Osprey Review — My Kingdom for a New Backpack

Osprey Review — My Kingdom for a New Backpack

I’ve had the same backpack for years now. I love it. It’s worn in and comfortable, a good size, has everything that I need, cost me less than $50 — and yet… there’s just a couple of small things I don’t like that constantly bug me.

The waist straps are thin and dig into my sides when done up tight — which gets annoying on long day hikes. Also, I’m not wild about the colour — normally this wouldn’t matter, because I can’t see the bag while I’m wearing it… Except that my bag gets photographed a lot for Hike Your Story and I end up seeing it.

Every now and again I search online for my ultimate backpack:

• Small size
• Thick waist straps
• Comfy shoulder straps — and don’t forget the chest strap
• Pockets and compartments to keep my stuff organised
• Hydration pack compatible, with a separate compartment to hold it
• A nice colour — nothing too bright, gaudy, or plain black
• Something with pockets and shaping on the outside — not just a plain front

You’d think it would be easy to fulfil that list, right? Wrong… I would spend hours, even days, searching online for my ultimate backpack and simply couldn’t find it. Now, with my current backpack on its last legs, my quest for a backpack has turned from a nice idea into something I actually have to deal with.

Osprey Backpacks — A Backpack for all Occasions

I’d heard of Osprey before — I’ve seen their logo many times on backpacks while hiking. But I didn’t really know anything about them or their gear.

More than 50 years ago, the founder of Osprey was making custom backpacks from his house for hikers and campers — and this idea of custom fits and purpose has really been carried on in Osprey’s impressive collection of designs.

At the time though, I didn’t really consider that the customisation of a backpack would make that much difference… I mean, a backpack is a backpack, right?

My First Osprey Backpack — Raptor 10

It was small, it had pockets, it looked comfortable — and the colour? Pediment Grey? I love it. It’s perfect… It ticks off every item on the wish list. So what if it’s a man’s bag that’s designed for mountain biking? Those are just minor details getting in my way of owning my ultimate backpack.

I placed my order and waited for the mail — with all the patience of a kid on Christmas Eve.

After a few days, it arrived. It was beautiful. The colour was spot on, it was well made, the materials felt quality, and it was absolutely worth the money I paid for it (especially because I managed to get it on sale). I tried it on and… “Wow, ok, that’s not comfortable”…

I loosened straps here and there, adjusted it on my back, my shoulders, my waist… Nothing I did made it comfortable. It sat really high against my neck, there didn’t seem to be much space between the straps across my back. No matter how loose I made the straps, it still sat high. No matter how much I tightened them, they’d still gape at my shoulders — and what on earth is going on under my arms with those clips?

I was devastated. I kept taking it off and just staring at it, willing it to fit before trying it on again in the vain hope that I could manifest it into being comfortable. No such luck.

“Put this on for me, will you?” I said to my male housemate. It fit him like a glove. It sat right, looked right, moved right — “Can I have this?” he said.
“No.”

Eventually I had to face it — no matter what I did, this pack was not meant for me. It wasn’t designed for my female body shape. So, with all the enthusiasm of going to work on a Monday morning, I took it to the post office and returned it to Osprey.

A New Search

I was determined not to give up the search — I mean, my only alternative was to buy a roll of gaffa tape for my old bag to keep it together a little longer, so I kind of had to keep going.

I went back to the drawing board and searched online for a new backpack — but again and again I just kept coming back to Osprey.

I looked at their hiking backpacks — specifically designed for hiking and for women — the Tempest 11. Yeeaaahhhhh… It was ok. Seemed like fewer pockets than the Raptor. Still not thrilled with the colour choices.

My Second Osprey Backpack — Raven 14

I went back to the mountain biking backpacks — this time to the women’s version — the Raven.

Now, the current version wasn’t really ticking the boxes — dark purple with bright pink accents falls into the gaudy category for me… But then I managed to find an older version of the Raven online. All the great benefits of the new Ravens, but it seemed to have a few more pockets. Even though it would likely show up black in photos, the colour was actually a dark indigo — by this stage though, I was willing to compromise on the colour if it meant getting a new backpack sooner.

So What Do I Really Think of the Osprey Raven 14?

All in all, I like it — I do.

• It’s small in size
• It has thicker waist straps at the hip
• It has comfy shoulder straps and a chest strap
• It has so many pockets and compartments to keep my stuff organised
• It’s hydration pack compatible, with a separate compartment to hold it
• It’s a nice colour — in certain light
• It’s not just a plain front — there’s lots of detail on the outside

Even though it’s not perfect — and that comes down to what the pack is actually designed for versus what I’m using it for — it still works well.

I have a LidLock helmet clip that I won’t really use. The hydration hose uses a magnetic clip to attach to the chest strap — and I can totally see why that would be handy while on a mountain bike. For me as a hiker, it’s a bit awkward, but I can always just loop it to the shoulder strap instead like normal with a hair tie or something.

Other features I’ve managed to repurpose — the tool roll I’ve turned into my first aid compartment, for example.

The size is great though. It sits right in that sweet spot of being just big enough for a full day hike, but not so big that I’d regret carrying it all day by the time the hike is over.

Is Osprey Really Worth It?

Yes.

Osprey make excellent backpacks. The build quality is solid, the designs are well thought out, and there’s a huge range of options.

But that’s also the catch.

They make a lot of packs — and not all of them are going to suit what you’re doing or your body type.

The difference between a good pack and the right pack comes down to:

• fit
• intended use
• and how it actually feels on your body over a full day on the trail

If I was starting again, I’d skip straight to a hiking-specific pack — something from the Tempest range (preferably in a better colour than this season’s offerings), rather than trying to make a mountain biking pack work.

I’m still going to stick with my Raven 14 for now. Give it a real go over the year in different conditions. If it doesn’t work for me, then I’ll probably look at changing it for something else — and this time maybe visit a store to try on the packs rather than buying and returning online.

Surely somewhere out there my ultimate backpack is waiting. Or maybe this is the year I finally bite the bullet and try a running vest. I presume I can still use it even if I’m not actually running…

Screenshots of Raptor 10 taken from Osprey.

This isn't a paid or sponsored post. Just sharing some information with our hiking community.