Stratos 34L

Love my Osprey Stratos 34. Even my Osprey Syncro 20 has a trampoline back. The usual ridged foam approach is better than nothing but I don't think it works very well. There's no airflow to take your sweat away. Yes, the wire required for a trampoline back to work makes a stiffer, heavier backpack. I

Love my Osprey Stratos 34. Based on that, either the Stratos or Manta 24. Same suspension, one of them comes with a hydration bladder. I like my REI Flash 22 way better than I thought I would. The Osprey Talon 22 is incredibly popular. They have different attitudes about structure and support and I

I love my Osprey Stratos 34. It's a bit big in the summer but when I start getting into layers and maybe microspikes it's perfect. Definitely try it on though: some people find them too narrow. It's not just about volume. Again, especially when layers and any metallic gear get into the picture, a go

I love my Osprey Stratos 34. I believe there's a Sirrus 24, and you might love it. It's actually a stiffer frame than that size Tempest but it has a suspended mesh backpanel that I really appreciate, and that I think moves with me quite well. Some people find it a bit narrow around the hips, so try

I love my Stratos 34! I used it for something kind of similar. I might lean towards the Zulu 45 since you're anticipating carrying some others' stuff too. IIRC there's also a Stratos 44. Can you try them on? A lot of people find the frame on the Osprey is a bit narrow around their hips. (A lot of pe

Where in the PNW?? Given outdoor education I think you're going to want something on the larger/burlier side. I love my Osprey Stratos 34. You can buy rain covers wherever. They're not very specific to packs. The Stratos, at least mine, does come with one though. Worth mentioning that the higher loa

I was able to carry the Stratos 34 onto the plane with no problem. I had a small backpack that stuffed into a little pouch. I would take my travel CPAP, battery and some other items out of the Stratos to make it look smaller. I was never questioned about the size. I wasn't even asked to gate check o

Are you doing any backpacking now? I get that you bought everybody backpacking packs but I wasn't clear if you're using them that way? I love my Osprey Stratos 34 for day hiking. I get that you don't get along with them; maybe you're really looking for something along the lines of the Zulu 30. If th

I have an REI Flash 22 I like a lot better than I thought I would. On the other end of the spectrum, I love my Osprey Stratos 34. Particularly the trampoline backpanel. They're expensive but I bet there are some floating around on Facebook Marketplace etc.

I just bought an Osprey stratos 34 (the men's version of the Sirius) for my next camino. I walked my last one in a Decathlon mh550 38l. The suspension on the Sirius/stratos is phenomenal. I was trying packs on today and had a stratos on with a 5kg dummy load in it....and tried to put on another pack