Flannel-Lined Top Pocket with Waterproof Lining
Above the main front pocket sits a slightly smaller fleece-lined pocket, which Bagsmart has also waterproofed on the inside. This makes it ideal for your phone or other valuables — soft enough to prevent scratches, sealed enough to handle a downpour.
Side Pockets with Retention Clips
Both side pockets are deep enough to comfortably hold a standard water bottle — I used mine with Water-to-Go Bottles throughout testing. For taller items, there are small retention clips on each side to hold bottles flush against the bag rather than sticking out.
External Clip Points and Gear Rings
The front of the bag has four clip points for attaching gear externally, and there are two additional D-rings lower on the pack. These could realistically be used to carry trekking poles when the bag is being used as a hiking daypack.
Padded Straps, Airflow Back Panel, and Chest Strap
The shoulder straps are padded, the back panel has a central gully to allow airflow and reduce back sweat, and there’s a chest strap to distribute the load more evenly. For a lightweight pack, the carry comfort is well above average.
14-Inch Laptop Sleeve and Internal Organisation
Inside the main compartment, there’s a padded laptop sleeve that fits up to a 14-inch laptop, plus two elastic mesh pockets for a phone, small tablet, or accessories. My 13-inch MacBook Air slotted in perfectly alongside three days of gear, packed into the bag.
Colour-Block Design and Rope Handle
The Faro 0.4 has a great aesthetic that sets it apart from the sea of plain-black commuter packs. I still went for the Black version, which uses a blue rope top handle, a yellow clip, and pink loops at the bottom — small details that give it a personality. The rope handle in particular is a unique touch; no real function beyond looking good, but it does look good.
Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4 Specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weight | 425g (0.94 lbs) |
| Capacity | 20L |
| Dimensions | 46 x 27 x 18cm |
| Laptop Compatibility | Up to 14-inch |
| Material | Cordura nylon |
| Zippers | YKK |
| Back System | Removable padded panel, airflow gully, padded shoulder straps, chest strap |
| Colours Available | Black, Mediterranea, Moss, Icy Blue |
| Price | £75 |
At 425g, the Faro 0.4 is considerably lighter than most comparable 20-litre day packs — the Osprey Daylite Plus, for instance, comes in at around 510g, and the Deuter Speed Lite 21 at around 430g. The 20-litre capacity is on the practical end of the ultralight daypack category, which typically runs from 15L to 25L.
My Personal Experience with the Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4
The pack arrived a few days before a long family weekend in London in mid-March. We’re experimenting with travelling light as a family — the kind of trip where everyone takes just a small backpack and you see how long you can travel. The Faro 0.4 was my only pack for the whole three days.
Mid-March in the UK means you pack for all scenarios: shorts for the chance of a warm afternoon, a down jacket for the morning, and something waterproof for good measure. Getting three days of clothes across that full spectrum into a 20-litre pack alongside a 13-inch laptop, chargers, cables, and enough food and snacks to fuel a family day out — I honestly wasn’t sure it was going to work, but it did, and comfortably too.
Both side pockets were loaded with my Water-to-Go Active Bottles, and the retention clips stopped them from bouncing around. The laptop sleeve held everything securely, and the two internal mesh pockets gave me somewhere to put charging cables and small accessories without them rattling around loose at the bottom.
The full-front zip became one of my favourite features. Being able to open the entire bag and see everything at once — rather than digging down through layers of clothes — made the daily pack and unpack routine far less painful. At the hotel, at the park, on the train: it just works. The one caveat is that when the bag is rammed absolutely full, opening it wide can feel like everything wants to escape out the sides at once. For normal, everyday use though, that’s not been an issue.
The flannel-lined top pocket with a waterproof lining was a nice surprise. Your phone is genuinely protected in there — from scratches and from rain. And the buckle strap that clips across it? I started using it as a subtle anti-theft layer in the city. Probably not its intended purpose, but it works all the same by making the pocket difficult to unzip and access when the strap is across it.
Performance in Different Conditions
After London, the Faro 0.4 came out on dog walks and short hikes across the South Downs in wet, muddy conditions. The Cordura nylon shed rain well throughout — nothing penetrated to the main compartment during the sessions I used it. The padded straps and chest strap made carrying a light load on the trail comfortable without any hot spots or pressure points, and the airflow gully on the back panel did a reasonable job of keeping things from getting too clammy on the move.
