Most Comfortable Daypack

The Osprey Stratos 24 is without question one of the more comfortable daypacks on the market, thanks to its stretch mesh suspension system, which creates support and excellent ventilation. There are excellent storage pockets and small accessories that help the Stratos stand out. The price is a bit high for a smaller pack. However, the comfort and lifetime guarantee offered by Osprey makes this a pack that you will be using for the rest of your life. While the Osprey Stratos 24 is a male designed pack, the Osprey Sirrus 24 is the female design of the same pack. It’s equally as comfortable. The Sirrus utilizes a shoulder strap and hip belt system designed to fit females better. That’s why the Osprey Stratos is our Most Comfortable Daypack.

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See Our Best Hiking Daypack Review 2021

The Osprey Stratos is a highly versatile and well-built pack. It comes with Osprey’s Airspeed stretched mesh suspension system that is one of the most breathable back panels on the market and a big reason why it is the Most Comfortable Daypack this season. It is built to be used and will handle any environment you’re ready to discover. 

Osprey has also built a female designed equivalent of the Stratos 24, called the Sirrus 24. The main design and storage are the exact same. The only difference is that the harness system is designed to fit more comfortably around a female figure.

The Stratos family also includes a 34L, 36L, and 50L variation. They all have the same stretch mesh ventilated back panel. The Stratos 36 and Stratos 50 include fixed top lid storage with a drawstring opening. Adding additional storage, the pack also includes extra buckles on the bottom for a tent or sleeping pad. The larger packs also include a zippered bottom pocket for a sleeping bag or additional equipment such as a first aid kit. 

Ventilation and Suspension

As mentioned earlier, the Osprey Airspeedstretch mesh back panel that comes on the Stratos 24 is the most breathable of any packs we have tested. It keeps the pack away from your back and allows airflow to keep your back cool, no matter what weather you are hiking through. This does increase the distance it sticks out from your back, but on long hot hiking objectives, it will be completely worth it.

The hip belt is seamless, improves the comfort of movement throughout the day, and is padded to help keep the pressure of the load spread across your hips. It also features small zipper pockets to store valuables, though some find it challenging to fit the larger cell phones that are common today. 

The shoulder straps are padded with hex mesh to help improve airflow along the front of the shoulders, increasing comfort and reducing sweat. The adjustable load lifters, sternum strap, and hip belts allow for a highly customizable fit for any user. This fit customization, along with the effective ventilation, made it easy to pick the Stratos 24 as the Most Comfortable Daypack of the season. 

Storage

The Stratos 24, while appearing quite minimalist and sleek on the exterior, comes fully loaded with the storage and accessories you would expect from an Osprey pack. The hydration sleeve is located inside the main pocket with tube access on either shoulder, depending on wearer preference. The stretch mesh back panel keeps the hydration bladder off of hikers’ backs and keeps the water cooler for longer periods of time, which is a great feature in warmer climates.

There is a vertical zippered pocket on the back of the pack to store thinner objects, like a map or any travel documents you may need quick access to. There are also two smaller stash pockets along the top of the pack on either side of the main compartment. These are excellent for helping to improve the organization of valuables like sunglasses or cellphones that you do not want in the main compartment. 

The two zippered hip pockets also allow for quick access to items like snacks or a knife that you might want to access without having to take the pack off. As mentioned earlier, they might not fit the largest cell phones currently available.

The Stratos 24 also comes with dual side stretch mesh pockets for water bottles or sunscreen to keep them separate from the main compartment in case of lid failures (we’ve all been there). Osprey has had many years of experience in working towards creating the maximum amount of storage with the least amount of aesthetic impact. If you are looking for an even more minimalist and hiking specific pack, check out the Osprey Hike Lite 26. 

Accessories

Osprey is able to create a very approachable hiking pack for every type of adventurer while also including accessories that allow for the Stratos 24 to go on more extreme pursuits. There is a single ice axe loop, as well as the side stash hiking pole loops that are used for stashing hiking poles on the go. This feature is great for hikes with variable terrain where the hiking poles may need to be put away for a short section but can then be quickly accessed when needed without having to remove the pack completely. Osprey also included side straps that keep the pack load closer to the body for load management and balance. 

Finally, Osprey provides an integrated rain cover with the Stratos 24, which is stored in the bottom zippered pocket with the blue symbol. This is a great accessory for hiking in wet environments to keep all of your gear dry while you explore. 

Material and Weight

The Osprey Stratos 24 is built using 210D Crosshatch Nylon, a very strong and durable material that helps to reduce overall weight while improving the life span of the pack. The overall weight of the Men’s Stratos 24 is 1247g, which is one of the heavier packs on the list. However, this weight is hardly noticed due to the excellent harness system that Osprey has included in Stratos. 

The Bottom Line

It is no surprise that the Osprey Stratos 24 was named the Most Comfortable Daypack in our review. It is a highly capable daypack that will be comfortable in just about any situation you could think to use it in. The advanced suspension system matched with the organization and overall build makes it one of the best hiking daypacks of 2021. At $140, the price tag is slightly higher than other packs, but for a pack that will last years and take you everywhere you need to go, it is well worth it. 

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