Osprey Manta 24 Mens Pack With Reservoir [Colour:Black]

I have the original Manta 28 which has been my go to pack for every day hike, long biking trip, big ski days, and carting all the family stuff everywhere we go for about the last 5 years. It's getting pretty old and wearing out after a great service life and several repairs so I joyfully skipped down to my local osprey store to take advantage of their legendary warranty. Only to be confronted with the bloated redesigned version...Here are my big 3 complaints:This is now a huge, long, wide framed pack, unlike the svelte form of the old manta. Formerly I could use this pack for mountain biking with only the bladder and a jacket and it would sinch down into a tidy form hugging package. Now it just feels huge, despite having 4l less capacity.I wore it in the store ... MoreI have the original Manta 28 which has been my go to pack for every day hike, long biking trip, big ski days, and carting all the family stuff everywhere we go for about the last 5 years. It's getting pretty old and wearing out after a great service life and several repairs so I joyfully skipped down to my local osprey store to take advantage of their legendary warranty. Only to be confronted with the bloated redesigned version...Here are my big 3 complaints:This is now a huge, long, wide framed pack, unlike the svelte form of the old manta. Formerly I could use this pack for mountain biking with only the bladder and a jacket and it would sinch down into a tidy form hugging package. Now it just feels huge, despite having 4l less capacity.I wore it in the store for 20 minutes ( properly fit, with 15lbs in it) after only 5 minutes I had painful hot spots on my shoulder blades where the back length adjusters have small sharp bumps in them from the webbing attachments. The old manta is the most comfortable pack I've ever worn, even after 10 sweaty hours on the bike with a heavy load and a thin t shirt it never gave me any trouble.The padding on the hip belts is far too short, the padding ends and has thick bumps from webbing exactly on the sharp points of my hips, right where the padding is needed the most.I've tried almost everything in osprey's range now and nothing comes close to the Swiss Army knife versatility and comfort of the old manta. I'll keep using my faded, patched, torn and repaired manta until it no longer stays on my back, hopefully by then there will be a worthy replacement in the osprey ecosystem.Rant over.

First off, this is a great, well thought out pack that is close to perfect! The adjustability of the harness insure the best possible fit regardless of the users shape and size. The way the anti gravity suspension system fits on your back, I could actually feel a cool breeze between my back and the pack as I climbed up a steep hill. This was wonderful and a great way to disperse the back sweat! I was also very impressed that it came with a rain fly, which almost no one provides with a pack!The few things I would change, are small things that would make it perfect and warrant the high price tag for a hydration pack and I feel the price is high!I am not a fan of the side entry to the outer pocket. For whatever reason they decided the smaller size (most likely to ... MoreFirst off, this is a great, well thought out pack that is close to perfect! The adjustability of the harness insure the best possible fit regardless of the users shape and size. The way the anti gravity suspension system fits on your back, I could actually feel a cool breeze between my back and the pack as I climbed up a steep hill. This was wonderful and a great way to disperse the back sweat! I was also very impressed that it came with a rain fly, which almost no one provides with a pack!The few things I would change, are small things that would make it perfect and warrant the high price tag for a hydration pack and I feel the price is high!I am not a fan of the side entry to the outer pocket. For whatever reason they decided the smaller size (most likely to be chosen for a day hike) gets the side entry pocket, while the larger capacity one gets the more traditional rainbow type zipper entry. I could probably get use to the pocket entry, if within it, in was more compartpinalised. Everything seems to flop around in the one large opening.I love the idea of the magnet on the bite piece for the hydration bladder, but the magnet used just isn't good enough. They should have used a rare earth magnet or something of similar quality.Osprey packs aren't the lightest minimalist daypacks, but they are solid packs with the best warranty out there. With that being said, If you're not going to make it super light, why not add a little more padding to the waist belt.The waist belt pockets still need to be push forward more, so you don't feel like you're at the Chiropractor when you twist to close it with two hands!

In prep for a trip to a few national parks for day hikes I looked at a lot of packs from just about every major brand. I seem to always come back to Osprey because their bags seem to always give plenty of the usable storage options and I like they way their bags pack so everything doesn't fall out of the bag when you unzip. Initially I bought the Stratos 24, which I like better as a hiking bag, but it turned out to be a tad too narrow to fit my camera bag whereas it fit in the Manta 24 perfectly.If you love zippered pockets the Manta 24 has loads - two small ones in the hip belt, a place to store glasses or snack on top, a quick entry pocket in front, the main storage compartment, and a water bladder pocket, which I also used as a place to store my tablet when I ... MoreIn prep for a trip to a few national parks for day hikes I looked at a lot of packs from just about every major brand. I seem to always come back to Osprey because their bags seem to always give plenty of the usable storage options and I like they way their bags pack so everything doesn't fall out of the bag when you unzip. Initially I bought the Stratos 24, which I like better as a hiking bag, but it turned out to be a tad too narrow to fit my camera bag whereas it fit in the Manta 24 perfectly.If you love zippered pockets the Manta 24 has loads - two small ones in the hip belt, a place to store glasses or snack on top, a quick entry pocket in front, the main storage compartment, and a water bladder pocket, which I also used as a place to store my tablet when I wasn't using the bladder, which is included. There are also a pocket on either side that can hold a water bottle -- not reachable when wearing the pack -- or a travel tripod.The Manta is not a light bag, but not heavy for its class either. It's mostly comfortable, though I wish the shoulder was more padded. (BTW if you use a Peak Design Capture Clip, it barely fits, but does). The torso is adjustable, and the backpanel is separated to provide ventilation and keep the back as cool as possible, and that works very well. I enjoyed having the pack not directly on me.As far a durability goes, it seems to be average. I checked mine for one flight and it came back with a few dirt stains (which came out) and the part of the Osprey lettering was worn off. The fabric itself was fine though so I suspect it's a pack that will last a few years of good use.Other than the shoulder straps, the only real complaint I have is the color options. I have the green, only because I didn't want a black bag, with that color's potential to cook my back. But the green is almost emerald green. Why, Osprey, why? A hunter or Camo green would be so much more appropriate for a hiking bag. Still, I'd never consider a black pack for hiking.