The Osprey Talon Velocity 30 is a frameless backpack with a working vest-style suspension that’s nice for day climbing, fastpacking, multi-sport adventures, and journey. It’s loaded with all of the options you’d anticipate on a premium daypack and comes with an adjustable torso size so you’ll be able to dial in a personalised match. Quite a few pockets constructed into the vest-style harness and hipbelt allow you to simply entry squeeze bottles, snacks, your smartphone, or sun shades whilst you’re on the transfer with out having to cease. However what actually makes this pack nice is that its suspension balances your load throughout the back and front of your physique, making it extra comfy and environment friendly to hold. It’s eye-opening how comfy a day pack may be.
Specs at a look
- Gender: Males’s
- Quantity: 30:
- Weight: 2 lbs 6 oz / 1076.2g
- Body: Frameless
- Adjustable Torso Size: Sure
- Shoulder straps: Vest-Model
- Pockets: 9 + major
- Load lifters: Sure
- Hip Belt Pockets: Sure
- Hydration-ready: Exterior sleeve behind shoulder straps
- Trekking pole/ice axe holders: Sure
Backpack Suspension – Vest Model Straps and Hipbelt
The Talon Velocity 30 backpack has a running-vest-inspired harness as a substitute of typical shoulder straps that assist steadiness load throughout the back and front of your physique bringing the burden nearer to your torso and making it simpler to hold. This makes dynamic strikes, like scrambling rather more fluid as a result of the load strikes like an extension of your physique, using increased and nearer to your torso reasonably than in your shoulders and hip girdle the place the momentum can throw you off steadiness. It is smart why path runners choose this type of vest harness, but it surely may also be helpful for hikers.
Vest-style packs are additionally in vogue as a result of they’ve a number of pockets making it a lot simpler to entry water bottles, snacks, sun shades, or a smartphone with out having to cease to unpack or repack them. With vest-style straps, you’ll be able to squeeze a water bottle to squirt water into your mouth as a substitute of pulling the bottle from the aspect pocket on a standard backpack after which gyrating wildly to get it again in.
The vest-style straps on the Talon Velocity 30 flare extensively over your pectoral chest muscle tissues to tug the burden of the pack ahead. The 2 straps are related by two sternum straps which you could simply reposition up or down, relying on what makes you comfy. Osprey has put particular buckles on the sternum strap that make this a straightforward course of, and which you could even alter on the fly.
The vest straps are very light-weight perforated foam that wicks sweat, however extra importantly, conforms to the form of your chest. I’ve tried a variety of vest-style packs and completely different suspensions over time and have by no means been very glad with the best way they match as a result of I’ve a reasonably broad chest. However the vest straps on the Talon Velocity 30 match me exceptionally nicely as a result of they’re slim over the shoulders and solely flare on the sternum. In different phrases, they’re a hybrid between a standard backpack shoulder strap and a vest-style strap which may nonetheless distribute the load over the pectoral muscle tissues.
In contrast to many vest-style packs, the Talon Velocity 30 has a non-removable hipbelt. Since this can be a frameless backpack, these present little or no load switch to the hips. Their major perform is to tug the pack nearer to your hips and again and to supply further pocket storage. The Talon Velocity 20 additionally has a hipbelt as a substitute of the detachable webbing belt you discover on different fastpacks. Just like the shoulder straps, these are made with perforated foam that gives a snug and close-fitting wrap round your hips.
The Talon Velocity 30 can also be an adjustable body pack, letting you alter the size of the torso by as much as 3.5″. The pack is obtainable in two torso ranges: S/M: 17-20.5 inches and L/XL: 19.5-23 inches, so you’ll be able to alter the torso size to suit your physique and allow the load lifter straps to do their job – to tug the load nearer to your torso, notably for heavier masses. You possibly can’t get that profit on a fixed-length backpack.
