There's a point in every hiker's journey where the kit starts to outgrow the bag. For me it was somewhere on the Jurassic Coast with a waterproof jacket, a spare layer, food for a full day, a first aid kit and a water bottle that kept falling over in the side pocket — all crammed into a pack that simply wasn't built for it.
The Osprey Daylite Plus had served me brilliantly for shorter walks. But it had reached its limits. When I upgraded to the Osprey Talon 33, I genuinely didn't expect it to change how I hike. It did.
Why I upgraded from the Daylite Plus
The Osprey Daylite Plus is a genuinely excellent pack — 20 litres, light, well organised, comfortable for shorter outings. I still use it. But it has real limitations for longer, more serious hiking days. No substantial hip belt padding, no hip belt pockets, no hydration bladder system worth using seriously, and not enough volume when you start adding wet weather gear on top of everything else.
Once my walks started going beyond half a day and into full day territory — with a change of socks, waterproofs, a warm layer, food and water for six or seven hours — the Daylite Plus was full before I'd packed everything I needed. Something had to change.
First impressions of the Talon 33
The Talon 33 is noticeably more pack than the Daylite Plus the moment you pick it up. It's larger, more structured, with proper padded hip belt wings and a back panel that has clearly been engineered rather than just padded. At around 1.3kg it's not ultralight, but for what it offers it's impressively light.
The construction is made from bluesign-approved 100% recycled high-tenacity nylon — robust without being heavy. The Talon is built without a metal frame, which contributes to both its weight and its flexibility on the back. Osprey rate the load range at 10 to 30 pounds, which in practice covers everything a day hiker needs.
The AirScape system — no more sweat patches
This is the thing I noticed first and mention most when people ask about the pack. The injection-moulded AirScape back panel sits away from your back slightly, creating ventilated channels between the pack and your body. Air circulates. Heat escapes. Your back stays dry.
I have never had a sweat patch from this pack. Not on a hot day on the coast, not on a long climb with the pack fully loaded. The AirScape system is not a gimmick — it genuinely works, and it's the feature that earns the most appreciation over a long day on the trail.
The BioStretch harness and continuous lumbar-to-hip-belt wrap move with your body rather than fighting it, which matters more than people expect on long days when shoulders and hips start to feel the weight. The adjustable sternum strap includes a small safety whistle — a useful detail.
The hydration bladder — a genuine game changer
I thought the hydration bladder was going to be a nice-to-have. It has become one of the most important parts of my kit.
The Talon 33 has a dedicated sleeve for a hydration reservoir, accessed from the back of the pack — between the AirScape back panel and the main compartment. It's a smart bit of design: the bladder lives in its own space, completely out of the way of your gear, and you load it without disturbing anything else in the pack. I use the Osprey Hydraulics 3 litre bladder — the bigger one — which sits cleanly inside the sleeve and routes the drinking tube out over the shoulder strap where it's within reach without breaking stride or removing the pack.
The night before a long hike I fill it, seal it and put it in the fridge overnight. Sometimes I add ice cubes as well to keep it colder for longer. On a hot day on the coast path there is nothing better than a cold drink whenever you want one, without stopping, without removing the pack, without fussing with a water bottle. Three litres carries you through a full day in most conditions — I rarely finish it completely.
What I thought was a convenience feature has turned out to be a fundamental part of how I stay comfortable and well-hydrated over long distances. Staying hydrated reduces fatigue significantly, and having the water immediately accessible means I drink more consistently rather than waiting until I'm thirsty.
Pockets, organisation and what goes where
The Talon 33 has more external storage than most packs in its size class, and it's the kind of thoughtful organisation that you only fully appreciate once you've used it for a few months.
Hip belt pockets — Two generously sized zippered pockets on the hip belt are the feature I use most. They're big enough for a phone, snacks, lip balm, a small folding knife. On longer hikes I fill them with Haribo and sweets — the small sugar boost on a long climb is genuinely useful and having it immediately accessible without breaking stride or removing the pack makes a real difference in the latter stages of a big day.
Side mesh pockets — Deep stretch mesh pockets on each side of the pack handle water bottles and other tall items securely. I use one for a bottle of Lucozade Sport — particularly useful when energy is running low and I need something beyond water.
Front mesh pocket — A large stretch mesh front panel pocket for bulkier items that need to be accessible quickly. Waterproof jacket, gloves, a hat — the kind of thing you grab and replace several times during a day.
Lid pocket — The fixed top lid has an external zippered slash pocket and a secondary mesh pocket underneath with a key clip. This is where I keep the things I need quickly and regularly — phone, snacks, lip balm, headtorch. The lid pocket has saved me from opening the main compartment repeatedly throughout the day.
