We have had the privilege of using both backpacks for two years at the time of this comparison and have some great insights on both. Our real life takeaway is that we love the Day Owl Slim as a personal item backpack for airline travel and the Day Owl Backpack more for everyday carry but we will let you be the judge on which backpack is best for your needs by comparing the pockets, main compartments overall functionality.
We should start out by pointing out that the regular Day Owl Backpack is not a bulky backpack to begin with. Its slim profile is a hallmark its minimalist look. With that being said, the regular Day Owl should fit most people just fine.
As the name implies, the Day Owl Slim is, you guessed it, slimmer! We found that the regular Day Owl gives you almost 6.5-inches in depth while the Slim comes in at 5-inches. Note: these measurements were taken when both backpacks were fully packed out with a laptop, full main compartment and a notebook in the front pocket. You’re actual depth measurements depends on what you pack inside!
Day Owl Backpack vs Day Owl Slim side by side
In addition to being slimmer, the Day Owl Slim will give you an overall smaller height and is slightly narrower in width. Overall, the Day Owl Slim will better suit people who usually find most backpacks too bulky on the back or those with shorter torsos who worry about the Day Owl Backpack being too long.
The shoulder straps on the Day Owl Slim are also going to be slightly narrower and overall smaller. So those with wider shoulders or a bulkier frame may find the Day Owl more accommodating overall.
Materials and Construction
Both the Day Owl Backpack and the Slim offer a near-identical construction. The bags are crafted with the same First Mile recycled wax canvas material, complemented by metal zippers and hardware.
We’ve had the opportunity to use these backpacks for two years leading up to this comparison, which should give the you some added insight into how the waxed canvas ages.
The full-sized Day Owl Backpack is in the Pale Olive color while the Day Owl Slim is Dawn Grey. The way that waxed canvas ages is unlike other fabrics; the more the bag is used, the more of a unique patina develops.
You can see how the Pale Olive color has visible patina marks while the light Dawn Grey color does a better job at hiding any marks that have developed on the wax canvas.
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Day Owl Backpack vs Day Owl Slim: Both have most of the same exterior pockets.
The size difference can be best seen in the spill-resistant water bottle pockets. While both models can fit a wine bottle, the Day Owl Slim is restricted to slimmer water bottles, such as the 24oz Hydroflask bottle show in the photos. The full-size Day Owl Backpack however, can fit larger 32oz or 40oz bottles inside the water bottle pocket just fine.
Both the Day Owl and the Slim feature a flat front pocket and a top pocket but the Slim is missing the hidden side pocket.
