Walk around lens for a D300

on a crop sensor camera (your 300) is probably not wide enough for general use ... that's why all the kit lenses start at 16-18 mm (=24-28mm effective) ...  28 mm works out to being 42 mm full frame effective, or about like having a generic 50 mm lens as your widest angle - for a wide tending shooter (me)  that is just too restrictive.

I'll just add my vote for the 18-105 Nikkor for you - dirt cheap for what it is - plenty sharp for the 12 mpx D300 sensor, balances well on a 300 ... I still own a 16-85 but have also owned the 18-105  ... you basically have to read the EXIF data to know which lens was used to make a shot between the two, the 16-85 is a slightly better optic but only "on paper" esentially ...

For me the extra 2mm wide end, slightly higher quality fit and finish, and slightly better VR were worth the price ... but the little bit extra reach is nice on the 18-105 too ....

best

Fred