KIT REVIEW : Osprey Raven 14 litre Extended Fit pack
Reviewed by Dee
This rucksack from Osprey is ideal for mountain biking.
FEATURES:
The Osprey Raven 14 litre bike specific backpack is not short of features! It comes with a whopping 2.5l bladder. The new system how the bladder fits into the pack is fantastic. It's so much easier and I love how it keeps the tube covered and locked in place. This pack has loads of pockets. The front flap is ideal for stashing snacks, gloves or neck tube. The big compartment has a small mesh compartment, two tall side compartments and the main body. My favourite part is the external tool pocket with the detachable pouch, at the bottom. It keeps tools out the way so you don't need to pull everything out the main compartment just to get your multi tool out. As a bonus it's detachable, which if you're like me, and swap between a backpack and a bum bag, it's handy for keeping my tools in especially when swapping bags.
SIZING AND FIT:
This is the extended fit backpack, and even at a size 24, I could get lost in the straps, Osprey have given a very generous straps of up to 70 inches! The only negative side of this is, is that you have a lot of flapping from the excess! The hip belt pockets are very generous, and I found I could access them with ease! There is a caveat on the main body pocket - the more water you fill into the bladder the more it eats into your main pack storage.
PERFORMANCE:
I found that my back still got warm even though it is vented but I've yet to find a backpack which doesn't make your back a bit sweaty. It fits very nice to my body and found due to the extended fit, it hugs my body and doesn't move on descents which is a huge bonus. The hip belt pockets are arguably one of the best features, they are huge enough to get my brick phone in and more snacks! They are soft enough to mould to your body, they are mesh to help with breathability, and can access them really easy.
RRP £160
