Osprey’s Sirrus 24 Women’s Dayhike Backpack
Someone recently threw out the question “What topic could you easily spend thirty minutes discussing?” It’s the kind of question you find on twitter, and also the kind that bubbles up on a nice long hike, when you are completely unplugged and dive deep into random topics.
One topic I could easily spend 30 minutes discussing: backpacks. Day packs, biking packs, travel packs, backpacking packs. There’s a wild range of features out there, people! And they all have pros and cons. If you plan to cover some ground by foot or bike, with every thing you need on your back, then it’s worth your time to consider which assortment of features will serve you.
Last summer we hiked the Tour de Mont Blanc, circumnavigating that massive glacial range on a eight-day village-to-village trek. We took the comfort option and had luggage moved from spot to spot, so we only needed a daypack. It didn’t take long to whittle my list of potential packs down to one of the Osprey line (it’s the turquoise one in the big photo above.) I’m not always a brand-loyal buyer but I love my Osprey biking pack (that magnetic snap that holds the hydration tube!) It’s kind of like a brand of running shoe – when you find one that fits, you stick with it.
I ordered a few different models, and the Sirrus 24 liter won me over. I’ll keep my discussion of the features under 30 minutes! You can check them out in more detail, but here are the highlights:
- The mesh back keeps air circulating between your shirt and the pack so sweat can evaporate. So much cooler. And behind the mesh is a velcro system that easily adjust the shoulder straps to your torso, keeping the weight close to your body. It’s a comfortable pack.
- Enough smaller pockets to find a spot for everything you need, a streamlined pocket for a hydration bladder, and one roomy compartment for extra clothing layers.
- A rain cover rolled into the bottom compartment that I only needed to use on one very cold, wet day. Pulling out a dry fleece made me appreciate having the rain hood for the pack.
- The elastic loop on one side was a mystery until Jeff clued me into its purpose: a quick and easy spot for hiking poles. So clever.
- The pockets on the well-padded hip belt held my phone on one side and snacks on the other, because both those things require easy access. Especially the snacks.
BTW I’m not connected to Osprey in any way — so this review is completely unmotivated by any reward other than helping you to hike happy. I bought mine through Backcountry.com, (no affiliation there either.)