Osprey  Stratos 44 Pack - Men's

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] West Highlands Scotland, Just finished 80+ miles of trail with my new Stratos 44 pack, the pack was awesome. I really love the pack cover in pocket deployment system quickly kept the gear dry. Also the Airspeed ventlated frame turned out to be really nice for drying my sides and back on trail. Waist is well designed, ergonomic and confortable, i was certainly confortable in light pants or GTX pants the whole trail!

Another great backpack from Osprey. Comfortable from the get go with loads of adjustment. Carries weight close to the body but with enough airflow to keep your back from getting too sweaty. Great for two day hikes with camping gear etc. Hip belt is extremely comfortable for extended wear. The only gripe is the design of the hip belt pockets, I could never close the zipper one handed. They seem to jamb about halfway and won’t budge. The design of the pocket or placement of the zipper on the pocket needs a rethink.

Very comfortable 1st hike - 22km with around 15kg Didn't have aching shoulders or back The mesh back of rucksack gets me nicely sweaty free! Greatly helped by the adjustable back strap Well thought out design Plenty of pocket and storage options Just one criticism - side pockets could have easier access to get water bottle whilst on the move

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Perfect size for extended 3 season day hikes including about 10 lbs of photography equipment. The RRS Travel Tripod fits perfectly in the side pocket. Best waist band and shoulder strap system on the market. Plenty of support and ventilation. Highly recommended.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Took on a 3 day 27mile hike. Through streams, mountains, and rained on for almost 24hrs. The rain fly for the pack is legit and easy to use and store. Everything stayed dry. Pack is comfortable and accessible. Would recommend.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Very good backpack, travelled trek to Gosaikunda, Nepal. Also fits as cabin baggage on flights.

This is a superb pack that straddles the boundary between being a large daypack for long day hikes, or a small backpack for overnights, or short lightweight backpacking. Therefore, if you were trying to cover both situations, in many ways this could be your only pack. The padding is efficient, mostly on the hip belt, without being bulky, and the features are just enough to get you on your way. I'd say the sweet spot for this pack is in the 15-25lb range. Perfect for a long day, or an overnight. It can handle more, but may start to get uncomfortable. I'd also suggest you compare this to the Talon 44, which is the same size, and occupies a similar space. The primary differences are that the Stratos/Sirrus has the Airspeed frame, which is more rigid than the Airscape in the Talon series. This allows for a touch more comfort when carrying more weight, a little better suited to standard trails, while the Talon may hug you a bit more, a little better suited to a bit more scrambling, off-trail hikes, etc. in addition to standard trails. While the Stratos hydration system goes into the pack, the Talon's sits between the frame and pack, externally. If you're ONLY going to backpacking and want a small, light pack I'd check out the Packfinder, and look at the Exos or Kestrel series packs.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.]