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04/13/25
Capacity increase at the cost of some thoughfulness
Likes
As a long time user of the Stratos 24L for day hikes, I was looking for something with a little more capacity for when I'm doing long hikes solo. The Stratos 36L was appealing with it's enclosed main compartment that allows you pack things in without putting a strain on zippers. As a photographer, I also like that it has side access to the main compartment for the times I carry my camera with me and want quicker access without unloading the pack. The ladder system makes height adjustment a breeze and the design of the adjustment straps make loosening and tightening on the go incredibly simple. I was a little confused by the design of the drawstring on the main compartment at first as it wasn't initially intuitive like many of the push button ones I've dealt with in the past. Instead I've discovered that it's design allows it to be opened and closed one-handed, which is fantastic. I'm surprised this feature isn't talked about in video reviews for this pack. Finally, the bottom sleeping bag compartment is great for storing those "just in case" items that I take on every day hike, without them getting in the way of the rest of the pack.
Dislikes
While 90% of this pack was well thought out, there are a few design changes that they seemed to not have put much thought into that keep this from earning 5 stars. First, as many reviews have claimed, mesh pockets on the sides are TIGHT with a standard 1L Nalgene or 40oz single wall Kleen Kanteen. Even when the pack is empty. They also lack the secondary hole to pull bottles from the bottom that so many other Osprey packs have. As a result, it's pretty much impossible to get a water bottle out without taking the pack off. There was also not much thought put into the zippers on the hip belt pockets. With my old Stratos 24L, I could zip and unzip one handed with ease. On the new Stratos 36L, while you can unzip one handed, you can only get the zipper about half way closed without reaching around with your other hand to assist with closing. It appears no thought was put in to stitching it in a way that anchors the pouch flap and provide something to pull against. Finally, the rain cover, while removeable, seems to not be wide enough when deployed to fully cover the sides of the pack when you have 1L water bottles in the mesh pockets. It leaves a 1-2 inch gap on both sides that could potentially let rain into the lower portions of your pack. I don't know how much effect this will have on water getting into the pack yet, but is yet one more design flaw that does not exist on the older Stratos 24L.
