I bought this for myself Christmas of 2013 intending to get my first sturdy day pack for day hikes and weekend traveling. Since, I've used it for day hikes, 2-4 day backpacking trips, other weekend trips, as a flight carry-on, and (in a pinch) as an academic bag. 5'6" female. I have an older model but I can speak to how it has held up over the years and hopefully the new models are at least as good. Overall feels: I find the bag to be quite comfortable, even when loaded with 20-30lbs of stuff. The water bottle pockets are a little difficult to get to, but I got used to it over time. I also enjoy having the brain, because I can grab a pencil/notebook/wallet/snack out of it pretty easily when I'm on the go without too much fuss. The hip pockets are also always a nice feature - I often get comments from friends about them. Overall functionality: This pack really shines as a day pack. I have never fully filled it during any day trip, so it looks kind of saggy while wearing. The brain/drawstring combo also can be a pain to get into mid-trip, but if you plan where to put snacks/water/rain jacket when you pack the bag it's less of an issue. As a multi-day pack, it can hold the basics - sleeping bag, hammock, tarp, water, first aid, a few layers, and some dense food - but I wouldn't count on bringing a stove. The brain is useful for attaching tarps and sleeping mats externally by just clipping the straps down. As an academic pack this is not so great. It's a pain to get into during classes and it's just not made to hold textbooks and notebooks. As a weekend travel pack, it can hold everything without being too bulky on trains/buses, and it's comfortable to wear even in a crowded urban area. Overall durability: The back has sagged weirdly and is now less comfortable, especially when it isn't holding many items. There are no major rips, buckle breaks, or seam failures though and that says something about the quality.

Laa

Maine

I love this bag, it sits really well on my back and can carry everything i need for a full days hiking but having to take the bag off every time i need to get to my water bottle is a big let down ,sorry Ospery but this true.

micksjoiner

Irvine,Ayrshire Scotland

When The pack is not full the top pocket hangs down allowing water to leak through the zip, as the material has good water proofing qualities it does not let the water run out causing pooling. It is aldo not possible to tie the draw string of the main pack tight enough to keep water out in this situation also causing pooling which destroyed an expensive camera

Gbefc

Sydney

I now have several hundred miles on my Talon 33 and feel like I now know it well enough to comment on it. I use it mainly for 4-season day hikes and the occasional summer overnight. The pack is extremely comfortable and loads easily. I like the minimalist design and light weight. If you need lots of pockets for organization, this isn't your pack. For day hikes, I often use a hydration bladder. For overnight, water bottles in the exterior pockets. The pack works great in either mode, but pulling a water bottle out of the exterior pocket on the go is very difficult. Replacing it is even more difficult. There are times when I would like at least one of the pockets canted forward to ease access to a water bottle. And then I wouldn't want this if I'm carrying tent poles or a sit pad in the pocket. Go figure. I love my pack and heartily recommend it to anyone who is looking at ambitious 4-season day hiking. All the rest of my comments are nits that I have come to discover over the last year and am just passing along. The hip belt pockets are small and situated very far to the rear for me. This may not be an issue for most but I'm a huge NFL linebacker-sized guy. I'd like to add an aftermarket shoulder strap pouch but there are no good attachment points. I rigged it anyway. The load lifters on my pack are useless. Under load, they extend to their maximum length and will not adjust. For summer use when I'm not carrying a lot of extra layers, I'd like to be able to compress the pack a bit more. Perhaps just one more horizontal compression strap on the upper part of the pack would help. All in all, a wonderful pack.

Chef Ed

Winchester VA