For the time I’ve been using it, this pack has definitely earned its spot in the rotation.
Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Genuinely lightweight at 425g — noticeably lighter than most 20L day packs on the market
- Full-front zip opening — makes packing, unpacking, and finding things on the move far easier than a standard top-loader
- Flannel-lined, waterproof top pocket — properly protects your phone and valuables, not just a nice-looking detail
- Generous organisation — laptop sleeve, mesh pockets, external clips, rings, side pockets with retention clips; all logically placed
- Chest strap and airflow back panel — carry comfort you don’t always get at this price point
- Luggage pass-through strap — small detail that makes a real difference when travelling
Cons
- Full-front zip becomes an issue at maximum capacity — when truly rammed, opening the bag wide can feel untidy; it’s worth leaving a little breathing room
- Laptop sleeve maxes out at 14 inches — fine for most users, but worth checking before you buy if you’re carrying a larger machine
- £75 puts it in competitive territory — at this price, alternatives like the Osprey Daylite Plus are close in cost and come with a lifetime warranty, whereas Bagsmart offers a 30-day limited warranty, so it’s worth weighing up what matters most to you
Top Alternatives to the Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4
The Faro 0.4 is a strong contender in the lightweight 20-litre category, but it’s not the only option worth considering. Here are three alternatives available from UK retailers.
Osprey Daylite Plus 20L
The Osprey Daylite Plus is probably the most well-known pack in this category and is available widely across the UK. It’s slightly heavier at around 510g, and the organisation is simpler — fewer external clip points and no full-front zip — but the build quality is excellent and Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee (lifetime warranty) is hard to argue with. Best for hikers who want a proven trail companion and aren’t bothered about the travel-friendly layout.
Deuter Speed Lite 21
The Speed Lite 21 is the updated replacement for the old 20L model, refreshed for 2025 with a redesigned open-top front pocket that’s much easier to access on the move. At around 430g it’s fractionally heavier than the Faro, but firmly positioned at the trail end of the spectrum — the V-shape lumbar belt and Lite back system are better suited to longer days in the hills. Less useful as a city or travel bag, but a stronger choice if hiking is your primary use case. Available from around £70.
Decathlon Quechua MH100 20L
At £25, the Quechua MH100 is the budget pick here — and it’s a decent one for what it is. It’s noticeably heavier at 760g, the materials aren’t in the same league as Cordura, and there’s no laptop sleeve. But it has a ventilated back panel, belt pocket, and hydration bladder compatibility, making it a functional trail daypack for anyone who doesn’t want to spend much. Best for: occasional day hikers who want something capable without a significant outlay.
| Faro Light 0.4 | Osprey Daylite Plus | Deuter Speed Lite 21 | Quechua MH100 20L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 20L | 20L | 21L | 20L |
| Weight | 425g | 510g | 430g | 760g |
| Laptop | 14″ | 15″ | None | None |
| Full-front zip | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Approx. UK Price | £75 | ~£70 | £70 | £25 |
Final Thoughts
The Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4 is a well-thought-out, genuinely lightweight 20-litre pack that handles the transition between city travel and trail use better than most at this price.
It’s best suited to day hikers, commuters, and anyone who travels carry-on only and needs a pack that pulls double duty. The full-front zip, waterproof flannel top pocket, and luggage pass-through make it a particularly strong choice for travel, while the Cordura build, chest strap, and airflow back panel hold up credibly on the trail.
The only real limitation is the full-front zip when the bag is at absolute capacity, and a laptop sleeve that tops out at 14 inches. Neither of those is likely to be a dealbreaker for most buyers.
Rating: 4.3/5
Bagsmart Faro Light Backpack 0.4 FAQs
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About the Author
Steve Cleverdon is an outdoor adventure specialist with 15+ years of hiking, camping, and paddle boarding experience. He has conquered Europe’s toughest trails including the GR20 in Corsica, walked 3,000km solo across New Zealand, and worked professionally in the outdoors industry. Steve’s gear reviews and recommendations are based on real-world testing across four continents, from coastal waters to mountain peaks. Learn more about Steve or get in touch.
