This pack is full of features, it is really well designed, and extremely tough. The fit is fantastic, it does not move around, even on the toughest singletrack.
What is common in all these pics? I am riding with the Osprey Raptor 10.
This is the best mountain bike hydration pack I have ever used. I mean seriously, I have a bag thing, and I was always searching for just the right pack. Who’s not looking for any new hydration packs? Me.
The Osprey Raptor 10 is a feature-rich mountain biking hydration backpack. The pack’s capacity is 600 cubic inches. With an empty hydration bladder the pack weights 2 lbs. 4 ounces or just over a kilogram. There are two sizes depending on torso length. I tested the Osprey Raptor 10 while mountain biking on trails along the Wasatch Foothills. I also took it for a few day hikes and cross country skiing.
This back pack/hydration system was with me on a lot of adventures in 2010. I never had any major complaints with the comfort, functionality, or overall performance of this pack at all. (See later on for my two big nits on the Raptor 10 below.) While nothing is perfect, I was pleasantly surprised at how well this pack did on rides. The Raptor 10 survived getting overstuffed, abused in mud, and totally drenched and came back with flying colors every time. For another detailed look at the Raptor 10, see my review here and Grannygear’s thoughts on other Raptor packs here.
Osprey packs consistently impress me with their suspension, comfort, and fit, and the Raptor 10 is no exception. This pack looks sleek-small, even-but it’s got room for the food, gear and clothes an all-day ride demands, intelligently placed pockets and straps that stay put. All this on a semi-rigid frame that moves with your body. Better yet, Osprey’s HydraLock system pressurizes the water reservoir, increasing water flow. Turn the bite valve 90 degrees, bite, and the hose does the rest of the work. That’s a beautiful thing when schlepping up five miles of single track under a blazing sun.
Osprey has a very impressive line of packs and they are very well made. I love the nice touches like the zipper pulls that can easily be used with gloves, the killer Hydraform reservoir set-up, the Lid Lock helmet holder and the sleek overall feel to the pack when worn. I think some of the organization of tools, etc, needs to be re-thought a bit along with the silly hip belt pouches that allow things to fall out too easily. But, overall the line of Raptors from the Six (liter) to the Eighteen (liter) offer a wide choice of sizes and all of them are really good packs.
I recently started using an Osprey Raptor 10 pack and let me say I like it. I picked up a Osprey Flap Jack pack for my work travel and really liked it. I was so impressed with the quality of the Flap Jack that I looked for a new hydration pack for 1 to 2 hour rides from Osprey. I got an Osprey Raptor 10 and it is a great bag.
This is quite simply the perfect day-to-day pack for hitting the trails. At 10 liters, it’s compact enough for a quick spin on the neighborhood trails yet roomy enough for a full-day adventure. Big Plus: The lid latch carrier makes it easy to attach your helmet to the pack with no bouncing around.
Superb pack design and comfort with an excellent bladder to boot. Comfy and well designed.
Osprey pour 35+ years of outdoor pack experience into their versatile Raptor 10 – a superb pack first and foremost, which just happens to have an excellent reservoir, too.
Not surprising given the company heritage, comfort and fit are among the Raptor 10’s best attributes, with a well-ventilated semi-rigid padded back panel that distributes weight evenly across your torso and never feels too hot or stifling.
The mesh main straps are similarly padded and ventilated, and combine with the stretchy sternum strap, broad hip belt and dual compression straps for an ultra-stable and body-hugging fit that moves well with you even on technical terrain.
Recently Grannygear and I were able to check out the Osprey line of hydration packs. (You can check that post out here.) In this post I wanted to give an extended view of my experiences with the Osprey Raptor 10 pack.
I’ve used the Raptor 10 exclusively since the pack came in back in early May. I have used it for training rides, mountain bike rides, gravel road excursions, and most recently I have used it on two fully self supported rides.
