Osprey Stratos 36 Backpack Assessment

Specs at a Look

• Gender: Males’s (the corresponding ladies’s mannequin is named the Osprey Sirrus 36)
• Quantity: 36L (additionally out there in 44L, 34L, and 24L sizes)
• Weight:  3 lbs 4.4 oz, precise (3 lbs 4.8 oz spec)
• Pockets: 9, plus the primary compartment
• Entry: High 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 dimension 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 positioned behind your torso that encourages airflow to maintain you cooler and dry the perspiration that makes your shirt damp. They work fairly nicely and are a fascinating characteristic on a day pack should you hike in scorching 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 repeatedly from the again of the pack into the hipbelt, offering a body-hugging match. Apart from elevated consolation and management, this helps get rid of any slippage of the hipbelt down your pants, so it stays in your hips for max effectivity and cargo switch.

The Stratos 36 can be an adjustable-length backpack, which suggests you may dial it to suit your actual torso size, even should you usually match between sizes. You do that by elevating or reducing 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 totally loaded. The objective is to let your hips and legs carry nearly all of the burden in your backpack as a result of they’re the strongest muscular tissues in your physique, whereas your shoulders hold the pack positioned near your again and heart of gravity.

The shoulder pads are related collectively within the again to one thing referred to as a yoke. The yoke is related to the mesh again panel and built-in hip belt with utilizing a ladder lock adjustment system (the earlier mannequin used velcro), so you may  elevate or decrease the shoulder pads. Elevating the pads makes the gap between the hip belt and the shoulder pads longer whereas reducing them makes the gap shorter.

The Stratos’ shoulder straps have the identical snug and moisture-wicking padding because the hip belt. They’re additionally S-shaped and comfy for males or ladies. The pack has load lifters which might be anchored to the body in addition to the shoulder pads. These are used to drag the pack ahead and into higher alignment along 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 primary compartment which might be accessed from the highest or by means of a facet zipper. Having all these pockets and entry strategies makes the Stratos 36 an distinctive backpack should you want a pack for multi-sports adventures as a result of you may separate the gear you want for various actions. There are:

• 2 pockets within the high 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 high lid with a large high 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 hunch 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 may nonetheless see them while you open the pack.

There are two facet mesh water bottle pockets which might be 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 skin should you discover that simpler to make use of. The facet pocket mesh is fairly sturdy however shouldn’t be the finely woven mesh that Osprey makes use of on their costlier, higher-capacity packs. That signifies that the Stratos 36’s mesh is more likely to get ripped up should you catch it on a department, however it’s also possible to simply  patch the opening with Tenacious Tape (see Find out how to Restore Backpack Mesh Pockets with Tenacious Tape.)

The hipbelt has two massive zippered pockets which might be large enough to retailer a Smartphone and several other snack bars. They each have stable cloth faces, which is my choice 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 beneath the primary pocket, which is accessed by means of an exterior zipper protected by a rain flap. The sleeping bag compartment is a floating shelf held in place by toggles, which might undo if you wish to be part of it to the primary compartment above to create a bigger and steady cupboard space.

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 that you may retailer a small water filter and rolled-up gentle bottle, like a Platypus inside. That’s the place I hold mine for the reason that 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 somewhat 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 a variety of ways in which an open mesh pocket can’t be. For instance, you may retailer your whole further 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 help package, and so forth.

Along with all of those exterior pockets, the primary compartment has a full-length hydration sleeve with a central hydration port, so you may run the dampen both shoulder pad. The primary compartment might be accessed from the highest, by means of a drawstring opening, or from the facet, by means of a protracted facet zipper. That facet zipper is especially useful while you need to pull one thing out of the underside of the pack, like a heat jacket or your bathroom paper, when it’s packed close to the underside of the primary compartment. It is a fairly uncommon characteristic on a pack of this dimension 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 perimeters of the pack for winter climbing. The pack additionally has an ice ax loop with a shaft holder, the basic Osprey stow-and-go trekking pole holder, and a pair of sleeping pad straps beneath the sleeping bag pocket. It truly is loaded with helpful options.

Comparable Daypacks

Suggestion

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 actually stands out for me about this pack is its capacity to hold heavy hundreds with relative ease. You’ll be able to load it up with digital camera gear, climbing gear, or winter traction aids and carry them with ease. If you happen to’re on the lookout 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 writer bought this backpack.

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