I had a Tara for a while. I didn't care for the total lack of internal organization. I bought a Tara pocket, not pack, last summer. Spacing is perfect for grimlocks in the side loops to snap onto the compression straps for my Eberlestock F1 as a very compact bag for hauling meat quarter bags for a pack-out deer hunting.
For day hikes, I have several that I use. I'm still searching for "perfect". Might not exist.
1) Mystery Ranch Scree - I like this for day hikes for fishing. I put a bottle holder on each daisy chain so I can carry both spin and fly outfits into the wilderness lakes with my hands free. It seems a good fit.
2) Mystery Ranch In-and-Out 19 - my favorite very light pack. I wish it had just a little more organization but it is adequate. My only beef is it only has a single bottle holder so it can be a little off balance.
3) Badlands Reactor - Great organization, holds a 3L bladder, with room for a filter to add more. Doesn't have much other space but for what it is, it's perfect.
4) The North Face "Recon" - My favorite day pack for trails. I don't like the current, stripped down version. It lacks a lot of the organization that made the older ones special.
In the past I've used a lot of other packs.
1) Eberlestock Bandit -- good pack in general, I got rid of mine because it was somehow asymmetrical. A friend's husband tried taxidermy and his work was all twisted, noses crooked, eyes irregularly spaced, like taxidermy by Escher or Dali. This pack was like that. I don't think it's a design problem, I think they had a bad day.
2) Kelty - Redwing 32, 44, 50 .. good packs, didn't quite meet the need of the day.
3) Badlands - Ultraday, SuperDay, Diablo, 2200 .. main thing with these was I was handgun hunting and there was no good way to holster a hunting sized handgun.
...
and the list probably goes on further. I forget. It is a serious addiction.
