Review: Osprey Flapjack 25L - $70

The good stuff:

This pack is the best bargain of the bunch.  You really do get great value given what it offers.  It has a superb suspension system and I love that it is a top loader.  Being a top loader allows you to flop the lid closed without having to zip or buckle when you are in a hurry.  With panel and quasi-top loaders (like the Refugio and Blackhole) you risk losing stuff or getting stuff wet if your do not zip up.  With the Flapjack, you just "flap and go" with no risk of loss or rain damage.

The pack is roomy and yet it stays close to the body so you don't feel the lateral sway that you would with some of the other packs in this group.  I think that it is the best of the bunch as a bicycle pack because of this.  The top flap also has a small zippered pocket into which I can place my glasses.  Similar to the Patagonia Blackhole, this pocket is not as cushy as the one on the Patagonia Refugio, but it works.

The Flapjack has a stiff back, too.  Unfortunately, as you will read below, the flat and wide design of the pack counteracts this stiff back as a shape holder when partially filled.

The bad stuff:

The flat and wide design is a benefit and a curse with this pack.  Because it is so flat, the bag has trouble staying open and standing upright so that you can peer down into the bottom of the bag.  The space feels too tight.  In general, one can get more light into a bag that has a bottom that is more square than rectangular.  I always had to "fluff" this bag to see to the bottom. 

I also felt this bag more than the others.  Not in that it swayed.  In fact, as noted above, it is the most stable of all the packs tested.  It simply covered too much of my back when wearing it.  While I am a narrow guy, I'm not THAT narrow.  It always new the Flapjack was there as it spanned shoulder to shoulder.  It is not unlike the difference between wearing a tank top versus a long sleeved shirt. It felt like someone was right behind me when it was just the pack sticking out.  Of course, this may be a non-issue to you, but I could not get past this overly wide feel.

The biggest problem, however, was the lack of external mesh side pockets for water bottles.  The one long side zippered pocket could accommodate a water bottle, but a cold water bottle would sweat inside this pocket.  I am not sure why they could not have converted this to a simpler mesh pocket instead.  It is like they were being too clever for their own good here.  A mesh pocket would also have allowed me to stow a travel tripod on the side (of course, this would have made the pack feel even wider!). 

Summary:

In the end, I simply could not get past the overall flat and wide design.  I know why they did it (for stability) but it doesn't work well for loading and finding stuff and, as I said before, I always felt its presence on my back like there was someone standing too close to me.  However, this bag is by far the best value of the group.  At $70, I tried to convince my daughter to take it but she didn't like the way it looked.  (It does look like you simply took a messenger shoulder bag and stuck it on your back since this is exactly what Osprey was going for with the design.)

Grade: B