Osprey Talon 22 Review: The Daypack That Disappears on Your Back
The Talon 22 has been Osprey's default daypack for years, and the current version earns that position. It is light enough for a fast summit push, structured enough for a full day of gear, and it ventilates better than most packs in its class. If you want one bag for day hikes, travel, and the occasional scramble, this is where most people should start.
What we liked
- The AirScape back panel actually moves air, so you finish a climb with a dry back more often than not
- Sub-1 kg weight without stripping the features you use, including hipbelt pockets, a lid, and a hydration sleeve
- LidLock for a bike helmet and a stretch front shove-it pocket handle everything from commuting to scrambling
- Two fixed torso sizes (S/M and M/L) mean most people get a decent fit straight off the shelf
- Durable enough that owners tend to hand these down rather than replace them
What to watch
- Only a 22 L body, so a full winter kit or a big camera load will not fit
- The hipbelt is a stabilizer rather than a load-transfer system, so past 8 or 9 kg it stops helping
- Shoulder straps run narrow, which some broader builds will notice
In depth
Getting the fit right before anything else
A daypack carries best when most of the weight sits on the hips, and that only happens if the torso length is right. Measure from the base of your neck to the top of your hip bones, then match it to the pack's size. A pack that is too short will put the load on your shoulders; one that is too long will ride low and feel unstable on rough ground.
Adjust in a specific order. Loosen everything, put the pack on, and set the hipbelt first so it wraps the top of the hip bones rather than your waist. Then tighten the shoulder straps until they sit smoothly without gaps, and finally set the sternum strap across the chest at a height that does not restrict breathing.
The load lifters, the small straps from the top of the shoulder straps to the pack, are the adjustment most people never touch. Pulling them in gently brings the pack closer to your back and improves stability on descents. On a daypack the effect is modest, but it is the difference between a pack that moves with you and one that swings.
Ventilation and what a mesh back panel really does
Back panel design is the main compromise in any daypack. A foam panel with a mesh cover, as used here, holds the pack slightly off your back with channels that let some air move. It reduces sweating noticeably compared with a flat panel, but it does not eliminate it.
A suspended mesh design, where the pack is held away from the back by a tensioned net, ventilates more but moves the load further from your centre of gravity and usually reduces usable volume inside. For a 22 litre pack used on day hikes, the foam-and-channel approach is the more practical balance.
The habit that matters more than the panel is what you wear and how you pace. A synthetic baselayer that wicks and dries quickly means a sweaty back at the top of a climb is unpleasant rather than a problem, and stopping to let the pack and shirt dry for a few minutes does more than any design feature.
Packing a 22 litre pack for different days
The general principle is heavy and dense in the middle against your back, light and bulky away from it. For a summer day hike that means water and food in the centre, a shell and spare layer on top, and items you need often in the lid or the stretch front pocket.
For a fast summit push, the pack's light weight lets you travel with very little: water, a windshell, a snack and a headlamp. For a winter day out, the volume becomes the constraint rather than the weight, and a bulky insulated layer plus gloves and a hat can fill the pack on their own. Adding a large camera body and lens will also use most of the space.
Access is a design choice worth thinking about. A panel-loading pack is far easier to rummage through than a top-loader, which is one reason this style suits day use and travel better than long-distance hiking. For travel, it also makes the pack behave more like a piece of luggage when you are living out of it.
How much weight it can actually carry
Daypacks in this class are comfortable to roughly 8 to 10 kg. The limiting factor is not the fabric but the hipbelt: on a 22 litre pack the belt is a stabiliser that keeps the load from swinging, not a load-transfer system that moves weight onto your hips. Past that threshold, the shoulder straps take everything and the pack starts to feel like it is pulling you backwards.
If your day load regularly exceeds 10 kg, a larger pack with a proper framesheet and a padded hipbelt is the right tool, even for a day trip. Camera gear, climbing hardware and winter layers add up faster than most people expect.
Water is the wildcard. Three litres of water weighs three kilograms, and on a hot day that alone can push a light load into uncomfortable territory. Planning refill points so you carry less is often the better fix than a bigger pack.
Features that earn their place
The hydration sleeve and hose port are used on almost every hike, so they are worth having. A stretch front pocket that takes a wet shell keeps the rest of the contents dry, and it is the single most-used feature on most daypacks. Trekking pole or ice axe loops matter if you use them and are irrelevant if you do not.
A helmet carrier is useful if you cycle or climb, and it is a good example of a feature that costs almost nothing in weight and adds genuine utility for a subset of users. Side compression straps let you tighten the pack when it is half full, which stops contents shifting on descents.
The features to be sceptical about are the ones that add weight and complexity without a clear job for your kind of hiking. The honest test is to pack for a typical trip and see which features you actually used at the end of it.
Care, durability and the used market
Daypacks in this class last a long time because the loads are moderate and the construction is simple. The wear points are the bottom panel, the zip sliders and the mesh pockets. Wiping mud off after a trip and rinsing the mesh pockets stops grit from abrading the fabric and the zip teeth.
Zips are the most common failure, and they usually fail because they are overloaded rather than worn out. Loading a front pocket beyond its capacity stresses the slider. If a zip starts to separate behind the slider, a repair shop can often replace just the slider rather than the whole zip.
Because these packs are common and durable, the second-hand market is worth checking, and many manufacturers offer a lifetime repair service. A pack that has been repaired once is usually a better value than a new one, provided the frame and harness are intact.
Questions we get asked
Which torso size should I order?
Measure from the base of your neck to the top of your hip bones and compare with the maker's chart rather than choosing by height. If you are between sizes on a daypack, the smaller size usually fits a wider range of users because it sits higher on the hips.
Can it hold a laptop?
There is no padded laptop sleeve, so a bare laptop would sit against the hydration sleeve without protection. With a padded case it works for commuting, but a pack with a dedicated sleeve is a better choice if you carry a laptop daily.
Is it carry-on friendly?
Its dimensions are close to typical cabin bag limits and it compresses well, which makes it a common choice for travel. Whether it passes depends on the airline and how full it is, since an overstuffed pack can exceed the depth limit.
How much weight can it carry comfortably?
Roughly 8 to 10 kg. Beyond that the stabiliser hipbelt stops helping and the load moves onto your shoulders. For heavier day loads, a larger pack with a real load-transferring hipbelt is more comfortable.