review: osprey manta 20 backpack.

[JV3]

i just sold my maxpedition falcon ii recently and bought this osprey as the replacement pack for edc and mountain biking. i've had it for about 2 weeks now and was able to take it mountain biking twice so here's my initial review/first impression.

specs/description from osprey: 1200 cubic inches/20 liters. recommended load range is less than 20 lbs.

"Day Hiking, Adventure Racing. Fast and light endeavors are perfect for the Manta 20. Incorporating a streamlined design along with all the key features of its larger siblings, this pack is perfect for light and fast hikes, adventure racing and full day trans-alpine mountain bike rides."


some cursory pics to get things started:

this is already loaded up with 3 liters of water, 1 altoids tin fire kit and 1 slightly larger than an altoids tin transparent plastic container psk (personal survival kit), a victorinox one-handed trekker, a spyderco bushcraft, and an energy bar or two...for mountain biking i'll add just a few bike-specific tools/supplies and i'm ready to go.

this pack is part of osprey's "hydraulics" line-up.

now the details...the bottom hides a compartment for a red rain cover.

it's secured to the pack via a velcro strap but you can detach it completely.

there's a strechable cord with lock on it for adjustable fit.

the compartment for the rain cover is actually pretty big! for size reference, that book is mors kochanski's "bushcraft".

for another size reference, that's spyderco's bushcraft knife (4" long blade). as a side note, no i don't suck at sharpening. that knife has been used hard for about 2 months now but i have yet to sharpen it so no i didn't mangle up the grind, it's just dirty as it should be

i'm not the one to recommend breaking the law and all that but nyc is just lately been irrationally harsh when it comes to knives (they've raided several sporting goods lately and treated regular spydercos and other folders illegal, in the same class as daggers and switchblades ). heck, i get scared enough that i don't even bring a sak with me no matter how tiny it is whenever i go there (which isn't all that often). with that said, if i had to go to nyc on a regular basis i will not risk my personal safety to satisfy the sheeple's ignorance and will put my knife in the rain cover compartment. notice if you remove the zipper's pull cord or tuck it in and remove the rain cover tab, no one will ever know there's a compartment there.

moving to the front...there's a mesh-like compartment. it looks and feels soft but it's not really stretchy, it's similar to the material used for moisture wicking synthetic shirts. i just put an orange bandana and a quiklot in there for easy access.

it's secured with a quick-release buckle that tucks into a "hood". not sure why it needs it but i guess for maximum aerodynamic while bombing down the mountain bike trail at an insanely fast 25 mph?

looking behind where that quick-release buckle is attached shows a double-layer of material and reinforced stitching...it doesn't need all that extra reinforcement but right off the bat shows attention to detail/quality which it better be given the price tag.

here's the bushcraft book again showing relative dimensions. i can comfortably fit about two of those books (each is about an inch thick).

the waist belt contains a side pocket on each side and each comfortably holds about 3 clif energy bars (68 gram ones).

fully closed with the 3 bars inside.

the waist belt is not padded, just a mesh behind the outer material. it's designed just to stabilize the pack from side to side movement, it's not designed to carry any load at all.

the right side shows an elastic loop for securing hiking poles.

the right strap has the corresponding elastic loop for the hiking poles. that cord lock is pretty small though and even with bare hands it's hard to get a grasp on it to compress it. no big deal - most of the time if i'm not holding my hiking poles, they're either on the ground or resting against a tree anyway. i haven't found the need yet to minimize them and carry in my pack.

the shoulder straps have these plastic retainers so the extra webbing isn't dangling all over the place. no need for itw web dominators.

the waist strap is designed so that you have to pull the straps straight and away from your body to tighten it as opposed to pulling it sideways. this isn't a big deal for a pack like this designed to carry light loads but it does make a big difference with substantial loads (in the 40 lbs and higher). it's similar in design to my kifaru pack. see here for the review of my kifaru g2 zxr: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/837192-review-kifaru-g2-zxr-backpack.

...end part 1 of 3.

 

[JV3]

more over-kill reinforcements.

just like any good pack, the sternum strap is adjustable in both axis.

what makes this pack different than the typical camelbak biking pack is the little details like this - there's a very strong magnet on both the sternum strap quick-release buckle and at the end of the hydration bladder's hose.

