Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes

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Osprey makes GREAT backpacks. Other companies make very good packs too. Still, I prefer Osprey’s well crafted backpacks and appreciate their guarantee. So, if you want a great backpack, choose an Osprey.

If you want a women’s or men’s Osprey backpack for a day hike or overnight hike consider these two GREAT choices.

For women, choose the Tempest 20 for a day hike. For men, choose the Talon 33 backpack for a day or an overnight hike. These Osprey backpacks allow you to move fast on wooded trails and in the mountains.

Why Choose the Osprey Tempest 20 for Women and Talon 33 for Men?

You want one of these Osprey Backpacks if you want a:

  • Pack with plenty of storage
  • Durable pack
  • Light pack
  • Daypack
  • Pack for overnight
  • Great guarantee

Notice that the Tempest and Talon have a few differences. The Tempest offers all the features you want for a day hike. The Talon makes a very good pack for a day hike and an overnight hike.

Keep reading for detailed women’s and men’s pack’s features and benefits. The table below summarizes the Tempest 20’s and Talon 33’s features and benefits.

Tempest/Talon Features & Benefits

FeatureBenefit
LightweightFast Hiking
Carry StrapsExtra Gear; Compress Pack
Seamless Lumbar to Hip Belt Wrap Balanced Pack for Hiking Comfort
Panel Loading – Tempest 20Easy to Pack & Access; Multi-sport
Top Loading – Talon 33Multi-sport Use; Easy to Pack
Holds 20 litres – Tempest 20Day hikes
Holds 33 litres – Talon 33Day and overnight hikes
External Water SleevePacks easily
2 Zipper Hip Belt PocketsEasy to Reach Storage
Side, Stretch, Mesh PocketsMore Easy to Reach Storage
Under Top Lid, Zipper Pocket – Talon 33Easy to Reach Storage
Slash & Front Panel PocketsMore Easy to Reach storage
Stow on the Go Pole LoopsEasy to Reach and Stow Poles
VentedCooler hiking
Women’s Tempest 20 & Men’s Talon 33

You will love these pack’s features and benefits!

1. Lightweight and Built For Speed

With the men’s Talon 33 and women’s Tempest 20 Osprey backpacks, the company made lightweight backpacks The packs have useful features for hikers who want to move fast. The company also made these two packs well suited for multi-sport activities.

  • Lower Inside Out compression & carry straps – reduce pack size and carry more hiking gear
  • Seamless Lumbar to Hip Belt Wrap – for a comfortable hike and balanced pack

The backpacks have a Seamless Lumbar to Hip Belt Wrap. Seams were left out so, of course, you do not feel the seams.

The hip belt also helps balance your pack. The seamless hip belt makes it easier to think about your hike instead of the pack on your back. You have a more comfortable hike.

Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Women’s Tempest 20

2. Multi-Sport

Osprey made the Tempest 20 a front loading backpack and the Talon 33 a top loading backpack. Both packs meet the needs of hikers, bikers, and other active outdoor lovers. Each pack has:

  • External hydration sleeve
  • Stretch mesh harness slash pocket
  • Large stretch mesh front panel pocket
Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Tempest/Talon
Biostretch Harness &
AirScape rear panel

3. Easy to Carry Backpacks

Airscape Backpanel

Both packs offer:

  • Precision cut and accordion spread mesh covered foam ridges
  • Lightweight and comfortable contact surfaces

The company developed a new rear panel called AirScape that increases airflow and ventilation while still keeping the load close to the body.

4. Biostretch Harness

The Tempest and Talon shoulder straps and waist belt are covered in a new BioStretch material, which provides comfort, dryness, and breathability. 

Each pack provides:

  • Mesh covered, die cut slotted foam harness
  • Slotted adjustable sternum strap with safety whistle
  • Stretch woven harness pocket(s)
Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Men’s Talon 33

5. Lots of Storage

The Tempest and Talon packs both include enough storage for a day hike. Also, the Talon meets your needs for an overnight hike.

  • Two zippered hip belt pockets
  • Side Stretch mesh pockets
  • Fixed top lid with zippered slash pocket
  • Under top lid zippered mesh pocket
  • Stow on the go trekking pole attachment
  • The women’s Tempest holds 20 liters of hiking gear.
  • The men’s Talon holds 33 liters of hiking gear.

