Osprey Kestrel 48

You can use whatever reservoir system you choose and you don't have to unpack your stuff to remove or refill it an elastic shove it pocket on the fron...

This is a durable, well organized midsize. It offers you a lightweight frame the capability to hold lots of stuff and easy access options, in addition...

But so another con for this bag that I'd say I already mentioned it. But the hydration bladder issue where you know when you have a full bladder it st...

Okay, so this Osprey Kestrel 48 backpacks fully packed up now weighs under 9 kilos, fully loaded, which is approximately 19 pound, right? I'm all set ...

I am a minimalist traveller and have an osprey kestrel 48 for 10 years, which has been so good to me, but I never have more than 5-6kg in it, so it's wayy too big for the way I travel. I'm looking at something around the 25L mark that is low key so that I won't stand out as a tourist, but also is comfortable enough to be wearing every day for months at a time. Something like stratos 24 ticks a lot of boxes for me in terms of comfort, but style is too technical.

Pros: Quality bag, tough, comfortable, great color choices. Cons: With full pack the long side pocket, external hydration bladder and external side water bottle pockets are too tight and difficult to use. As someone else stated simply, this pack seems over-engineered and poorly designed.

A hiking backpack for groceries is ideal (before I got my car in April last year my SO and I would ride our bikes to the grocery store and fill up our 48L Osprey Kestrel bags with only the necessities). Rice, chicken, beans, we're competitive athletes so not having a car during that time helped us avoid bringing donuts home, no space in bag since we have 3 cartons of eggs haha.

Bag overall is good but going to switch to something else because of the hydration compartment. It’s located externally along the back, which for me is uncomfortable and pinches the hydration tube which makes it impossible to drink (YMMV)

If I get a new pack they'd be able to use my Kestrel 48 w/ a baseweight of 8-9 pounds (52oz kestral48 + 36oz sleeping bag + 14oz pad + 32oz assorted gear/toiletres/clothes) should be comfy. I'm actually kind of tempted to just buy them a Kumo or CDT but the Kestrel 48 does great at sub 15lbs.

I used this pack for about 6 months on various backpacking/camping hikes. I absolutely love the size and features of this pack. It's perfect for a weekend camping trip. I would often leave work on Friday and camp until Sunday. It had plenty of room for everything I would need. The side access to the...