It’s time to review my current backpack, the Osprey Kestrel 32. having a backpack that fits appropriately and is geared towards the activities you’ll be doing are very crucial qualities in a backpack. I took this pack on lots of hikes and treks during our very outdoorsy trip through Mongolia, central Asia and the ‘Stans and I was very pleased with it.
We’ve now finished our epic 5 month journey, and here’s what I can report about my backpack:
Comfort
This backpack should have high marks in this area. I stuffed this bag with 10kgs of gear while trekking through the Mongolian steppe for 8 days, carrying everything from food to fire wood to sleeping bags. This pack sat great and snug on my hips and perfectly distributed the weight between my shoulders and my waist. There is a good amount of padding on both the carry and hip straps as well.
This was an extra heavy load I was carrying – water bottles, food, wood, fishing rod, sleeping bags, etc. but it was comfortable.
During a regular travel day, I barely even observed I was wearing a backpack because it was so comfortable.
Design
I absolutely love the way the Kestrel 32 is designed. I can’t stand top-loading backpacks because you can never seen what’s in the bag! This backpack is a panel loader, which indicates it opens like a sea shell, allowing you to easily and swiftly see everything in your bag, and load it up faster.
I love how the bag opens!
There harness adjusts as well, using a really strong Velcro, to make sure the best fit. They’ve also added a back panel that allows air to escape from your body, which is best for when you’re trekking, hiking or even just walking. There’s nothing worse than having sweat dripping down your back while travelling!
The adjustable harness and airscape on the back
At the back is a pocket best for a hydration system like a CamelBak.
The weight and size of this backpack is amazing. Weighing in at just a little over 2 lbs with 32 L of room for gear and able to manage up to around 20 kgs of weight, what a lot more could you want?!
The Kestrel 32 comes in two different sizes: small/medium and medium/large. as well as 4 different colours: fire Red, Tarn, Conifer green and Grey.
Features
Osprey has added a mesh, stretchy, lycra pocket to the front of the bag, which stretches like you wouldn’t believe! I put my shoes in there, maps, food and anything else that wouldn’t quite fit into my bag. On the side, there are also 2 of the same type of pockets that are best for water bottles, or in our case, the bottom end of Nick’s fishing rod.
The stretchy, mesh, lycra pocket in the front holds lots of stuff, including shoes and books
On the waist band, there is a little zip pocket on each side. They’re the best size for putting things you’ll need to have easy access to while you’re on the move, ie: point and shoot camera, lip balm, iPhone, snacks, a lighter, medicine, etc.
Zip pockets on the waist bands are the best place to store things you need while on the go
Running alongside the mesh pocket on the front of the bag they’ve added something called “front daisies” which are these best little loops that you can hook carabiners onto. I hooked water bottles off of the front of my bag, and often shoes. It was ideal.
hook carabiners on to the front daisies
There’s a spot ideal near the waist belt for storing trekking poles while on the go.
My much-loved feature is probably the compression straps on both sides of the backpack. Not only does it help to keep the pack snug against your body, but it allows for storing items on the sides of your bag. One one side I had Nick’s fishing rod, and on the other side, I rolled up my jacket and strapped it in.
Nick’s fishing rod strapped in nicely
If you were doing any sort of climbing where ice was involved, there are ice-pick loops at the base of the backpack. However, I used the loops to safe the bottoms of my 1 liter water bottles.
The loops at the bottom secured my water bottles in place
The mesh, zip pocket at the top of the bag is a terrific place to put smaller items that you don’t want getting lost in the main compartment, ie: cards, headlamp, jewellery, etc.
There’s a hideaway raincover.
Cons
In my opinion, there are 3 cons to this backpack.
The first and a lot of crucial is that the zippers can’t be locked together. You can only lock together the zipper ties. Which is absurd because undoubtedly every traveller wants to be able to appropriately lock their bag.
Someone could easily cut these zipper ties
The second is that I would have liked to have another pocket or two inside of the backpack for small items. The one on top of the bag is handy, but it would be great to have one or two that are concealed inside the bag.
The third con is that unlike the Osprey Farpoint Series, the harness unit can’t be zipped away in buy to secure the backpack straps from damage, either from getting caught on something or from airline staff being a little too rough with the bag.
Apart from that, everything is a “pro”.
In Conclusion…
I would recommend this backpack to anyone. even though the Kestrel series is technically a men’s backpack, it worked for me. because I’m tall (5’10”), the harness adjusted to fit my torso perfectly!
If you plan to do any sort of climbing, trekking, camping or hiking, this backpack is ideal. If you don’t plan on doing any sort of outdoor activities, I still think this backpack has loads of features that the everyday traveller could use as well.
The Osprey Kestrel 32 was the best bag for trekking!
A substantial benefit is it’s size. Technically, it’s small enough to fit as a carry-on bag when flying. The cost is also pretty decent: I got mine on sale online for about $90, but from the store it’s normally about $130.
It’s time everyone became a lightweight traveller. downsize your backpack and get the Osprey Kestrel 32, it’s the best size for any adventure.
Hopefully this review helped. good luck finding the best backpack for you.
What kind of backpack do you use? would you recommend it? Why/why not? share with us below!
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