Osprey Talon 22 Review – A Popular Daypack With Great Features

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This Osprey Talon 22 review is about a very popular multi-functional daypack. It is suitable for any kind of outdoor activity, like hiking, mountaineering, climbing, racing, and bicycle riding.

This is one from the Talon series which includes packs of  6, 11, 18, 22, 33, and 44 liters.

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Where to buy

• The best place regarding the price and shipping conditions is usually Amazon.com. In EU you might want to check also at Bol.com, they have a very efficient shipping service.

Note, this series has been modified in the beginning of 2017. See below some details about the new pack.

Suspension system

This pack has no frame. Instead, on the back you have a flexible AirScape back panel with ventilation foam ridges.

Shoulder straps are lightweight, padded just enough for the pack of such a size, with die-cut foam. Here, you have stow-on-the-go pole attachment system, a great feature unique for Osprey. In addition, you have one stretch pocket on the shoulder strap. These features are visible in the photo:

The hip belt is of the same material, breathable and very flexible.  You have 2 very useful zippered stretch pockets on the belt.

The sternum strap is adjustable and sliding, equipped with an emergency whistle, it is shown in the picture above.

The pack is built in 2 sizes, but in addition to this, you have the harness which is adjustable. This is achieved by velcro which is behind the back panel. This is partly visible in the photo above, see the white marks on the back panel.

All you have to do is to pull the harness away, and by detaching it you can easily slide it up or down to fit your torso length. By pressing it back, it becomes fixed again. Easy, lightweight, and simple system.

Hydration compatible

This is a hydration compatible pack, and you have a separate hydration pocket behind the back panel. It is equipped with a clip to hang the bladder. You can store up to 3 liters of water bladder inside of it.

The water hose you can route along any of the shoulder straps.

Front face and internal structure

On the top of the pack you have a zippered pocket for small items, and it contains a key clip as well.

Below this pocket you have a long zipper for the main compartment. So this is a panel-type access. Inside of it, on the back side, you have a mesh zippered pocket for valuables.

Below the big zipper you will find yet another great feature, a locking clip for a helmet, nicely designed and very useful, you can see it here:

A big part of the front is covered by a stretchy mesh pocket, secured by a buckle on the top. It is visible in the first picture above.

On both sides, you have stretchy side pockets for water bottles or any other things, with inside-out compression straps. This means they can be set inside the pockets, or above them to compress the things which you store in the pockets.

One tool loop is on the bottom, and it is paired with a bungee tie far above, where you can attach your ice axe.

Many features of this great pack you can see in this short video by Osprey:

Technical specifications & summary of features

• This is an award-winning pack, see the picture:

  

• Use: day hikes, mountaineering, racing.
• 2 sizes: S/M, and M/L.
• Weight:
  – S/M: 1 lb 5 oz (595 g)
  – M/L: 1 lb 10 oz (737 g).
• Volume:
  – S/M: 1220 cu in (20 L)
  – M/L: 1343 cu in (22 L).
• Torso fit:
  – S/M: 16 – 20 in (41 – 51 cm).
  – M/L: 19 – 23 in (48 – 58 cm).
• Waste fit:
  – S/M: 30 -34 in (76 -86 cm).
  – M/L: 33+ in (84+ cm).
• Dimensions:
  – S/M: 20 x 10 x 9 in (51 x 25 x 23 cm)
  – M/L: 22 x 10 x 9 in (56  x 25 x 23 cm).
• Access: panel loader.
• Stow-on-the-Go trekking pole attachment.
• Stretch pocket on the harness.
• Internal key attachment clip.
• Side compression straps.
• Ice axe loop.
• Warranty: lifetime.
• Unisex.
• Adjustable sternum strap.
• Maximum carrying weight: 15 lbs (6.8 kg).
• Material: nylon
• Hydration compatible, external sleeve.
• Twin zippered hip belt pockets.
• AirScape back panel with foam ventilation ridges.
• Adjustable sternum strap with emergency whistle.
• Stretch mesh side pockets with inside-out compression.
• LidLock helmet attachment.
• LED bike light attachment point.
• Talon 22 daypack is made in 4 colors, you can see them here:

Some possible cons and pros:

Regarding the issue of the frame, please see my reply to Geoff in the comments below.

Comparison of Osprey Talon 22 daypack with other brands

Here I give a table with several packs from some other brands, and from the similar size range. Please have a look:

*I use parameters for M/L size.

My rates are the combination of all parameters. You have the best suspension system in Deuter Futura 22, and Manta 20, internal frame in the 3 models,  etc.

User experience

It is hard to find real objections to this pack. At REI site average rating by users is around 4.5/5.  At Amazon the rating is also high 4.7/5.

Here are a few complaints from several sites:

• “The bag looks great. However, the waist strap is skimpy in two ways. It is thin like a flash pack and it is skimpy. So beware if you have a 38″ waist and expect it to fit over anything heavier than a shirt.“
• “Everything about this pack was near perfect for me except the so-called airscape suspension….”
• “Le falta el cobertor para la lluvia ” (It lacks the rain cover).

From my side to add what I already pointed above: Deuter Futura and Manta have unsurpassed ventilation based on a tensioned mesh. I have such a pack myself and I know how good this system is. So AirScape from Talon 22 cannot be compared with it. The rain cover is an issue for me, in the Alps this is essential to have.

New 2017 version

The Talon series has been updated in the beginning of 2017. The main changes are in the back panel padding and in the hip belt design. See in the picture how it looks now:

The new 2017 version is available here. Please see this very recent short video by Osprey (from 2017), which presents all packs from the new Tempest and Talon series:

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Conclusion

To summarize this Osprey Talon 22 review, this is a great pack and popular for good reasons. It ranks well with respect to competition. One can find some objections, but at the same time, it has so many useful features typical for Osprey.

I hope this text was useful to you, if so please share it with others. For updates about the price follow these links above. Note, if you need something much smaller, check this Talon 6 lumbar pack from the same series.

Thank you for reading and do leave me some comment in the box below.

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