Osprey Stratos 36 Backpack Evaluate

Specs at a Look

• Gender: Males’s (the corresponding girls’s mannequin known as the Osprey Sirrus 36)
• Quantity: 36L (additionally accessible in 44L, 34L, and 24L sizes)
• Weight:  3 lbs 4.4 oz, precise (3 lbs 4.8 oz spec)
• Pockets: 9, plus the principle compartment
• Entry: Prime lid, lengthy facet zipper, backside pockets (2)
• Body: Aluminum, wire perimeter
• Ventilated: Sure
• Adjustable Torso Size: Sure
• Hydration suitable: Sure
• Sleeping Bag compartment: Sure
• Rain cowl included: Sure
• Max really useful load: 30 lbs
• One measurement w/ torso size of 18-22″
• Supplies: Recycled 210d and 420d nylon w/ PFC & PFAS-free DWR

Backpack Body and Suspension

The Stratos 36 is a ventilated and adjustable-length backpack with a seamless mesh again panel and hipbelt that present a cushty and back-hugging match. Ventilated backpacks have a cavity situated behind your torso that encourages airflow to maintain you cooler and dry the perspiration that makes your shirt damp. They work fairly properly and are a fascinating function on a day pack in the event you hike in sizzling or humid climate. On the Stratos 36, the mesh again panel is suspended over the backpack’s wire perimeter body, making a type of trampoline that acts as a shock absorber to cushion your again and hips as you hike.

The mesh flows constantly from the again of the pack into the hipbelt, offering a body-hugging match. In addition to elevated consolation and management, this helps remove any slippage of the hipbelt down your pants, so it stays in your hips for optimum effectivity and cargo switch.

The Stratos 36 can also be an adjustable-length backpack, which implies you’ll be able to dial it to suit your actual torso size, even in the event you usually match between sizes. You do that by elevating or decreasing the shoulder straps in relation to the hipbelt in order that the shoulder pads calmly contact the tops of your shoulders when the backpack is absolutely loaded. The objective is to let your hips and legs carry the vast majority of the burden in your backpack as a result of they’re the strongest muscle tissues in your physique, whereas your shoulders maintain the pack positioned near your again and heart of gravity.

The shoulder pads are linked collectively within the again to one thing known as a yoke. The yoke is linked to the mesh again panel and built-in hip belt with utilizing a ladder lock adjustment system (the earlier mannequin used velcro), so you’ll be able to  increase or decrease the shoulder pads. Elevating the pads makes the space between the hip belt and the shoulder pads longer whereas decreasing them makes the space shorter.

The Stratos’ shoulder straps have the identical snug and moisture-wicking padding because the hip belt. They’re additionally S-shaped and cozy for males or girls. The pack has load lifters which are anchored to the body in addition to the shoulder pads. These are used to drag the pack ahead and into higher alignment together with your hips if it’s pulling you backward. The shoulder straps even have two hydration loops sewn to the entrance to seize a hose, and sternum straps that may be moved up and down on a “rail”, for ease of adjustment.

Backpack Group and Storage

The Stratos 36 is loaded with 9 pockets to maintain your stuff organized, along with the principle compartment which might be accessed from the highest or via a facet zipper. Having all these pockets and entry strategies makes the Stratos 36 an distinctive backpack in the event you want a pack for multi-sports adventures as a result of you’ll be able to separate the gear you want for various actions. There are:

• 2 pockets within the prime lid
• 2 facet water bottle pockets
• 2 hip belt pockets
• 1 entrance stash pocket
• 1 sleeping bag pocket
• 1 rain cowl pocket

The Stratos 36 has a hard and fast prime lid with a large prime pocket and a second zippered mesh pocket beneath, that has a key fob inside. The truth that the lid is sewn to the body is sweet as a result of it doesn’t droop awkwardly or droop sideways the best way that some floating lids do on bigger quantity packs. The highest lid pocket is massive sufficient to retailer hats, gloves, maps, and navigation gear, whereas the mesh pocket beneath is sweet for storing your keys, pockets, and sundries the place you’ll be able to nonetheless see them if you open the pack.

