Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

Purchased this for a trip to Zion National in southern Utah. Climbing up the Angel's Landing Trail is no joke and it was HOT out. You need to have your hands free, good balance and plenty of water on this trail. This Manta 30 could not have been more useful. It was/is an outstanding product. My back was comfortable, the pack never felt heavy or intrusive. It held my SLR camera gear, full bladder, sandwiches, cliff bars, extra shirt, cell phone, keys very comfortably.

I rarely take the time to write a review but this has been one of the best purchases I have made that I felt compelled to give credit where it is due.

The pack is lightweight, very well stiched, plenty of good usable pockets, nicely ventilated back panel, and has a well conceived water bladder. It is clearly a well thought out pack. The attention to detail is outstanding. The zipper pulls are very nice and easy to use, the bladder pocket is well insulated and has an excellent cover over the zipper area with locking clips for good measure...very nice!! So many daypacks that I looked at have a hydration sleeve, but that's all that it is: a thin nylon pocket inside the main compartment of the pack and on a hot day when the bladder starts to 'sweat' whatever is touching that sleeve will likely get wet. The Manta solution is much better.

If you are going anywhere warm for day hiking, theme parks, etc. This would be an excellent pack to carry.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

This bag has lots of awesome design features and attention to detail. I loved the light weight, yet rich feature set. However, I'm 6'1" and the suspension torso length of the m/l didn't come anywhere close to distributing weight onto my hips or lower back. The suspension is very elaborate to merely leave the weight on your shoulders. Although the bag is advertised as having the same airspeed suspension as the stratus series (the large stratus 36 and 34 fit me beautifully), the manta m/l torso is considerably shortened and the distance between where the shoulder straps and the load lifters attach on the bag is non-existent (thus making the load lifters a gimmick).

If you're considerably shorter, the hydration is awesome, there is a nice selection of pockets and organization inside the bag, but it's not overdone. The materials are all lightweight and the suspension would be wonderful (provided you're short enough). Unless you know you have a short torso, I wouldn't recommend you try this if you're over 5'9".

The Gregory Z30 has the length and a true suspension if you're tall, but it doesn't have the feature set. The manta is really a beautiful bag and I'd wear it daily if it were only tall enough.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

I originally purchased the older model of the Osprey stratos for dayhikes I plan to have this summer in Yellowstone. Liked it a lot, but the more I wore it it had pinch points so I tried this one out and it really seemed nice.

I carry a rainjacket, med kit, basic survival kit, small flashlight, multitool, hat, extra batteries and and extra pair of socks. I don't have a scale but I would say its ~15lbs.

I love the amount of pockets this has. I prefer a few pockets on a daypack because all the little stuff just falls to the bottom of a single pocket.

I'm 6'3" with a 21 inch torso so packs can be hard to find for me. First outing with this pack was a 10 mile hike around town for some geocaching. First thing I noticed is the place where the hipbelt naturally sat was higher on my torso than packs usually go. Because it sat so high on my back it didn't sit in the small of my back and not much of the load was put on my hips.

Obviously this means more of the weight is on my shoulders so my shoulders got sore after about 7 miles. The hip belt felt great and stable and the airstream system did keep me from sweating as much on my back. The position of the base of the pack might be a deal breaker for me. It could just be my long torso so I'd try it on before you buy it (duh).

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

Used this pack to play 'pack mule' for family of 6 during week-long vacation in Disneyland. The pack easily accommodated all our gear (food, jackets, cameras, etc.) and still provided an ample supply of H20 to keep the kids hydrated between rides.

Couldn't be happier with the comfort, utility and durability.

I've never written a product review before but after spending a week and many miles using this pack, I felt compelled to share my positive experience - absolutely no regrets.

If you're trying to decide which capacity to buy, I'd recommend going big as the compression straps on this pack easily and effectively allow one to cinch down the capacity to accommodate smaller loads without losing functionality or comfort.

