Osprey  Kestrel LT 45 Pack - Men's

I've owned several Osprey's, two of the more recent being the Rook 50 and Kestrel 38. Rook was a solid pack, but returned as the shoulder straps were too stiff and uncomfortable, and lack of front pocket bothered me more than I thought it would. The Kestrel I used for many years, but the torso wasn't great a great fit, and more importantly the shoulder straps were thin, short and uncomfortable with moderate loads. While I have several others packs, UL and heavy haulers, I didn't really have a mid sized rugged and comfortable pack, so this new LT looked interesting. I gotta say, they solved my biggest gripes: they have increased the length, width and thickness of the should straps considerably. They have also improved the torso fit, now with a better harness and more effective adjustment. The materials are excellent, and no more useless bottom compartment...now it has a very handy continuous side/bottom zip to access internal stuff. The compression straps are excellent, and the top lid buckles are far down the pack so you can really cinch this thing down small when carrying a smaller load (no floppy lid syndrome). The hip belt is well designed and comfortable. The two minor nitpicks: I feel all lids though be removable, hip belt pockets should be just a tad bigger (although it fits my Pixel 8a snuggly), sternum strap should be elasticized, and side pockets should move to something like REI has done with their flash series (angled and easy to get to). You can access water bottles through the forward facing hole, but it's not as easy as it should be. Also note that with the rain cover removed, this pack weighs 3.4 pounds, which is not UL but easily in the lightweight category. Overall I think Osprey really nailed it with this pack. Carries the load extremely well, super comfortable, has excellent workmanship and materials, tough, and looks fantastic. Note on the color: When I purchased I thought this was olive green and grey to my eyes, but the colors are actually olive green and brown....which was a very pleasant surprise. It looks way better in person than I thought.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] So far, really liking the comfort and features of the pack. Adjustments seem to be sufficient for multiple body frames/sizes. Still breaking it in.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Tested this kit locally and easily fitted all my camping gear, plus extra space for food on multi-day hikes. Remained comfortable even over uneven terrain.