The lid has one pocket on the inside and one on the outside, and there’s a useful bellowed, open pocket on the very front of the pack (a new feature for the Stratos) that’s useful for quickly stashing a jacket. This also has a sizeable zipped pocket on the outside for other valuables.

There’s access to the main compartment via the top and also down one side of the pack, and at the base of the bag there’s a compartment for a tent or sleeping bag, this is sealed and won’t open up to the main compartment.

Other features worth noting include the integrated rain cover located at the base of the pack, the hydration bladder sleeve in the main compartment, stow-on-go trekking pole attachments on the straps and a removable top lid that can double up as a mini bum bag or sling pack for shorter trips.

Osprey Stratos 50: Performance

I think I probably took the Osprey Stratos 50 a little out of its comfort zone by taking it on this big trek. I’d say it’s probably better suited to hiking trips that are no longer than a few days, or hut-to-hut treks without camping equipment. Not multi-week walks where you’re carrying plenty of equipment plus food and water. The reason I say this is because it didn’t always seem able to deal with the weight I was carrying, which was about 13-14kg. Throughout each day, I had to ensure the shoulder straps were re-tightened as the bag would, very slowly, tilt away from my back.

Osprey Stratos 50 | Verdict

As we’ve come to expect with Osprey, there’s a good amount of attention to detail with the Stratos 50, right down to the zip pulls (they’re designed to be easy to use with cold hands or while wearing gloves) and the whole thing is made from good quality, durable fabrics that will keep out all but the heaviest or most persistent rain, even without the rain cover.

Overall, considering the performance in terms of comfort and ventilation, and the convenient features, I didn’t regret taking this backpack with me on my 300-mile trek, even despite the issue I had with the shoulder straps tending to loosen due to the heavy load. Still, if I was going to suggest this pack for a specific trip, I’d say it’s first and foremost a bag for weekend-length adventures.

Osprey Stratos 50: Specifications

210 Denier nylon with a 420 Denier base / 50-litre volume / airSpeed suspended mesh back system / Alloy frame / Padded, meshed hipbelt / Sternum strap with whistle / Lumbar support / Hydration bladder compatible /