Osprey  Stratos 36 Pack

I walked 900 km through northern Spain in April and May with this pack. It held all may gear for a 43 day trek (no camping or cooking involved) through rain, snow, hail, and the baking heat of the 200 km+ Meseta. I would like to have had external attachment points for a sleeping pad and jacket. The rain cover work well during a 2 week drizzle with occasional heavy rain. None of the interior contents were wet even on the heaviest days. I do recommend applying additional water proofing to the cover and pack itself to protect the contents of the top lid and exterior pockets. Over all it is a great pack that balanced 10 kilos of gear very well on my back through varying terrain, and still felt comfortable after 30+km every day.

My wife and I have just started hiking and would eventually like to do a couple backpacking trips. We bought this backpack to hold our "comfort" gear on our day trips. We fit a tarp, rope, 2 person cook set, stove, fuel, food, water, hydration sleeve, and extra layers in the pack with room to spare. We absolutely LOVE the suspended mesh back panel. We are warm people and we rarely have sweaty backs with this pack on. The multiple adjustment straps allow you to position the pack so it is comfortable and seems to weigh nothing. The included rain cover has come in handy a couple of day trips. Only tip I have is; when loading the pack, put your hydration sleeve in first, then pack the main compartment. It is a little hard to slide the hydration sleeve in when the pack is full.

I decided on the Osprey 36 after trying out comparable packs from just about every other company that REI sells. This pack had the best overall fit - did not limit my range of motion at all like most other packs did. The actual capacity does seem a bit larger than most 36L backpacks however, the well placed compression straps allow you to properly secure your gear when the extra space in not needed. This allows the pack to be used comfortably for a short summer day hike as well as a multi-day trip (assuming you have minimalist sleeping gear) and everything in between. Awesome build quality and company warranty. I hope to be using this pack for many years.

I just used this pack on a recent day hike to the top of Mt Whitney on 9/30/13, and it would awesome. The pack and I survived ~22 miles, 6k feet of climbing, and 13hrs of hiking. I wanted a light day pack, but one that put weight on my hips vs. my shoulders. This pack did this perfectly. I kept ~2 liters of water at a time in my bladder, carried food, DSL camera, and my layers without issue. The other really great feature are the pouches on the hip belt. I carried my iPhone in one pouch , and carried Gu's in my other pouch. Both of these allowed me to grab them while on the go even in places where the trail had some serious drop offs. The other item I really like is the open air feature that hits your back. This really helps keep your back cool, and I think it feels amazing compared to other types of packs. Overall I'm really happy about this pack. I'm using it for long day hikes (ie Mt Whitney), it keeps weight on my hips vs. shoulders, its light, and it feels great on my back.

Ok, so this pack basically has it all, IF you're a minimalist. I've used this on week-long backpacking trips and it was incredible. What someone needs to realize is the WAY you pack can impact how well it functions. For example, I would not say it is actually DIFFICULT TO pack, but I checked that box because if you take the time to do it RIGHT, this pack can be used for week-long expeditions. Just throwing thins in doesn't work because it has an arched spine (it is not straight like the Osprey Aether 70). One instance is when I started placing my rain jacket in between the mesh and the pack. It was surprisingly still breathable and saved that extra space inside the pack. HUGE bonus is the ability to store it as a carry-on (a perfect fit). Excellent pack for a minimalist or savvy packer.

I originally bought this pack for my trips to Alaska. I do a lot of day fly out trips either fishing or photographing wildlife in the Katmai National Forest area or South East. The 36 is a tad small if you have to spend more than a night or two out in the bush with the potential for inclement weather. However, it has been perfect for me on day trips. Very comfortable in sometimes difficult terrain and long mileage days. Pockets are strategically placed to make it convenient to get bug spray, chap stick, sun screen etc....not able to leave the pack on the river bank due to bears, I was still able to cast an 8 wt rod all day and catch fish without too much inconvenience from the pack on my back all day. The air venting was a nice bonus. Also used the pack on 2 separate trips to Europe for my carry on stuff and then using it to haul gear for our soccer team. Both international and US airlines have let me take the pack as a carry on without any problems.

I bought an Osprey Aether 60 before I bought this and loved it to death. Decided that I wanted something a little smaller for when I go on Day Hikes, Light Over-nighters, ect. It was hard to choose with all of the new 2010 Osprey Packs. Decided on this bag and have no regrets! Immediately after buying this bag I went on an overnighter. Temperatures were at a low of about 30 degrees so I had to pack a few extra jackets. I was able to fit the jackets and all other essentials in my pack no problem. I plan to do a lot of Hammock camping this summer and this will be my bag of choice!

Got this as a bday present and I love it! I have been looking for a pack that has a large main compartment,but since I am an organizational freak, I needed a smaller one as well for my light gear. It has both and works like a charm. I tried what was labeled at the store as a L and it was way to small. I left very discouraged, tried it on at another store few days later, the first one must have been mislabeled cause the L fits my 6'4" frame like a dream. The air speed on the back is great as well since I live out in Vegas and it gets smokin hot on the trails out here.

This is a pack that is a large day pack. May be too small for overnights. Depends on where you are going. For altitude it provides enough space for plenty of gear, food, water, and extra clothing for a day. I tend to carry extra emergency supplies so it is good for me. Too big for more predictable day hikes. Construction is very good. Comfort is very good. Highly recommended if the size is right for the job.

My only issue with this pack is that because the fabric has a one-inch lip to hang over openings, the zippers tend to snag on the fabric when opening/closing. It's not a big deal, but it stands out to me as undesirable--and therefore a con. One other thing I don't care for too much is that I'm tall and skinny, and the straps are almost cinched down to their max on the hipbelt, shoulders, and load tensioners. (This is the same thing most tall/skinny guys run into with t-shirts: Buy a size Large so it's long enough, but it's wide. The pack is made to fit someone that's really big around, so for an athletic dude, it'll work fine, but you'll have long, dangly straps when you're done [you might trim them and singe with flame to secure].) The pack is great for day hikes though. Because the back panel is fixed and the bag contours away from your back, the inside of the pack isn't as spacious as I would like, but it does hold a decent load for day hikes. The two mesh pockets on the sides fit my klean kanteen water bottles very well. The shoulder strap pocket fits my iPhone, and the hipbelt pockets fit my collapsible dog's water bowl, leash, and granola bars. Inside I usually stick a hardshell, puffy jacket, fleece, paracord, headlamp, knife, and a few first aid items, along with a 1L nalgene and a there's still a bit of room left over. It's balanced and stable when scrambling rock and fast packing. It would be a challenge to use this for multi-night with a tent and sleeping bag packed in, but it could be done. Overall, a solid daypack and great for hot/humid conditions.