The hydration pack market is (forgive me) flooded. Sew an extra sleeve inside, buy an unbranded IV drip for a bladder, and you’ve got yourself a product line. Now along comes Osprey, a small company very much not into copying others, with an offering of seven “hydraulics” packs, and the obvious questions to ask are, are they different and are they better? Well, I gave the smallest pack, the Raptor 6, one of National Geographic Adventure’s gear of the year awards a couple months ago, so in my eyes the answers are yes and yes. Details to follow.
The Raptor 6, however, is a bit too small for my purposes–perfect for hour loops, training rides, a trail run, but lacking the capacity for three hour, four hour, all-day adventures. That’s where the Raptor 10 comes in. It’s still compact and trim enough to be an everyday sprint pack, but has the room for a few thousand calories, some extra layers, and an industrial-sized patch kit.
All seven of Osprey’s hydration packs are built around the idea that sucking hard to get your water sucks, so they’re designed with a simple system called HydraLock, which pressurizes the reservoir and increases water flow. HydraLock stabilizes and squeezes the bladder, which also cuts down on sloshing–not a huge issue for cycling but something that quickly becomes annoying on a trail run. The flow it creates isn’t exactly at the level of a fire hose, but it is improvement over traditional systems. Bite the valve and it’s like opening the faucet a trickle, give it a pull and it streams.
Okay, brownie points for a executing a good idea. Lack of water pressure isn’t the biggest issue in hydration packs, though. That would be poor design and inattention to how these suckers actually feel on your back. And that’s where the Raptor 10 really shines–this little pack carries great, whether you’re bombing down a rock garden on a rigid single speed or motoring like Legolas along a loamy old-growth trail.
The key, I think, actually comes from HydraLock. For this pressurizing system to work, it needs structure–a plastic spine on the reservoir, a semi-rigid frame that doesn’t collapse under its own weight, a back panel that’s more substantive than simple padding–and that provides the Raptor with corporeal stability that translates to carrying comfort. It’s found the perfect blend of conforming to your body yet having enough backbone to carry a full three-liter reservoir without tugging on the shoulder straps at every pedal stroke.
Other features worth noting include a helmet carrying system that secures your lid without letting it flop around like an empty turtle shell on a runaway poacher’s pack, stretchy pockets on the waist belt for energy packs, and a strong magnet on the sternum strap to hold the bite valve at the ready.
The Osprey Raptor 10 costs $89. It comes in gray, dark green, and gold, weighs 27 ounces, has a 10-liter capacity, and measures 18 x 8.25 x 7.50 inches.
For more on Osprey Packs, including warranty, factory locations, and where to buy, see The Adventure Life’s company profile page.
With mountain biking, light hikes, and adventurers in mind, Osprey has made a pack we have nothing to complain about.
This is a great size for short or day hikes, it’s perfect for climbers, bikers or just about any activity where you want a light weight hydro pack with enough room for some extra food and gear. It’s construction shows that Osprey has true adventurers in mind and wants to create a product that will not only hold up to the abuse so many trails often dish out, but that they want you to be completely happy with the product you just bought.
From the stitching to the layout, everything here is top notch. The hydro set up is great with a magnet place on the sternum strap for easy access, and the bag itself (3 liters) is much better then most of the hydro packs you’ll find in stores. With a hard back and an over sized screw down lid, the bag is almost as tough as the pack. It’s still pretty easy to clean out as well, so no worries there. Lower side compression straps keep the weight from rest only on your shoulders, which provides for more comfort and enjoyment on extended trips. The Osprey wings on the Lower side compression straps are highly reflective as well, providing a nice safety touch.
Good: An front pocket gives you easy access to items you may want to get quickly, large (but not too large) pull rings on all zippers make it easy to get in your pack even with gloves on, plenty of room for a days rations and some back up gear, and a really cool strap for your helmet, 3 color-way choices, good style, great quality. Front pocket is stretchy but strong, mouth piece swivels, bike tool organization, great stitching, strong construction, comfortable to wear, reflective accents for safety.
I’ve used the Raptor 10 exclusively since the pack came in back in early May. I have used it for training rides, mountain bike rides, gravel road excursions, and most recently I have used it on two fully self supported rides.