...get those two within an inch of each other and it snaps into place so no more dangling hose all over the place. it's really not a big deal since on my other packs where i just use a camelbak bladder, i just secure the hose with a paracord against the shoulder strap. i'm 50/50 on this feature since it looks good on paper but on actual use it just seems like an un-necessary feature. especially for those who have pacemakers (the strong magnet can interfere with it and osprey does not recommend this pack for those people) - it's downright off-limits to them. another thing is the sternum strap is made of a stretchable, low-friction material so everytime i pull the mouth piece off to take a sip, the sternum strap loosens up. after i end up putting the mouth piece back i have to pull on the sternum strap to re-tighten it. what i found is if i pull the mouth piece straight towards my right with no forward movement at all is the only way to prevent the strap from loosening...not a big deal while hiking but when mountain biking that extra movement (another extra if i have to retighten the strap) just means i have that extra time where i'm riding one-handed - not good especially where we ride where it's insanely rocky. a split second of distraction can mean going over the bar and another scrapes and bruises added to the list so i have to time my drinking more than usual.

i'll ride with it some more and decide if i'll replace that strap with the usual high-friction, non-stretchable nylon webbing...easy enough to do.

a closer look at the bite piece. this is the off position. rotating it 90 degrees in either direction opens up the valve. i prefer the camelbak's squishy feeling mouth piece better although i haven't noticed any difference in water flow. the red part is solid plastic by the way. pressure needs to be applied on opposing sides of it in order for the water to flow as opposed to the camelbak so it's more resitant to accidental discharge while say putting the pack in the car and forgetting to lock the flow off and stuff gets piled on top of it. i've had it happen to my camelbak where i open my car door only to find a big puddle of water in my duffle bag.

another note about that sternum strap - when i unbuckle it and it's still attached to the hydration hose since the strap is low-friction it tends to follow the length of the hose and the strap unwinds to it's longest point. when it's time for me to strap it back on i can't grab the end of the strap easily to pull it tight since it's hiding behind the buckle.

...easy enough fix - i just added a paracord pull-cord so i can reach it easier while wearing mountain bike gloves.

the shoulder straps are minimally padded and very well vented.

it's a biking pack for sure since there are these built-in reflectors (only on the left shoulder strap though).

this pack comes in two sizes - small/medium and medium/large.

here you can see part of the exposed aluminum frame. it's a trick frame design - optimized both for lightweight and ergonomics.

the full mesh backing for maximum venting. for hiking it's perfect but while mountain biking i find that since the mesh backing also results in minimum friction against my back, every time i hit a big bump the pack tends to bounce up more than my maxpedition falcon ii (or any pack i've tried with regular backing) especially when the water bladder/weight is at it's fullest. the first few times this happened while biking caught me off-guard since it has this feeling of sudden loss of balance due to massive weight shift especially while going down hill on sketchy sections. it hasn't caused me to crash yet (unlikely it ever will since it's not that big of a change in back friction), i just had to get used to it, anticipate it and compensate for it by tightening the waist strap a tad more...so far i'm thinking the lack of friction is worth it in exchange for massive ventilation.

there's a drain hole at the bottom for those sissy, ultra-light hikers in case their puny muscles can't carry a few extra grams of sweat or droplets of rain that might otherwise collect at the bottom

there's a small, rectangular area of the waist belt that's padded although i don't really see it being of much use. also the mesh backing have these two, reinforcements running parallel and where the waist belt is attached.

i'm not busting out adobe illustrator and drawing bezier curves so these red dots will have to do to show you how the trick aluminum frame is ergonomically curved. for me, it's pretty rare to see a pack in this size to have this much thought put into it.

bottom view of the pack...notice how the frame is curved - they managed to minimize weight while in combination with the curvature and mesh it also provides a lot of cushioning without adding extra foam padding (and more weight)...that is trick

there are these two reinforcement tabs running on both sides.

...a few feet of paracord and it can be used as a strap down for a jacket or sleeping pad in a pinch.

top view of the pack. this is the heart of the pack and what separates it from the typical camelbak pack...what the store employee said to me stuck with me. he said, "camelbak makes awesome hydration bladders and make backpacks to carry them as an afterthought...osprey makes backpacks full time and built this pack around a hydration bladder."...that "minor" difference shows in the details below.

flipping the padded flap over to expose the zipper.

with the bladder completely filled to the max (3 liters in this case) you can see the bladder is tightly squeezed. what this does is you only have to bite onto the valve to start the water flowing, no need to suck the water out like a straw.

throw every detail out, this is the main difference between this bladder and camelbak...the back is rigid.

empty or full, the bladder doesn't have that annoying bulge against your back! it bulges away from your back. it's not that big a deal for hikers especially with winter clothes on but it's definitely noticeable for bikers since we have our backs hunched more than usual against the pack.

the bladder is made by nalgene specifically for osprey by the way.

