 Can't make up my mind! Am looking at a reasonable sized,but small-ish pack, mainly for day walks. The Talon looks very good, but it's difficult to get an impression of the back system, whereas the Kestrel looks a bit more versatile and I kind of like the more "traditional" styling. Does anyone have any experience of either: I know Osprey have a good reputation of comfort etc.... thanks Dave
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I only know ppl who don't trust the capacity due to the curved airspace backs cutting into the realistic/useable capacity. Don't like Osprey myself and friends who owned one only reinforce that opinion.
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 I have a Talon 33 and love it. Very very comfy, takes loads of gear. The one thing I will say is that I am frustrated that my bag is a little too big. I have a very small OMM bag that I use in summer when just a waterproof and water is needed but wish I had one inbetween. Was looking at another Osprey, maybe the Talon 22 or the Stratos 24 (I think). However, I've been told I'm not allowed to buy any more gear this year 
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I didn't get on with the atmos 35 (bowed sprung-mesh back), but love my talon 44. horses for courses, depends what kit you need to fit in etc etc etc.. I'm not sure i'd'v'e got tent poles on the inside of the atmos, but it has wand pockets...oh, it's confusing! can you get to a shop?
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mutant 38 here, £40, if that's any use?
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=490538
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 ... love my talon 44...
I'm very happy with mine, too - I bought it secondhand through OM Classifieds. I suppose tot much help to the OP though.
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 Looks to me as if the Talon is aimed more at multi-use whereas Kestrel is for hiking (Kestrel has raincover, stow-on-the-go attachments: Talon has blinker patch and helmet attachment). I have a Talon 22 and a Talon 33 and love both but much prefer the panel loading of the 22 (Talon 33 and Kesterl 28 are top-loaders) but I know it's a personal thing. I find the back system of both these packs much more comfortable than the Stratos but, again, that's down to personal preference.
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 I would advise you go to a shop and try on both with weight inside. I tried on a Talon 33, which seemed very comfy when empty but with weight inside really didn't fit well at all. I settled on an OMM 32, which is a very versatile.
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agree with Dennis that panel loading is excellent. off topic, but my favourite pack is a black diamond mixmaster with top-loading and a subtle side zip
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 I recently acquired a Talon 33 and couldn't believe how comfortable it was - much better than my old Berghaus freeflow 30+6. In the shop also tried on a stratos (not as comfy) and a kestrel 38 (too heavy). I prefer the Talon 33 to the Talon 22 for the top pocket. NB I also have a talon 44, but even though it is light enough, as it has a floating lid, this tends to flop - the 33 has a fixed lid. Will only use the 44 for winter now.
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 I've just put a Talon 22 in chilli, size M/L in classifieds if anyone is interested. Throwing temptation your way 
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I have both a Kestrel 28 and talon 33. Love the Kestrel but the talon although a good fit is very floppy and if not loaded well things will dig in your back. The Kestrel has a firmer back. Make sure you get the right size for your torso. I bought the m/l which is too long for my back. ( 6mths old, selling for £45.) I am now buying a s/m.
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 For what it's worth, TGO are offering a free Kestrel 28 to subscribe to mag.
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 I have both a Kestrel 28 and talon 33. Love the Kestrel but the talon although a good fit is very floppy and if not loaded well things will dig in your back. The Kestrel has a firmer back. Make sure you get the right size for your torso. I bought the m/l which is too long for my back. ( 6mths old, selling for £45.) I am now buying a s/m. Yes, that's what put me off buying one. Didn't like the feel of it at all with weight in it. I've got 3 other Osprey packs - Atmos 35, Exos 46 and Exos 58 - and they're all great. Only niggle is the airspace as that does restrict packability a tad but, particularly for the Exos, the features and lightness more than compensate.
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Another option is the Gregory Z series of packs.
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Been happy with my stratos 26. The air panel back means you can talk anything you like without it digging into your back, and a minimal load isn't a problem with the volume reducing straps
The lack of sweaty back in warmer weather has been a revelation!
Not useful for commuting type tasks so this is only for walks. I'm going to try and use it for an overnighter to see how much I can get in it
I tried the talon packs and found they didn't fit me, the M/L size was still too small. I find a need a straight L
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I ended up going with the Kestrel in the end: it seemed more suited to my needs and has been a good pack. Took a small amount of fiddling to get the size correct, but is very comfy and has done well.
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