Osprey Talon 11 Daypack Stealth Black

I was looking for a ~20 litre pack and struggling to decide, so I bought ALL the Osprey ~20l packs (over £1,000) so I could try them all. They all offered something I liked but you know I couldn't find one that ticked every box for me, this Talon 11 ticked most!Pros- It seems bigger than 11 litres. I was able to put almost as much gear in this as some of their 20 litre packs- It looks narrow and neat on your back, not big and bulky- It's very comfortable- It's not as hot and sweaty as I thought it would be (I wanted a trampoline back)- The hip pockets are big enough to be usable (some other bags are big enough for just a car key, literally!)- Stow on the go walking pole holders work wellCons- The bladder pocket is flawed and needs to be redesigned. It is ... MoreI was looking for a ~20 litre pack and struggling to decide, so I bought ALL the Osprey ~20l packs (over £1,000) so I could try them all. They all offered something I liked but you know I couldn't find one that ticked every box for me, this Talon 11 ticked most!Pros- It seems bigger than 11 litres. I was able to put almost as much gear in this as some of their 20 litre packs- It looks narrow and neat on your back, not big and bulky- It's very comfortable- It's not as hot and sweaty as I thought it would be (I wanted a trampoline back)- The hip pockets are big enough to be usable (some other bags are big enough for just a car key, literally!)- Stow on the go walking pole holders work wellCons- The bladder pocket is flawed and needs to be redesigned. It is very difficult to get an Osprey bladder in there (I'm using the narrower blue one) as the bladder is wider than the space, caused by the load lifter straps being in the way. Yes you can loosen the straps, or even remove them, but this is a faff. Also, the strap that supports the bladder has been sewn onto the soft flexible part of the bag rather than the stiff back support. This means when you have 1-2 kilos of water in there the weight pulls down and distorts the top the bag making it look a right mess.- No integrated rain cover.I've used this bag on two ultra challenges now, both were 100km continuous walks. They stow on the go worked well, I was frequently putting my poles back in the loops and found I could do this without even stopping or slowing down just by leaving the poles fully extended. The hip pockets were accessible and big enough for extra snacks. The bag didn't make my back too sweaty (I was expecting it to), being small and narrow probably helped this. And it was comfortable. I will be modifying the bladder support strap myself. It would be nice to have an integrated rain cover, I know their hiking specific bags have one, but this is not a big deal for me as I have a separate one from another bag, and I can leave it at home if the weather is great.

I have an older Talon 22 which I love! Wanted something a little larger (and with larger waist belt pockets). LOVE the size of the 26 and compared to the 22, the waist belt pockets are much more friendly! BUT, the bottom of the pack really digs into my lower back and it's sooo uncomfortable. I returned the Pro 30 for the same reason. I didn't know the re-design (which I guess happened several years ago??) applied to all their Talon packs. So, newer, not always better. Bummed!

I normally never leave reviews on products, but this is a great pack for day hikes. I use it for hikes anywhere between 3-30 mile day hikes. It holds everything I need while not having too much space left over or me needing more space. It has the perfect amount of pockets for organization but not too many where I forget where I put things. Hydration bladder is sold separately but I highly suggest it. Also, makes a decent travel bag for flights.