Osprey Talon 11 hydration pack review

Osprey manufactures a huge number of packs for every occasion, from bike-specific hydration packs to climbing rucksacks.

The Talon falls somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, likely in the 'general adventure sport' category.

It offers plenty of room, a comfortable waist belt and some good zipped pockets, but the lack of dedicated compartments is a negative.

Osprey Talon 11 hydration pack specifications and details

The first thing to note about the Talon 11 is what is not there.

As a general adventure sport pack, there are few of the MTB-specific features that I generally take for granted in the best hydration packs.

The main section is pretty much the only compartment, unless you count the narrow sprung mesh pockets on the outside. Barring one suspended phone-sized mesh pocket at the top, there are no dividers or tool organisers to secure your bits and pieces once loaded up.

There are bungee cords on the back to secure clothing or extra kit, and the wide waist belt has a large zipped pocket on each side.

The brand's adventure sports heritage is given away by the attachments for walking poles and ice axes, which is great if you’re looking for a multi-use pack.

Osprey Talon 11 hydration pack performance

Although I was very taken with the Talon 11 as a general pack to head for the hills with, I was less enthusiastic about it as a pack purely for mountain biking.

My main gripe emerged as soon as I went to pack my kit. The Talon’s more general-use credentials mean there’s no tool organiser or tool roll as you get with some of Osprey's packs; it also doesn’t include a compartment you can store tools in to keep them accessible.

This meant they went straight to the bottom of the cavernous 11-litre main section and just moved around freely. Waterproof jackets went in on top, and it meant the whole lot had to come out when I needed to access anything.

It's not a great start, but the pack was very stable when it was on, despite the compression straps not being as effective as I’d have liked. It was also comfortable thanks to a wide, stiffened back with mesh and channelled foam to keep things cool.

Handy zipped pockets on the chunky waist belt were roomy enough for some tools and spares, but I preferred to keep them for quick access to energy bars and other frequently needed items, such as a GPS bike computer or phone.

The hydration pocket is well placed down the back of the 'Airscape' backboard and is nicely isolated from the contents of the main compartment, which is a positive. It did take some vigorous shimmying to get a full reservoir into a packed bag. However, you can say the same thing about most hydration packs.

Osprey Talon 11 hydration pack bottom line

Despite all of that criticism, the Talon 11 is not a bad pack, it's just missing a lot of the design elements that make for an excellent MTB-specific hydration pack.

If you're after a general pack to ride into the hills, then get off and climb them, I would have no hesitation in recommending it, but as a purely mountain biking pack, it's not among the best.

If you want an Osprey pack better suited to mountain biking, try the larger Siskin 12 or smaller Raptor 10 packs, both of which offer more bike-specific features.