6. The Osprey Backpack Guarantee

You can depend on the Osprey “All Mighty Guarantee“.

“Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge – whether it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday. If we are unable to perform a functional repair on your pack, we will happily replace it. We proudly stand behind this guarantee, so much so that it bears the signature of company founder and head designer, Mike Pfotenhauer.”

Why Buy An Osprey Women’s Backpack?

The short answer, for these women’s features and benefits:

  1. Shape
  2. Harness
  3. Hipbelt
Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Osprey Tempest 20 –
Designed for Women

1. Shape

Osprey makes their women’s backpacks with a more narrow shape. They also added depth in the right places. A more narrow shape and added depth gives you greater freedom of movement and increases the pack’s stability.

You move easier and with more stability. Lowering the pack’s load gives your load the best center of gravity for stability and easy movement. So, the pack supports your load more evenly on your hips and your back.

2. Harness

The shoulder harness was designed to fit women. The pack was designed with angles and padding that give you an ideal fit for your neck, shoulder and chest.

Osprey’s design balances the fit with the tension caused by the pack’s load. The women’s sternum strap gives you equal pressure across the shoulder harness. As a result, Osprey’s padding makes the backpack more comfortable when carrying a heavy load.

3. Hipbelt

The hipbelt also has angles and different padding thickness for a unique female fit. Women’s hips have a more rounded, tapered shape. The Tempest 20 hipbelts allow more weight to be supported. The padding improves the backpack’s comfort when carrying a heavy load.

Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Osprey Tempest 20 –
Designed for Women

Summary – Why an Osprey Women’s Backpack?

  1. Osprey designs women’s backpacks with a more narrow shape. Women’s packs come in torso lengths that best fit women’s bodies.
  2. The women’s harness has a narrow entry point in the backpanel. Also, the harness narrows slightly below the collarbone. By making the harness a little more narrow below the collarbone, you have more comfort and freedom in the chest area.
  3. Osprey backpacks come standard with women’s specific harness and hipbelt. The women’s hipbelt slants slightly upward to fit your hips better and has a narrower profile.

Choose an Osprey Backpack

Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Women’s Tempest 20
  • Tempest 20 – $135 MSRP
  • Talon 33 – $165 MSRP
Best Osprey Backpack for Day and Overnight Hikes
Men’s Tempest 33

Size Your Osprey Backpack

To find the best backpack size for you, you need to find your torso size. Use the Osprey diagram below to find your torso size.

Osprey Backpack

To find your torso size, measure your back. First, start at the top of your hipbone (iliac crest). From the top of your hipbone, measure to the knobby bone at the base of your neck (C7 vertebrae). When you put your head down, you find this bone.

Find your pack size by measuring from the knobby bone to your hipbone. This gives you your torso size. Match your torso size with the chart below, and find your pack size.

Torso Size13″14″1516″17″18″19″20″21″22″23″
Tempest 20XS/SXS/SXS/SXS/S or S/MXS/S or S/MS/MS/MS/M
Talon 33S/MS/MS/MS/M or M/LS/M or M/LM/LM/LM/L
Tempest/Talon Size Chart

Also, a good outdoor store will measure you for the best fit. You get the most accurate sizing at a store.

Is your Osprey Backpack Waterproof?

Neither the Tempest 20 or Talon 33 offers waterproof protection. You need a rain cover to protect your pack and gear from the rain. If you are undecided about the cover size, choose the larger size.

Osprey Backpack Covers

Choose an Extra Small or Small high-visibility rain cover for your Tempest 20.

Osprey Backpack
High Visibility Cover
  • XS covers 10-20 liters $22 MSRP
  • S covers 20-35 liters $25 MSRP

Pick a Medium or Large ultra-light rain cover for your Talon 33.