Harness pocket — A small expandable stretch mesh pocket on the harness. Just big enough for sunglasses or a snack bar. A small thing but genuinely useful on the move.
There are also attachment points for trekking poles (Stow-on-the-Go system) and an ice axe loop with bungee tie-off — features I haven't needed yet on the Jurassic Coast, but which speak to the pack's versatility across different types of terrain.
The Osprey pack pocket — phone access without the faff
One addition I'd recommend alongside the Talon 33 is the Osprey Zippered Pack Pocket. It hooks and velcro fastens directly onto the harness of the Talon, sitting on the shoulder strap where it's immediately accessible without opening anything else on the pack.
I use it exclusively for my phone. Being able to pull it out mid-walk — to check the route on AllTrails, take a photo, or send a quick message — without fussing in pockets or stopping to open the pack is a genuinely useful quality-of-life improvement. It's water resistant, fits the phone securely, and clips on and off cleanly.
It's a small thing but once you've used it you won't want to be without it. The Talon's harness pocket is too small for a modern smartphone — this solves that problem neatly.
Dry bags — how I actually waterproof the inside
The Talon 33 doesn't include a rain cover — if you want one you'll need to buy it separately. Worth knowing, though my system isn't a rain cover at all.
My system is dry bags. Before packing, I sort everything into colour-coded dry bags — warm layers in one, wet weather gear in another, food in a third. Everything goes into the pack already bagged. It doesn't matter whether the pack itself gets wet. Everything inside is completely dry, and I can find exactly what I need without rummaging through a soaked main compartment in the rain. I know where everything is before I need it.
It's a simple system but it's become a fixed part of how I prepare for any serious hike. The Talon 33's main compartment is large enough to accommodate several dry bags alongside the hydration bladder without feeling cramped.
The Fire Maple — coffee on the trail
The pack is big enough to carry my Fire Maple stove — a compact camping stove that does the same job as a Jetboil at a fraction of the price. I wasn't sure I'd use it regularly. I use it on almost every longer hike.
Being able to find a good spot, sit down and make a proper coffee — real coffee, with a small carton of long-life milk, from a little gas-fired stove that fits in the palm of your hand — is one of those things that sounds like a luxury but becomes something you look forward to planning a walk around. Even on remote sections of the Jurassic Coast where there's nothing for miles, a coffee break feels civilised.
I'll be reviewing the Fire Maple properly soon. In the meantime, worth knowing that the Talon 33 swallows it without drama alongside everything else.
What it carries — a typical full day pack
For context, here's what goes into the Talon 33 on a typical full day hike in the cooler months:
- Osprey Hydraulics 3L hydration bladder (filled, in the reservoir sleeve)
- Waterproof jacket (in a dry bag)
- Fleece mid-layer (in a dry bag)
- Spare socks (in a dry bag)
- Full day's food — sandwiches, snacks, fruit
- First aid kit
- Fire Maple stove and gas canister
- Coffee sachets and long-life milk
- Head torch
- Phone, portable charger
- Lucozade Sport in the side mesh pocket
- Haribo in the hip belt pockets
It carries all of this comfortably. Nothing feels crammed. The weight sits well on the hips with the hip belt properly tightened — not pulling downward on the shoulders, which is the key to comfortable long-distance carrying. I've never found it too heavy for a full day out.
The Osprey Daylite Plus — still earns its place
Replacing the Daylite Plus with the Talon 33 doesn't mean the Daylite Plus has no role. It's a 20-litre pack that weighs just 590g, has excellent organisation, and is genuinely comfortable for shorter outings where you don't need much kit.
For a two to three hour walk with water, a snack and a light layer — the Daylite Plus is perfect. It's lighter, smaller, easier to manage when you don't need the full system. I reach for it regularly for shorter coastal walks where the Talon 33 would be overkill.
The two packs complement each other well. If you're starting out and building your kit, the Daylite Plus is an excellent first Osprey pack. When your walks get longer and your kit gets more serious, the Talon 33 is the natural next step.
Buy the Osprey Daylite Plus on AmazonVerdict
The Osprey Talon 33 is the best thing I carry on a full day hike. Not because it's the most technically impressive pack on the market — it isn't — but because it does everything a serious day hiker needs, does it well, and does it comfortably over long distances in varied British conditions.
The AirScape system keeps your back dry. The hip belt pockets keep your snacks within reach. The organisation makes finding things straightforward when you're tired and the weather has turned. And the main compartment is generous enough to carry everything you need for a proper day out, including a hydration bladder, warm layers, wet weather gear, food and a camping stove.
I didn't expect to feel the difference this much. I do. If you're serious about your hiking and you're still using a pack that's too small or too basic for the days you want to do — the Talon 33 is worth every penny.