More new packs for 2011, this time from Osprey, who have a mix of upgrades and totally new models in the pipeline for early next year including tweaked Talons, a new lightweight race pack and new options for bikers too.
There's a minor change for the lightweight Exos backpacking sac, with the original pale colours being joined by an attractive-looking black and green option.
New Women's Sirrus
Completely new, however, is the Sirrus, a women's-specific version of the existing men's Stratos pack with Airspeed Suspension – tensioned mesh back panel plus LightWire alloy frame - plus compression straps, stretch side pockets, raincover, hip-belt pockets and so on. We're very impressed with the latest Stratos, so it's good to see a women's version appearing.
Talons Revamped
The existing Talon pack sells more on this side of the Atlantic than in the US and has had an extensive revamp for next year. Changes include a different reflective pattern, redesigned LidLock helmet stowage – as seen on this year's Raptor bike packs – side compression straps which go over or under the side pockets, sliding chest harness andnew buckles which are 50% lighter but 25% stronger, new drilled zip-pulls.
There's also a completely new Talon 8 beltpack with 'cooler looks', clam-shaped wings and bottles.
Hornet Race Pack
Developed from the Talon, the new Hornet is a stripped down, lighter version aimed primarily at racers. The Hornet 32 is, for example, 33% lighter than the equivalent Talon 33 at just 590g.
The spec includes lots of compression, reflective tape, stretch pockets and a removable lid. The back system uses a combination of foam and spacer mesh pads with grippy surface and the fabric is a lightweight 70D silicone-impregnated Nylon. Finally, like the Talon, the pack uses perforated EVA foam padding for the shoulder straps.
New Bike Packs
Osprey launched the biking-specific Raptor hydration packs this year and they're expanding the range for 2011. The Escapist 25 is a more bike-friendly Talon eqivalent with a similar back system, but heavier-duty fabric – 210 denier as against 90 denier – it also has internal dividers to keep your pumps and gubbins organised neatly, more reflective patches and an integral rain cover which features its own rear light patch.
Finally the Viper and the Verve – the Verve is the women's version – is a range of multi-use Hydraulics hydration packs with capacities between 4 and 13 litres. The packs are more stripped down, lighter and simpler than the Raptor and Manta versions, but use the same neat stiffened hydration reservoir system with magnet bite valve gubbins.
The smaller versions come with a 2-litre bladder, but will also take a 3-litre one with some reduction in storage capacity. We know this because we have a pre-production Viper 4 on the go right now and that's exactly what we've done with it. More to follow on that front.
All the above are available from early 2011. More Osprey Packs info at www.ospreypacks.com. Additional images below.