Osprey Backpack
Ultra Light Cover
  • M covers 30-50 liters $34 MSRP
  • L covers 50-75 liters $37 MSRP
  • XL covers 75-110 liters $40 MSRP

Each rain cover:

  • Fully protects your pack from weather
  • Has a cinch that secures your cover all around your pack
  • Compactly packs into its own built-in carry-case
  • Made from durable rip-stop nylon
FeatureBenefit
LightweightFast Hiking
Carry StrapsExtra Gear; Compress Pack
Seamless Lumbar to Hip Belt Wrap Balanced Pack for Hiking Comfort
Panel Loading – Tempest 20Easy to Pack & Access; Multi-sport
Top Loading – Talon 33Multi sport Use; Easy to Pack
Holds 20 litres – Tempest 20Day hikes
Holds 33 litres – Talon 33Day and overnight hikes
External Water SleevePacks easily
2 Zipper Hip Belt PocketsEasy to Reach Storage
Side, Stretch, Mesh PocketsMore Easy to Reach Storage
Under Top Lid, Zipper Pocket – Talon 33Easy to Reach Storage
Slash& Front Panel PocketsMore Easy to Reach storage
Stow on the Go Pole LoopsEasy to Reach and Stow Poles
VentedCooler hiking
Women’s – Tempest 20 & Men’s – Talon 33

Why Choose Osprey the Company?

Osprey the company shows it cares by:

1. Osprey Cares for the Environment by Partnering With Groups That:

  • Protect public lands
  • Conserve the environment
  • Take care of our trails
  • Reduce climate change.

Some of the groups include:

2. Cares for Others

Osprey believes everyone should be exposed to the outdoors no matter where they live, how much money they have, race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion or disability. To help others Osprey partners with:

3. Helps People be Healthy Outdoors

Osprey works with partners that include:

4. Improves Communities

Osprey works to improve the quality of life in communities with its partners:

5. Outdoor Education

Our relationship with the outdoors is a key issue facing tomorrow’s citizens. Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) is a real concern. Humans, especially young people, spend less time outdoors.

Less time outside can cause behavior problems that include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

More time outside has benefits including:

(Credit pexels.com)
  • Reduces ADD symptoms in children
  • Sunshine which gives us needed, hard to get Vitamin D3
  • Better sleep

Osprey helps provide outdoor education with their partners:

6. Sustainability

This means taking a complete approach to leave the least possible trace. Osprey uses the best materials the safest chemical processes for their backpacks.

Osprey commits to making modern, high performing products. The company wants you to own your backpack for a lifetime. To make Osprey backpacks the company commits to:

(Credit Tim Gouw pexels.com)
  • Using high quality materials with a low environmental impact – These include bluesign®-approved and recycled materials.
  • Less packaging
  • Safe chemistry for our environment by following the bluesign® Restricted Substances List
  • Social Responsibility:
    • A world class factory code of conduct
    • All Mighty Guarantee repairs and replaces packs free of charge
    • Programs to extend Osprey backpacks end of use

How Do You Care for Your Osprey Backpack?

  • After each hike clean your pack completely. Loosen your straps. Hang your pack to dry if it is wet.
  • Washing – Clean dirt, food, or spills. Do not use a washing machine. Wash in a bathtub or sink using soap and warm water.
  • Wash the outside, inside, and all compartments with a soft brush.
  • Use a soft brush to clean zippers and brushes.
  • Rinse your pack with cool clean water.
  • Hang your pack to dry. Dry out of direct sunlight.

Summary – Best Osprey Backpack

The Osprey Tempest 20 and Talon 33 backpacks offer many useful features and benefits.

Each backpack gives you:

  • Plenty of storage
  • A durable lightweight pack
  • Daypack (Tempest 20)
  • Overnight pack & Daypack (Talon 33)
  • The Osprey All Mighty Guarantee

The Tempest 20 makes a great choice for a women’s day hike pack. The back pack gives you features and benefits designed for women that include a:

  • Narrower shape
  • Shoulder harness with angles and padding that give you an ideal fit for your neck, shoulder and chest
  • Hipbelt with a more rounded, tapered shape that fits women’s hips better

Choose one of these Osprey backpacks to meet your hiking requirements. An Osprey hiking backpack makes a good investment in a pack that can give you a lifetime of service.

If you want to consider another backpack brand, read The 9 Best Backpack Brands.

Amazon has a very good selection of Osprey backpacks.

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