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Comment by rsto | Hacker News Reader

I love my Osprey Stratos 26l [1]

I use it for my daily bike commute, as well as for hiking, skiing and as day pack for traveling. It combines (almost) all of the features I'm looking for in a daypack:

Mesh ventilation keeps my back dry when riding my bike in summer. Phone, key and wallet fit in the waist strap pockets for fast reach. Rain cover keeps my stuff dry for the occasional downpour. 26l is large enough to fit in a 11" MacBook and basic climbing gear, small enough to not be bulky. CamelPak fits in to keep me hydrated when in the mountains.

The only feature I miss is being able to remove the waist straps, if I so wish. Larger backpacks, e.g. from Deuter, support this.

If I would use my backpack solely for bike commuting, I'd buy a Deuter Giga Bike [2]

[1] http://www.ospreyeurope.com/gb_en/hiking/stratos-series/stra... [2] http://www.deuter.com/US/us/bike/giga-bike-80444.html

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I have a Stratos 24 (medium I think).

I second the removable waist straps. This would change the character of the backpack entirely.

I've been using it for about 5 years now, and it's a great backpack, but the straps drive me nuts. They are great when on a bike, but they get in the way a lot in other situations.

The other thing is that the vent on the back makes the main compartment a bit difficult to store things in. The back isn't flat, so the main compartment is kind of curved. The back panel is basically a really flat peak, like the roof of a house. I like to keep things in the top pockets, but they make it really hard to get stuff out of the main pocket once they get a bit of stuff in them.

Also, the side pockets don't work particularly well with water bottles. They are tilted a bit toward the wearer, and I've found that this tends to cause them to eject water bottles if you are leaning forward at all while running/jogging/riding a bike.

It looks like bag has been substantially redesigned in the past 5 years though, so they may have fixed these issues.

On the plus side, the bag is very durable, and it is very comfortable when using the straps. The integrated rain cover is nice if you are using it as a commuting bag, since I'd never consciously pack my own rain cover.

The venting on the back does help keep a bit cool, but it's not enough to prevent my back from getting all sweaty if I wear it on a hotter day. It's nice if you want a frame in a small backpack, but I'd avoid it myself next time because it makes the backpack pretty large for a given amount of storage, adds weight, and makes the main compartment harder to use.

I bought mine less than a year ago. The main compartment is still curved, I can imagine the 24l version to be too small. Any laptop larger than 12" might get an issue also in the 26l version.

I have a similar experience with water bottles: a typical 1 litre aluminium bottle (e.g. Sigg) hardly fits in the side pocket, so it's always a struggle to squeeze it. Once it's in the pocket, though, the risk of falling out is nil :)

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