Well I am now a proud owner of the Mountainsmith Day pack. Big thanks and public recognition to TomF. He really affirms yet again the awesomeness of the people on this forum. I really want to thank him publicly for being so stand up. Thanks!

Impressions.
I had only seen, touched and smelled the MS Tour, which as stated I thought was too small for my needs. The MS Day hits the spot I needed. My primary concern was the water bottles fitting with very little worry of them falling out. The mesh holders are perfect for 1L Nalgene bottles. On the Tour they are about an inch shorter, good for sloping bottles like Gaterade or cycling bottles, but I would not trust Nalgene bottles in the Tour. At least the way I am with gear. YMMV.

I have been able to put all my EDC into the pack plus several other items for daily carry and it's just full enough. My backpack had a certain amount of dead space in it. Because the Day is more compact, it feels lighter though I have not yet done a weight comparison. I also bought the Strappettes for the bag. They really do take up the weight.

Next weekend I have a 4-5 hour day hike up Browns Peak, one of the 'Four Peaks' found NE of Phoenix. I will be using the Day as my pack. And will give a write up after wards.