Michael: Trial #1

Red and gold leaved ferns
Light up the dark forest with
A burst of color.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Yesterday I strapped on a lumbar pack, the Osprey Talon 6, for the first time in years. We went for a good 3 ½ hour jaunt up the Western Trail to drop off a cache of supplies for a Monday run. The Talon 6 passed the first test with flying colors.

Why? It comfortably stayed where I wanted it to; on my hips with the belt slightly under my belly button. Most lumbar packs tend to ride up and end up bouncing or having to be secured above my hips on my waist, which is uncomfortable for me. But I was only hiking with a light load. The big test will come next weekend when I take it fully loaded with a change of clothes, food and water and run with it for a couple of hours. If it stays in place then, I’ve got a winner. 

But there are a couple of small touches that I really like about the Osprey that I know will make it a great hiking companion even if it doesn’t make it into the running lineup.

The hip pockets are large enough to each carry a 5 oz. gel flask and are held firmly in place with a fine stretchy mesh. Again no bouncing.

The pull tabs are easy to access and use even with gloved hands. The zippers work. Nothing more annoying than to have to stop and fiddle with zippers or turn the pack around to undo a snagged flap. Won’t happen with an Osprey pack.

The cinch belts on the hips and back pocket keep everything tight and secure against the body.

The shape provided by the foam support on the back panel and hip wings fits me perfectly (Walking. We’ll see about running later.).

It’s breathes well. The foam in the hip wings are vented and the back panel is slightly curved with ridges to reduce contact with the back and allow for air to flow through so your back doesn’t become a small swamp draining into your butt crack.

The bottle pockets come with a bungee cinch system so you can use different sized bottles without them jiggling or worrying about them launching out.

It’s also aesthetically pleasing to me. I like the burnt orange and grey trim. Heck, I even like the stick figure black Osprey logo on the hip belt. Looks like a logo I could’ve come up with. I’m sure it comes in other colors and if those had been on sale for less than the orange pack, I would’ve had a tough decision to make. But I got the color I wanted.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed it’ll stay in place on a run. If it does I’ve got a fast pack trip all mapped out for this pack.