Stratos 24L

Those are solid packs from good brands. You are on the right track. Yes, I think 22 liters is on the small size for technical day hikes and chalet overnights. 30 liters is okay. 40 liters is where I'd say it's too big. I prefer the trampoline style back whenever possible. It grabs onto my back well

i use the rei trail 40 with a peak design smedium camera cube in the bottom. the cube holds an a7iv + 16-35 + 35-150, the pack has a lot more space and is also carry-on compliant. If its just one camera + one lens, i'll usually just toss it in my osprey stratos 24 wrapped in my puffy jacket. i went

It may be more of a packing issue or type of clothes you're carrying (e.g., bulky fleece pants?). 27L without having to carry a sleeping bag or cooking kit should cover you. I use an Osprey Stratos 24L as my main day climbing/hiking pack and am able to carry 3L bladder (~100 oz), full base layer top

How much of a stickler is your particular airline? I did something similar with an Osprey Stratos 34. I put it in the overhead compartment during my flight. It's not a great carryon replacement tbh but it worked well for this. Also arguably bigger than I needed for the hiking portion of my trip but

People like Osprey packs because they are comfortable for many people, are well built, and have a great warranty. They don't do ultralight well, but that's not what they're shooting for. If possible, you really should try them on first, people tend to love them or hate them. I've been looking at bot

I love my Osprey Hikelite 26. I tried on several in our local outdoor store and the staff there provided a ton of advice. Ultimately it came down to three packs, and this one had a very good sale price. I carry a 2.5L water bladder and the side stretch pockets are large enough to add additional wate

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