wide mouth opening. i'm not old enough to have arthritic hands yet (i'm 32) but i find that the cap is much easier to hold onto and open it compared to camelbak's awkward handle shape swirl thingy inside the cap thing.

there's an external spine as a handle but it's also for keeping the bladder completely straight, empty or full. this prevents the bladder from folding onto itself and restricting the water flow.

if you take a closer look at the hydration bladder compartment, there's this u-shaped groove where that external spine slides into. this prevents the bladder from shifting position and the water swishing all over and folding onto itself - restricting water flow. it happened to me once or twice before - not that i claim to be a fast mountain biker - it probably happened when i crashed hard and went over the bar, imitating sonic the hedgehog-type of tuck and roll more than anything

the design in and around the hydration bladder is awesome except the hose comes out of the right side only instead of being ambidextrous. i'm a lefty but for some reason i like the hose coming from that direction so i'm not sure if righties feel the same way.

...end part 2 of 3.

 

[JV3]

the main compartment opens about 2/3rd the way down.

that water bulge has to go somewhere! in this case, instead of against your back it takes part of of the main compartment's available space.

not that bad - i can still fit about 3 of the bushcraft books in there and a knife or two on each side. if you need more space than that then this pack is not for you to begin with - remember, the recommended upper limit is 20 lbs.

feeling more adventurous? the main compartment fits an esee junglas, 50' of climbing-spec webbing and emergency harness just fine.

...with room to spare.

another spot with extra reinforcement.

there's a no-scratch sunglass compartment too.

it's big enough to fit a separate sunglass case, 2 altoids tin kits, a bandana and esee fire kit too. more than that and it feels a tad too stuffed.

for me i just use it to store a bandana and a clear plastic container psk (slightly larger than an altoids tin).

another nod to bikers is this helmet loop.

there's also a slot in the front compartment where you can secure the waist belt so it doesn't get in the way while edc'ng it.

it also serves as an attachment point for a biker's blinking lights for night rides on the road.

they obviously didn't think of me since this is my standard rig while mountain biking

this is a high-priced pack (at least for me) so i can't help but compare it to what i consider to be the most pricey (but you get what you pay for) pack out there, kifaru...right off the bat you notice how different the materials are. osprey went for the ultra-light, really slippery-feeling fine weave material whereas kifaru went for the more stiffer feeling, abrasion-resistant, thicker materials.

opening the zippers and comparing them side by side shows the difference clear as night and day...

my kifaru dwarfs my osprey in more than just physical measurements...but they compliment each other well i think.

i'm 5'9", 170 lbs...in mountain bike mode (3 liters of water in bladder, altoids tin kit, emergency heat blanket, energy bar, first aid kit, and bike repair kit):

...end part 3 of 3.

 

[JV3]

while mountain biking mud tends to get splattered on my backpack from the rear wheel and it gets into nooks and crannies that's hard to wash off so i'm going to use a rain cover from now on with this pack...now before my friends start calling me "little red riding hood" that red rain cover had to go!

osprey sure likes going overkill with their stuff. the cover itself not only stows away in it's own built-in stuff sack but it also comes with a mesh sack.

it comes with a loop for a carabiner and a belt loop...i'd rather have them knock off $5 from the price and do away with the mesh. i really don't see any use for it (especially this is a pack designed for ultra-light hikers).

anyway, the built-in stuff sack has a velcro-secured flap.

man, that's a massive logo! i prefer the simpler logo (the border is also reflective) on the red cover. if anything i can just turn it inside out if i want to avoid the sheeple's attention.

the gray cover is slightly longer than the red and it's shaped like a rectangular bar of soap whereas the red is more like a turtle shell shape with no seams at all.

the red cover has this velcro strap to secure into the manta's rain cover compartment since it doesn't have it's own stuff sack. the gray cover's seams are tape sealed.

the cover seems to be made of the same material as the pack itself which is very slick. i had a good bit of mud splatter on it from last weekend and once the mud dried they just flaked right off.

unlike the red cover, the gray cover came with a snap button to bring the sides together to prevent it from catching the wind. works perfectly fine for hiking but while biking since my back is hunched over that button really digs into my spine so i had to un-button it right away.

maybe for bigger packs but for a small pack like this the button is not needed. my body's width completely overlaps the pack and even without the button, going 20 mph on a bike the cover didn't catch the wind at all. the elastic cinch cord secures it just fine.

this cover is the xs (comes in xs, s, m, & l) by the way. osprey underestimates the pack size their cover can accomodate. here's my 85 liter pack set up on the minimal side for a summer overnight (inflatable sleeping pad and a light blanket being the most bulky inside).