Osprey makes use of the Airscape adjustment system on the Talon Velocity which has a easy rip-and-stick sizing adjustment. The again panel is all mesh interspersed with foam “vertebrae” that conform to the form of your again so the pack conforms to your physique like a second pores and skin. This adjustment system additionally permits the usage of an exterior hydration bladded that slots between the again panel and the pack physique bringing the water weight nearer to your core and making it a lot simpler to refill on the fly. An additional benefit is that this prevents leaks from soaking your gear because the hydration bladder shouldn’t be in the principle compartment.
Backpack Pockets and Entry
The Talon Velocity 30 has 9 pockets along with the principle compartment. Entry to the principle compartment is thru the highest which closes with a drawstring. Overlaying it’s a mesh prime flap that drapes over the drawstring gap. It’s stretchy so you’ll be able to wedge extra clothes or a pad beneath like a floating lid pocket on a standard backpack. The highest flap shouldn’t be waterproof so rain may conceivably leak into the principle compartment if it will get soaked.
Breaking with custom, the principle compartment has a zippered mesh pocket instead of a hydration sleeve. It features a key fob, making it splendid for storing valuables and private objects.
The vest straps every have two pockets: two lengthy ones, open on prime, designed to carry water bottles as much as 24 oz – proven right here with Smartwater bottles. They’re made with a stretchy mesh and have pull tabs on the prime making it simple to tug out or substitute bottles – though the vest makes it simple to squeeze a versatile bottle and squirt the contents into your mouth with out eradicating it first. One of many vest straps has a shorter open pocket in entrance of the bottle pocket whereas the opposite has an extended zippered pocket good for a sun shades case or a smartphone.
Along with the hipbelt pockets, there’s a lengthy entrance stretch pocket within the entrance of the pack that’s good for stuffing layers or different massive objects. It’s made with mesh, so it drains nicely however may be vulnerable to snagging on vegetation in case you go off-trail with it…one thing I wouldn’t suggest with the Talon Velocity.
The pack additionally has two lengthy aspect pockets made with stretchable mesh that can be utilized to carry bottles or different gear. They’ve extra conventional backside entrance cut-outs so you’ll be able to pull a 32 oz Nalgene bottle out in case you retailer one there, though you have to watch out that skinnier objects don’t fall out. In the event you have been fast-packing, you may stash a tarp tent fly, or tent poles in these pockets.
Compression and Exterior Attachment
One of many issues I like concerning the Talon Velocity 30 is that it’s a full backpack that’s totally loaded with all the capabilities you want. For instance, the pack has two tiers of compression straps, made with webbing and buckles, not twine and line locs which restrict you greater than assist since they freeze in winter, they’re arduous to make use of with gloves, they’re awkward to make use of when strapping cumbersome gear to the aspect of a pack, and supply nearly no compression as a result of the twine is just too skinny.
The pack additionally has a pair of sleeping pad straps on the base, which might be girth-hitched on, so that they’re detachable in case you don’t wish to use them. That’s a pleasant function. I like to make use of mine for carrying a foam pad throughout the colder months.
Lastly, you’ll be able to carry trekking poles two methods on the Talon Velocity: utilizing the aspect stow-on-the-go elastic loops that Osprey consists of on all their packs or utilizing two pairs (prime and backside) of elastic loops situated on the entrance of the pack.
Suggestion
The Osprey Talon Velocity 30 is a frameless backpack with a running-vest-inspired suspension system. I’ve tried a variety of packs with vest suspensions lately, however that is the primary backpack that has clicked with me when it comes to match. What makes this pack actually tick is its body-hugging match which is optimized for balancing the load between the back and front of your physique. Each component of the suspension and adjustable torso, from the vest straps and the hipbelt to the froth within the Airscape again panel, is optimized to tug the load as near your core as doable and make it simpler to hold. If you add all the opposite premium options that Osprey has included with this pack, you have got an actual winner excellent for day climbing, fastpacking, and multi-sport adventures. Extremely really useful!
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