New Osprey Talon & Tempest Velocity Packs – A Distinct Addition to the Iconic Series

Osprey has launched a new addition to their famous series, there are four Velocity packs now under the name of their Talon & Tempest packs for men and women. They come with several extra and different features that are presented here.

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What this is about

If you follow Osprey, then you surely know that their Talon and Tempest packs have been around for many years. Every couple of years or even more frequently, you will see new modified versions of these packs on the market.

This series is the largest of this brand, this in terms of the number of packs. Currently, you can find them in the capacity from 6 to 44 liters (in the past they even had some larger packs), and with many packs in between.

As of the moment of writing these lines, there are at least 7 Talon packs for men and 7 Tempest packs for women on the market, see the picture below. But note, there are also sub-sizes for most of them here.

With such a huge difference in volume, it is normal to expect a variety of shapes and designs, and you can see this in the picture above. So the smallest of them are just lumbar packs without any similarity with their larger cousins.

Among the larger packs in the two groups, you have some with a floating lid, some with a fixed lid, and some with a panel type zippered access. This then implies different functionalities and the number of pockets.

The point is, the Talon and Tempest series are already too diversified. When you see those packs side by side you realize that there is no much sense of putting them all under the same name.

But wait a bit, this is not all, there is also the Osprey Talon and Tempest Pro series with its additional four packs.

And, finally, you have seen the title, so keep reading the next section, this is about a new addition, four Velocity packs.

New Osprey Talon & Tempest Velocity Packs

There are four of them in total, Talon Velocity 30 and Talon Velocity 20 for men, and Tempest Velocity 30 and Tempest Velocity 20 for women. But, each of them comes in two sub-sizes regarding the torso length and volume.

What makes the Velocity packs different?

To answer this, one must start from the following question: which pack from the standard Talon & Tempest group to choose for comparison?

There is no Talon 30 or Talon 20 as an exact volume match among the standard packs, so the only option is to take Tempest 30 and Tempest 20 from standard packs. This is important if you want to compare the weight and volume.

Now, from what I remember regarding the Tempest 30 packs, and from what I can see in this new Velocity sub-group, there are the following most important and very visible differences regarding the design:

The shoulder harness differences

This is mainly about:

• Pockets that you have on the shoulder harness.
• Sternum straps.

So all the Velocity packs have no less than four pockets on the shoulder harness, two on each side. One of the pockets is zippered and others are open, and all are a stretch mesh material. See how great they look:

On the Osprey Tempest 20 and 30 packs you have only one mesh stretch pocket on the left shoulder strap.

All the Velocity packs come with dual sternum straps, see the picture above, and one of them is with an emergency whistle. This is similar to what you have in some trail running packs on the market.

On the other hand, in Osprey Tempest 20 and 30 packs you have a standard sternum strap with a whistle.

Access differences

The new Osprey Talon & Tempest Velocity packs have a cinch-cord top closure, plus a top compression strap. One narrow and non-impressive stretch-mesh flap extends from the front stretch mesh pocket over the opening. You can see this in the pictures below.

Here you can see how this looks from the front:

One could argue about rain protection here, but this is another topic. On the other hand, in standard Tempest 30 you have a fixed lid closure:

The standard Tempest 20 comes with a zippered panel top access shown below. You realize now how complicated it is to compare with all those varieties within the standard Talon and Tempest group.

Top pockets differences

This is visible in the pictures above, and it is related to the top closure design. The Tempest 30 is with two lid pockets. So this is far better.

Observe also the top zippered pocket plus a helmet attachment element in the Tempest 20 pack picture above, and a front pocket buckle.

Accent fabric differences

In the Velocity packs, it appears that accent fabric is 70D nylon, while in standard packs this is 420D nylon.

Bottom straps

The Osprey Tempest and Talon Velocity 30 pack has a pair of bottom compression straps, see the picture below. In the Velocity 20 there are no such straps.

On the other hand, in the standard Osprey Tempest 20 and 30 liters packs there are no such straps at all.

Sub-sizes differences (weight and volume)

The Osprey Tempest Velocity 30 pack has two sub-sizes in terms of volume, 28 and 29 liters (1709 and 1770 in³). The corresponding weight is 2.03 and 2.12 pounds (0.92 and 0.96 kg), respectively.

In the standard Tempest 30 pack this is 28 and 30 liters (1709 and 1831 in³). The corresponding weight is 2.09 and 2.23 pounds (0.95 and 1.01 kg).

All in all, as you realize, this is nothing substantially different and it can be ignored.

All these details are summarized in the table below for the 30-liters packs where I give my rating (the + or – signs):

 

If we take 20-liters packs, then bottom straps would not be there and the score would be even more on the Standard pack’s side.

Now, how would you choose? I gave my answer in the conclusion below.

How about other features?

Well, no worry here, these Velocity packs come with many really great features that are typical for the Osprey Talon & Tempest packs in general. They include:

• Dual axe attachment sets.
• Dual stretch mesh side pockets.
• Dual side compression straps.
• Separate external hydration compartment between the harness and the inner compartment.
• Adjustable torso length.
• Stow-on-the-Go pole attachment system, and much more.

Sustainability facts

When I go to the Osprey site and search for bluesign, as of the moment of writing this text, I get no less than 159 products.

So indeed, Osprey is on the forefront regarding eco-friendly products. The same applies to these Osprey Talon & Tempest Velocity Packs. They are all certified bluesign products.

Final thoughts

So this was my overview of the features of the new Osprey Talon and Tempest Velocity packs, and a comparison with the existing packs from the same Talon and Tempest group.

There is no doubt these are high quality packs, and they come with the usual great features that you have in Talon and Tempest series. But they have some extra details that make them very different from the general group. So it is hard to understand why Osprey has decided to put them under the same Talon and Tempest series.

As for these extra features, I really like all the pockets on the shoulder harness. Who would not love to have them?

However, I totally dislike the top closure and access of these packs. Note that there is no rain cover, so imagine how this can be when you find yourself caught in the rain. Therefore, I would rather choose the Standard Talon and Tempest packs.

The Velocity packs are currently available at Osprey site, and also at REI, on Amazon and there is no doubt they will soon be available at many other sellers. 

Thank you for reading. Do let me know if you have questions, and if you think that I have missed mentioning something important, there is a comment box below. Check also how Talon Velocity packs compare with Talon Pro packs from the same brand.

Bookmark this site and come again, this will keep you informed because I add texts here regularly. Have a nice day.