...the smallest cover of the line up covers it perfectly. kinda makes me wonder what do people pack out there that osprey makes a large rain cover. that's gotta be in the 200 liter range - serial killer with hacked up bodies backpack capacity

 

[JV3]

placeholder for comments i'd like to add (if any) after using it for awhile.

 

[PropThePolecat]

Good pics of the packs details. Ive already got 2 Osprey packs and im planning to replace my Maxp Pygmy Falcon II with another smallish Osprey.

Ive seen the Manta at the shop, and i think it looks smaller than 20 litres. I think its because it has several compartments, as opposed to one big compartment. I dont know if its right for me, since i usually bring a fleece jacket along on my dayhikes.

But im really digging the Osprey/Nalgene bladder system. Tell me, is the lid on the bladder the same size as a regular Nalgene 1 litre bottle? Im asking, cause my MSR MiniWorks waterfilter screws directly onto a Nalgene bottle, so it would be perfect if the bladdersystem had the same size/thread.

 

[Pilot1]

Does the waistband support the weight at all or is it all on your shoulders? Some pics of it own would be helpful. I just bought a Gregory 30 for dayhikes and think it may be too big, and may get something smaller.

 

[ROCK6]

Excellent review...one of the more thorough I've seen JV3. Osprey makes good, light weight bags and they are one of my favorites for trail backpacking. They have some great features,

ROCK6

 

[6shooter]

Man that was a ridiculously in depth review, nice!

I just got an Osprey Atmos 50, and I love it. Osprey makes a great product. I've been thinking about getting one of their smaller packs for day hikes, either the Manta 30 or Stratos 34

Thanks for the review bro!

 

[JV3]

But im really digging the Osprey/Nalgene bladder system. Tell me, is the lid on the bladder the same size as a regular Nalgene 1 litre bottle? Im asking, cause my MSR MiniWorks waterfilter screws directly onto a Nalgene bottle, so it would be perfect if the bladdersystem had the same size/thread.

thanks. no, your filter won't screw onto the opening since it's a little over 3" across. the nalgene bottle's opening is about 2" across.

Does the waistband support the weight at all or is it all on your shoulders? Some pics of it own would be helpful. I just bought a Gregory 30 for dayhikes and think it may be too big, and may get something smaller.

the torso length fits me so yes if i cinch the waist strap down tight it will put all the weight around my hips (unlike my maxpedition falcon ii where the waist strap ends up in my belly button area). but it's pretty hard to overload this thing though beyond the 20 lbs it was designed for (there's a chart that comes with it and 25 lbs is really pushing it). the bladder takes up a lot of the main compartment and the rest are multiple small pockets.

Excellent review...one of the more thorough I've seen JV3. Osprey makes good, light weight bags and they are one of my favorites for trail backpacking. They have some great features,

ROCK6

thanks!

Man that was a ridiculously in depth review, nice!

I just got an Osprey Atmos 50, and I love it. Osprey makes a great product. I've been thinking about getting one of their smaller packs for day hikes, either the Manta 30 or Stratos 34

Thanks for the review bro!

thanks, bro. i can stop annoying the store employees now that i bought the pack. practically every weekend after riding i was there checking out all the packs. i think i have my fingerprints on every square inch of the 20+ packs they have in this size

 

[crossada]

Your pack reviews are untouchable bro!

Thanks for taking the time.

 

[untamed]

Osprey stuff looks sweet! Thanks for sharing.

 

[mtwarden]

nice review- thanks

I own a similar sized Talon 22 (and a 5.5 and a Exos and a Hornet )- very full featured packs that still are very light

 

[HandofCod]

Now THAT is what they call comprehensive! Great work and thanks for taking the time and effort to put this together. I have an Osprey Atmos. I've been super impressed. I think I'd like to get a smaller one too for day trips!

 

[GoNadz]

Great review, brother. +1 on the Osprey packs. I have a Statos 36 that I love the shit out of. The Stratos has a similar frame/vent design, and it works very well in the summer months (my back tends to sweat a lot), and the frame is very supportive. Cool to see the Osprey next to the Kifaru (as they're the only two pack makers I own these days ). On one hand you have bulletproof, battle-ready hardware, on the other hand a slim, slick pack that can still take a metric shitton of abuse (albiet not to the extent of the Kifaru, but then again, I'm sure 99% of people here don't need it). Again, great review. Hopefully I'll be able to get out in the woods with you again soon haha

-Nadz

 

[Troy H]

Well documented!

