Stratos 24L

Lack of a frame doesn't necessarily mean the weight will be on his shoulders. A properly worn, wide, padded hipbelt will provide support and engage the legs. If you compare an Osprey Talon 22 to and Osprey Daylite Plus, you will notice a big difference in support for the same amount of weight. But a

Second the rec for the Osprey Stratos 24. Excellent pack. It has a rigid frame that really helps to transfer weight to your hips once adjusted correctly. I used to always get sore shoulders but this pack solved that issue for me. I also tried on the Osprey Talon. For me, the Stratos was clearly bett

I got an Osprey Stratos 24L for Christmas. I've only done 15 miles or so with it so far with winter hikes, but I'm loving it. Super comfy, no back pain or pressure points with 20 lbs loaded. And I'm excited for the ventilation come summer. I can't speak to the ones you mentioned unfortunately, but m

My lower 6 are compressed. A good fitting pack actually helps. I've had luck with Gregory Zulu, a Mystery Ranch Radix 57, and a ULA Circuit . All 3 are tall enough for shoulder load lifters to be effective. The bottom position of the load lifters on the Radix and Circuit are moveable which helps a l

I looked at and tried on the Talon but chose the Osprey Stratos 24 instead. Has a rigid frame and (at least for me) transfers weight to the hips much better while also keeping my back more ventilated.

Update on the Stratos 24: Did a challenging, 5.8mi, 2000’ elevation gain hike with it yesterday and loved it. Used my 2.5L osprey hydration bladder, filled up to max fill level, and it fit in super well. This was a gear test hike for a longer overnight that i have coming up in 2 weeks so i packed a