Osprey Stratos 36 Pack

GEAR & EQUIPMENT

Osprey Stratos 36 Pack – Review

Friday 08 February 2019

So, the time has come to say goodbye to yet another rucksack and, as is now customary, I feel obliged to say a few words before it departs this place and heads off into the sunset for a new life in a better place. Cornwall.

I purchased my Osprey Stratos 36 rucksack about two years ago. I had had found that my Osprey Talon 33 would be uncomfortable with heavier loads and wanted a similar sized rucksack that had more padding on the shoulders and hips and also some sort of a frame for support.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved my Talon 33, it is probably the best lightweight rucksack available and has been for some time but it has its limits and for me, that is heavier loads so I decided that it was time for a new pack.

I already knew which features of a pack were important to me and which ones were not. For example, I never use the Osprey stow-on-the-go system but I do use the front stretch pockets a lot.

I also wanted a pack that I could use as carry on for most of the UK airlines and although the Stratos 36 is just a smidge over the allowed length, I have never had any problems taking it in to the cabin as carry on. I just make sure that it is not overly full and that I am using the compression straps to keep everything nice and tight.

The Stratos also has a zip in the front that allows you direct access to the contents of your pack, especially the items near the bottom, without having to open it from the top and take everything out but because of this, the pack does not have a front pouch.

I really liked the idea of front zip but in reality I didn’t use it much and really missed not having the front pouch.

I also struggled a little with the bottom compartment. Again it had its own zip for access but, unlike many of its contemporaries, this pack does not allow you to make the bottom compartment part of the main compartment using an internal zip and I found the compartment itself too small for a sleeping bag so I just ended up using it for my waterproofs.

I also found the hip pockets too small to hold anything useful. The hip belt is well padded and very comfortable, which is the most important thing, but in these modern days most people would probably want to put a phone or small camera in the hip pockets and, although they might fit in while you are packing the Stratos, once you are wearing it the curve of the pockets around your hip make it almost impossible to use for such devices.

Putting these things aside, I still think that the Osprey Stratos is a good, comfortable pack. In the time that I have owned it I have used it for travelling around Slovenia and trekking in the Julian Alps as well as the High Atlas Mountains and various cities in Morocco and it has always been comfortable to wear even when full and heavy.

So why I have I sold it?

Well, I will be walking from Portugal to Spain on the Camino Portuguese soon and I wanted a new, lightweight pack with the same kind of padded shoulder straps as the Stratos but with the front stretch pocket / pouch that is missing from the Stratos. I opted for the Osprey Exos 38 in the end but now I have too many rucksack and one of them had to go.

Farewell Stratos 36, it’s been fun!

David Welch – View Profile

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