The Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia is a unique, well-featured daypack at a great price. Photo: Rebecca Parsons//The Inertia
If you spend a lot of time on the trails, you’ll want somewhere to stow your gear. While a cheap backpack will get the job done for short treks, you’ll be much happier with a backpack that’s specifically designed for hiking. Because they’re designed to be as light, functional, and technical as possible, hiking backpacks don’t come cheap. I recently tested and reviewed 16 of the Best Hiking Backpacks and the Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia Pack ($105) caught my eye due to its bright colorway and functionality.
Due to the performance and reasonable price tag of the Cotopaxi Tarak, I awarded it the best value backpack, Translation? It wasn’t necessarily the cheapest pack on our list but was the highest-quality pack for the price. Read on to learn what else we love about the Tarak daypack.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fun colors | No rigid back panel/frame |
| Lightweight | Minimal pockets |
| Affordable |
First Impressions of the Cotopaxi Tarak
Gear Capacity: 20 L
Weight: 1 lb 4 oz
Dimensions: N/A
Hip-Belt: Yes
Gender: Unisex
The Tarak 20L Del Dia pack is a looker. Signature to Cotopaxi’s Del Dia Collection — for which the brand uses deadstock fabric to create new products — fun colors come together to create an eye-catching hiking backpack. You never know what you’re gonna get, and I loved the teal and light blue colorway I received.
Compared to other packs I’ve tried, this more unstructured daypack felt incredibly lightweight. The Tarak appeared to have a generous assortment of pockets and straps, but I noticed that it lacked external water bottle holders. I tend to travel light when I hike, mainly packing water and snacks, so I thought the Tarak might become my go-to day pack.
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The Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia can hold everything you need for waterfall adventures. Photo: Kip Touseull//The Inertia
Notable Features of the Cotopaxi Tarak
Weighing in at 1 pound 4 ounces, the Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia Pack is indeed lightweight for a 20-liter backpack. When comparing it to the 16 packs we tested for our The Best Hiking Backpacks review, it was only heavier than two backpacks, both of which were smaller in capacity. So it’s safe to say it’s an incredibly lightweight hiking daypack.
I live on Oahu in Hawaii, so I spend a lot of time hiking in the heat and humidity. Consequently, I sweat buckets on my hikes (don’t worry the views and waterfalls are worth it), so a breathable daypack is a must. Between its lightweight design and breathable mesh back panel, I found that the Tarak was comfortable to wear even on the hottest of hikes. The back panel has a removable foam sheet that provides a bit of structure to level your load, but not as much as a rigid panel or an internal frame.
Sternum and waist straps help alleviate some of the weight of your pack. Photo: Rebecca Parsons//The Inertia
In terms of design, the Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia is simple. It has a wide opening, a small zippered pocket in the front, and a zippered pocket on top. It also has a hydration sleeve inside, but it doesn’t come with a bladder, so you’ll need to purchase that separately if you plan on using it. Additionally, there are configurable compression and lash points on the back, so you can attach lots of gear to the outside of your pack. The lash points are a standout on this pack, and for going light it makes sense to be able to attach gear to the exterior. It also has a lightweight sternum and waist strap for a bit of extra support.
In addition to hiking, the Tarak is marketed as a lightweight lead-climbing or mountaineering pack as well as a backcountry skiing pack. That makes sense considering the exterior straps, but the overall lack of rigidity led our team to believe this would only be suitable for very light climbing and snow loadouts. Because I live in Hawaii I have yet to be able to test the snow features but hope to in 2025 during a wintertime Japan trip. For you snow adventurers, the pack has an ice tool system with a durable “bucket” of fabric at the bottom and securing straps at the top.
Every Del Dia pack is completely unique. Kip Touseull//The Inertia
Something unique about the Del Dia Collection is that no two packs are alike. Made at the Cotopaxi factory in the Philippines, employees select excess fabric to create all Del Dia packs. In doing so, they help cut down on waste and create a completely unique pack. I can’t speak to all of the packs, but I loved the color scheme on mine and the fact that I wouldn’t bump into someone on the trail wearing the same pack.
My biggest gripe was that the Tarak Del Dia is missing external water bottle pockets. Photo: Rebecca Parsons//The Inertia
Drawbacks of the Cotopaxi Tarak
Overall, the Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia is a great hiking backpack, but there are a few things I would change/add if I could. In terms of storage space, I wish it was broken down into a few more compartments or had a couple more pockets to help keep things organized, especially external water bottle pockets.
I love that the Tarak has a small zippered pocket on top, but to access it you must undo the buckle so it’s still not the easiest to access. If the zippered pocket was truly on top that would be nice for quick grab items.
This is possibly both a pro and con of the pack, but the Tarak lacks a hardboard on the back panel. This helps cut down on weight but takes away from support. I’ve been mainly using the Cotopaxi Tarak for shorter hikes so it’s been a non-issue for me, but I could see it being problematic on longer hikes when your pack is filled to the brim and is heavier. That fact also somewhat limits the utility for climbing or skiing, as overloading the daypack might cause discomfort.
Lightweight and breathable, the Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia is a great pick for day hikes. Photo: Rebecca Parsons//The Inertia
Final Thoughts
The Cotopaxi Tarak 20L Del Dia Pack is a lightweight and breathable hiking backpack designed with day trips in mind. It sports unique, bright colors and weighs just 1 pound 4 ounces. It’s 20 liters, so it’s got plenty of room for water, snacks, and stashing layers and has two small zippered pockets and lots of external attachment points for extra gear. At $105, it’s a great deal for a fun and functional hiking backpack.
Editor’s Note: We’ve reviewed other incredible backpacks, too: Don’t miss our guides to the Best Hiking Backpacks, Best Travel Backpacks, Best Surf Backpacks, and Best Backpacking Backpacks. For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.
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