There are two facet mesh water bottle pockets which are deep sufficient to carry 1L Nalgene or Smartwater bottles. Each pockets have a compression strap that may run contained in the pocket or on the surface in the event you discover that simpler to make use of. The facet pocket mesh within reason sturdy however will not be the finely woven mesh that Osprey makes use of on their dearer, higher-capacity packs. That implies that the Stratos 36’s mesh is more likely to get ripped up in the event you catch it on a department, however you can too simply  patch the opening with Tenacious Tape (see Restore Backpack Mesh Pockets with Tenacious Tape.)

The hipbelt has two massive zippered pockets which are sufficiently big to retailer a Smartphone and several other snack bars. They each have strong material faces, which is my desire as a result of they’re extra sturdy than pockets with mesh fronts and supply higher safety for electronics from the climate or impacts.

There’s a separate sleeping bag compartment below the principle pocket, which is accessed via an exterior zipper protected by a rain flap. The sleeping bag compartment is a floating shelf held in place by toggles, which may undo if you wish to be part of it to the principle compartment above to create a bigger and steady space for storing.

The Stratos 36 comes with a rain cowl which is saved in one other pocket on the backside of the pack. This pocket has a drain gap and is massive sufficient you could retailer a small water filter and rolled-up tender bottle, like a Platypus inside. That’s the place I maintain mine because the pack doesn’t have a entrance stretch mesh pocket to retailer moist gadgets.

There’s additionally a big pocket with a vertical zipper on the entrance of the pack which is sweet for storing a jacket or different gadgets you need quick access to. I had a little bit hassle adapting to it since I’m so used to having an open mesh pocket on the entrance of a backpack. However this lengthy pocket can be utilized in quite a few ways in which an open mesh pocket can’t be. For instance, you’ll be able to retailer your entire additional layers for a protracted hike together with a puffy jacket, rain gear, hats and gloves; crampons or microspikes or each; climbing gear; backcountry ski gear; and emergency shelter, splint, and first support equipment, and so forth.

Along with all of those exterior pockets, the principle compartment has a full-length hydration sleeve with a central hydration port, so you’ll be able to run the dampen both shoulder pad. The principle compartment might be accessed from the highest, via a drawstring opening, or from the facet, via a protracted facet zipper. That facet zipper is especially useful if you wish to pull one thing out of the underside of the pack, like a heat jacket or your rest room paper, when it’s packed close to the underside of the principle compartment. It is a fairly uncommon function on a pack of this measurement however is tremendous helpful in colder climate.

Exterior Attachments and Compression

The Stratos 36 has two tiers of facet compression straps, that are good for securing tall objects like fishing rods the facet of the pack. The highest compression straps shut with a quick-release buckle, which additionally makes it simpler to connect snowshoes to the edges of the pack for winter climbing. The pack additionally has an ice ax loop with a shaft holder, the traditional Osprey stow-and-go trekking pole holder, and a pair of sleeping pad straps under the sleeping bag pocket. It truly is loaded with helpful options.

Comparable Daypacks

Advice

The Osprey Stratos 36 is an distinctive backpack that can be utilized for day climbing, winter climbing, hut-to-hut journeys, multi-sport adventures, and even light-weight in a single day journeys. Whereas the Stratos has a cushty ventilated and adjustable size body and quite a few pockets and organizational options, the factor that basically stands out for me about this pack is its potential to hold heavy hundreds with relative ease. You possibly can load it up with digicam gear, climbing gear, or winter traction aids and carry them with ease. If you happen to’re searching for a flexible mid-size backpack that can be utilized year-round for a variety of actions, I’d positively advocate the Osprey Stratos 36.

Disclosure: The creator bought this backpack.

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