All smiles here and already looking for the next day-hike for an excuse to throw this on my back again.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

I live in Colorado and use this pack regularly. First off, I'd like to address some of the cons others have written about. I'm 6'3" 230lbs. with an athletic build and this pack is very comfortable for me. The only time I use the hip straps is when scrambling/climbing when i need to keep the pack in place. Yes the it does ride a little high but when configured correctly it is still relatively comfortable for a large man like myself (although I would never wear them all the time). Things to consider about this though, who really needs lumbar support when carrying 15-20lbs? If you can't carry 15-20lbs. on your shoulders without complaining, you probably cannot due much of the things this bag is meant for and should pursue other interests. Also, the relatively uncomfortable hip straps can be tied behind the bag and this is perfect for trail hiking, ect. I use this bag exclusively for hiking/climbing (non-technical, 14'ers ect.) and absolutely love it. I cannot think of anything I don't like other than the hip straps which really aren't that bad (only problem is cause of my height, I'm sure shorther people would be very comfortable with it). Another plus is that Osprey is a fantastic company with a great warranty. My roommates dog got a hold of my reservoir and chewed up the bite valve. I called them and tried to order a replacement piece and they sent me one free of charge and it only took me a few minutes. In short, if your looking for a daypack to cover all your needs and the best hydration system in the business (that I've used), this is the pack for you.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

I actually bought the Manta 25, but my comments pertain to all three packs in the Manta series. After nearly a full year of use, I like this Manta pack more and more.

The Hydraform water bladder and shaped bladder pocket are ingeniously designed and super convenient. But what else would you expect when two top-notch firms like Osprey and Nalgene team up? I love the fact that I don't have to feed the bladder hose through a tight little slot or hole, as is normal for most other packs; instead, the hose automatically gets routed up through a little groove in the pocket corner. The magnetic keeper is also a great convenience.

There are FIVE small zippered pockets and THREE stretch-mesh pockets to hold trail items. That offers a lot of convenience and organization for such a small pack. The built-in raincover is just the icing on this feature-rich cake. As for the quality of the materials and construction, they are A+ just like all Osprey packs. Comfort and stability, even when running down a trail, are also excellent. To be honest, though, that's not difficult to achieve with a small, lightly loaded daypack.

I did notice that another reviewer here complained about the metal frame digging into his back. I have tried to evaluate this purported "design flaw" when wearing my pack, but I really can't even detect the presence of a rigid frame. It just seems to wrap perfectly around my waist. Perhaps that reviewer simply bought the wrong size (they come in two sizes).

I have only two comments that could be construed as even slightly negative. My first comment is just a cautionary statement that the actual capacity of the Manta packs is less than the listed capacity. I would reduce the listed capacity by about 1/3 to get a truer number. So, the Manta 20, 25, and 30 really hold about 13, 17, and 20 liters, respectively. This isn't a problem if you are buying one in a store and can visually assess the true capacity, but on-line buyers are likely to be disappointed by the small size.

My second "negative" comment is really a question and plea: Why doesn't Osprey use the Hydraform bladder and pocket on ALL of its daypacks? I would love to see this excellent system in some of their 35, 40, and 45 liter packs. Maybe some day they will.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

After exchanging a duffel bag that we received as a gift (turned out to be WAYYYY to big for any uses we had), I picked up the Manta 30. I'd been eyeing a new pack for a while and wanted one with a platypus. The Manta 30 has turned out to be PERFECT. I not only use it for frequent day hikes, but it has turned into the ideal "manbag." (no laughter please..) I daily fill the hydration bag, and drop two aluminum water bottles into the pouch. Add a raincoat, change of shirts (NC is HOT), and a hodgepodge of other equipment and the bag still sits almost weightless on my back. The folks at REI did a great job sizing me for a pack and it has paid off. My M/L Manta 30 sits great on my hips and has yet to tire me, even after hours of hiking.

At the same time, my Fiance picked up a different pack from a different manufacturer (I won't name names), that was designed to allow breathability across the back of the wearer. Needless to say, that wasn't the case. Today the failed pack was returned and exchanged for a Manta 20..

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

Great pack. Writing this review to remind people not to put their compass in the breast pocket near the bite valve magnet. It caused my compass to completely reverse, with south becoming north, and I traveled a bit out of the way in cloud cover and rain.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

I purchased this pack for my girlfriend today. I was extremely excited after reading all of the reviews and when I brought her into REI to pick it up....she looked inside it and said wow...i can't fit anything in there.

I am not entirely sure what this pack is designed for, but if it is designed to carry anything of significance...it gets a HUGE fail. They offer 3 sizes, so one would think that the 30 would be at least comparable to other 30L daypacks, but I would say it holds about half as much as my North Face pack of the same capacity. I wanted to love this pack...I tried my hardest to convince her that it would work....but to no avail....I could not conceive any scenario where this pack would be sufficient for either of us...unless I wanted to use it strictly as a hydration pack and pack a lunch....not much more can fit.

Comments about Osprey Manta 30 Hydration Pack - 100 fl. oz.:

I used this pack in Glen Canyon Nat'l Recreation Area. It carried out well with the load, my SLR camera,extra lense,binoculars & snacks.
Plus plenty of water,and I am loving it!