Great review, JV3. Thanks for posting it! :thumbup:

 

[zatch]

Awesome review! I just picked up Kestrel 38 and I am in love! I'll be buying more in the future, that's for sure!

 

[tinwiskers]

This is one amazing review!! I have had my eye on the Manta 25 for a while and I want to get it to replace my Camelbak HAWG NV which is also a pretty good pack but I wanted something a little larger for my day hiking trips. Thanks for the extra bit on the rain fly as the screaming red cover that it comes with is unbearable and will sear any retinas looking right at it, One thing I wish it would improve on is the waist strap, I feel it needs to be a bit wider or at least have the option to put in your own. Other than that it really looks like a great pack!! Thanks again for the detailed review!

 

[storl]

Man, I friggin love the Manta packs. Osprey is the first company I have seen to give Camelbak a run for their money. It's like they did what Timbuk2 did with the laptop bag (Command). They sat down and figured out exactly what a hydration pack would be and made that bag. The way the bladder integrates into the pack is awesome. Having a wet noodle bladder flop around in the pack when it was half full was always annoying. The integrated rain flies are also a nice touch.

 

[JV3]

Your pack reviews are untouchable bro!

Thanks for taking the time.

thanks, bro. hopefully, this is it for awhile. i'm tired of touching all the packs in every store within a 50 mi radius every weekend

Osprey stuff looks sweet! Thanks for sharing.

you're welcome.

nice review- thanks

I own a similar sized Talon 22 (and a 5.5 and a Exos and a Hornet )- very full featured packs that still are very light

thanks. if i weren't such a knife nut i can easily see myself hiking with this pack. i'll just have to wait until it's 90+ outside and the urge to chop and start a camp fire is zero to try hiking with it.

Now THAT is what they call comprehensive! Great work and thanks for taking the time and effort to put this together. I have an Osprey Atmos. I've been super impressed. I think I'd like to get a smaller one too for day trips!

thanks. this is a nice day hike pack. it actually expands a lot more than the pictures show above.

Great review, brother. +1 on the Osprey packs. I have a Statos 36 that I love the shit out of. The Stratos has a similar frame/vent design, and it works very well in the summer months (my back tends to sweat a lot), and the frame is very supportive. Cool to see the Osprey next to the Kifaru (as they're the only two pack makers I own these days ). On one hand you have bulletproof, battle-ready hardware, on the other hand a slim, slick pack that can still take a metric shitton of abuse (albiet not to the extent of the Kifaru, but then again, I'm sure 99% of people here don't need it). Again, great review. Hopefully I'll be able to get out in the woods with you again soon haha

-Nadz

thanks. yeah, those 2 packs serve all my needs currently so my other packs i've accumulated over the years have been sold off recently...next up is a zulu for winter mountain biking (i need to pack winter clothes in there while riding. far too many close calls with mechanical failures with my bike/friends' bikes in below freezing temps last year).

p.s. tried to invite you to 2 hikes & overnighters in the past 3 weeks - no replies if you don't want to spoon with us for warmth even though it's 70 deg, just say so

Well documented!

Great review, JV3. Thanks for posting it! :thumbup:

you're welcome!

Awesome review! I just picked up Kestrel 38 and I am in love! I'll be buying more in the future, that's for sure!

thanks. please buy more, i get commission. kidding

This is one amazing review!! I have had my eye on the Manta 25 for a while and I want to get it to replace my Camelbak HAWG NV which is also a pretty good pack but I wanted something a little larger for my day hiking trips. Thanks for the extra bit on the rain fly as the screaming red cover that it comes with is unbearable and will sear any retinas looking right at it, One thing I wish it would improve on is the waist strap, I feel it needs to be a bit wider or at least have the option to put in your own. Other than that it really looks like a great pack!! Thanks again for the detailed review!

thanks! i was looking at the camelbak hawg as well. i really don't mind a sweaty back (on most trails here i wear a full face helmet which gets me sweaty/annoyingly hot more than anything) but it was that bulge in the back and water swishing/shifting that made me try out this osprey.

Man, I friggin love the Manta packs. Osprey is the first company I have seen to give Camelbak a run for their money. It's like they did what Timbuk2 did with the laptop bag (Command). They sat down and figured out exactly what a hydration pack would be and made that bag. The way the bladder integrates into the pack is awesome. Having a wet noodle bladder flop around in the pack when it was half full was always annoying. The integrated rain flies are also a nice touch.

haha. i blamed half my crashes on the wet noodle bladder shifting weight while riding sketchy terrain. now with the osprey, i need to come up with a different excuse aside from running out of talent