Ospreymens Talon 36 Hiking Backpack

Overall I like the pack, it is designed well and seems sturdy. However, the hip belt is small and very uncomfortable with any load at all. I am buying a couple of strap pads to add in an attempt to make this pack comfortable, not something that should be needed on a new, fairly expensive pack. Poor design choice for sure. What were the designers thinking?? I am disappointed and if adding the strap pads doesn’t work I will return it and find something else.

Zipper on outside pocket zipped closed with wallet and phone inside on 1st use. Could Not unzip even with plyers. Had to cut pocket open. Will try another Osprey however.

Perfect for an 8+hr day hike if you also get the 3.0L water bladder. This pack will hold all you could need for a day & your camera gear as well.

No way this is made for a long torso

I've had the opportunity to test out a variety of Osprey packs. This is the smallest internal frame pack I've used, along with the Talon 44 and two Aethers, the 65 and the 85 Plus.The two lines are intended for different use cases, and are optimized for each.The Talon series shares a lot of common features, with this, the smaller one, eliminating a flip-top compartment to reduce the weight. Comparing it to its big sibling the Aether, one can see where they've made more weight savings, primarily in the following:- Lighter weight material throughout- Lighter shoulder strap adjustment relying on Velcro instead of straps- Eliminated the additional shoulder strap and hip belt lengtheners on the Aether- Thinner padding and webbing on straps and hip belt- Thinner AirScape back pad- Single top access to the main compartment- No integral rain cover- Hydration bladder slides between back pad and main compartment, instead of in a sleeve inside the main compartment.Compared to the Talon 44:- Single small zipper pouch in top lid instead of larger compartment- Zip-top opening instead of cinch- No zipper access to bottom of main compartment- No cinch strap loops at the bottom for outside pad storage- Extra small mesh pouch at the top of the main compartmentThese are not shortcomings, but well-thought out design choices to strike the ideal balance between good fit, functionality and light weight. Users of the Talon 36 are either looking for a shorter duration or a more minimalist trip profile, or possibly looking for a large day pack to support a family's needs comfortably.HYDRATIONDesigned for up to a 3L bladder (I've used the Osprey 3L just fine), the design makes a sleeve out of the back of the frame and the adjacent wall of the main compartment, eliminating the weight of extra sleeve fabric. It extends all the way to the bottom of the pack and has a retaining clip at the top, so you can locate the bladder correctly along your back and not too low. I suppose you could also stash stuff at the bottom of this sleeve, but it would reduce the area inside the main pouch and probably put the weight too low.FRAME AND HARNESSThis is where Osprey has put a lot of lightweighting effort. The "Airscape" frame is a thermoformed plastic sheet with air channels molded in, and padding applied only on the ridges of the air channels. This makes for a lot of ventilation and allows thicker padding just where it's needed (instead of simply thinning out the padding throughout).Adjustment of the shoulder harness is made by detaching the hook and loop securing the strap assembly to the back side of the Airscape panel and sliding it up and down. There are guide marks on both sides to keep the straps level. I found that this method kept the straps perfectly secure when the pack was fully loaded - there is enough hook and loop to provide all the shear strength you'd need.As with all Osprey packs, the sternum strap slides on its own track sewn into the straps, providing enough adjustment for varying torso sizes. There's an elastic pouch on the left shoulder strap for a phone, which was a snug fit for my 6" Pixel 4a. The straps are much less padded than the Aether line, with Osprey opting for a smooth non-woven fabric sewn around the edge - totaling about 1/4" thick. The padding is also perforated to reduce weight and provide some ventilation.The ice pick / pole holding cinch is integrated into the left strap as well, with a secondary fixed loop on the main pack body. The cinch itself is hidden in the fabric of the strap, but is easy to pinch with two fingers.The waist belt is similarly lightweighted, but still has generously sized zipper pouches on either side. The buckle and webbing are much slimmer than on the bigger packs. I would have preferred a wider buckle, but it's not a big issue, probably just what I'm used to.OTHER FEATURESCompared to other Osprey frame packs, the Talon 36 is fairly slim on additional features. It has the mesh outer pocket for your rain gear, two elastic clip/loops for gear near the top, and two axe loops near the base. There are also two mesh bottle or rope pockets, one on either side. As a technical pack, it appears to be designed for minimal external gear, which makes sense if you're mountaineering - keeps the load stabler.I haven't included a lot of the more well-known features in this review as they're well covered in the description here and on Osprey's site.COMFORTI found out after a day of hiking that there's a specific sequence to tightening the load securing straps. There are two on each side - a top one, which you can cinch down as tight as you like, and a bottom one which is secured about 2" into the hip belt. I initially cinched it all the way to get the load as compact as possible, and found that the hip belt kept slipping no matter how hard I tightened it. What happened is that that lower strap pulled the hip belt out so it couldn't wrap around my waist - there was a sizeable gap as the strap and hip belt worked against each other. I loosened the lower strap until it was dangling, tightened the hip belt, then retightened the lower strap and voila - no more slippage and a much more comfortable pack.FINAL THOUGHTSFor me, this pack is best suited for long day trips or overnights when I'm carrying a lot of stuff I'll access at the same time. The single access to the main compartment means that unless everything is packed perfectly, I'll be repacking it every time I'm getting anything at the bottom of the pack. If I did take it on an overnight, I'd make sure to compartmentalize things like toiletries, mess kit, food, and clothes into individual stuff sacks so I'm not having to repack everything once I get my sleeping gear from the bottom of the bag. That being said, once I've done that, this bag has a lot of versatility for the 2-3 day segment. It's light, small, easy to wear, and has a great feel on the back. Add that to Osprey quality, warranty, and attention to detail, and you've got a winner.If you are looking for a little more versatility, I'd consider the Talon 44, which has a little more room and more accessibility for not much more weight.