Reviewing 2025 Osprey Talon 22 From An Ultralight Perspective
This review is sponsored by REI Co-op, but the views are our own
Osprey Talon 22 was re-released and upgraded for 2025, so we took it out on a hike to see how one of the most highly regarded daypacks on the market holds up to its reputation. Despite an overall pleasant and comfortable user experience with lots of great external storage pockets, we found this pack to be too heavy, lacking urban crossover versatility, and conceptually challenged. Why invest a pound of weight into a full internal frame with load lifters when day hiking loads aren’t heavy enough to require weight transfer from shoulders to hips in the first place? Our Osprey Talon 22 2025 edition review discusses updates, pros, cons, when to choose it, and how it compares to the competition.
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- Price: $160
- Weight: 38.1 oz
- Materials: 100% recycled bluesign approved ripstop nylon
- Back Panel: hard plastic internal frame sheet
- Volume: 22L
- Accessories: Rain Cover, HydraPak Breakaway Filter Bottle, 2L fanny pack
- Also Consider These: Osprey Talon Velocity 20, REI Co-op Flash 22, Osprey Daylite Plus, Hyperlite Mountain Gear Elevate 22
- Pros: Comfy adjustable back panel frame transfers weight to pocketed hip belt. Load lifters. Good overall external storage suite. Sustainable.
- Cons: Excessively heavy for a day pack. Overbuilt frame. Does not crossover well into urban use because of hip belt. Not waterproof.
Compare the Osprey Talon 22 to more great options in our guide to the best ultralight daypacks.
What Changed for 2025?
The following changes illustrate differences between the 2025 Osprey Talon 22 and its predecessor versions.
- Switched to One size fits all & extended fit version, down from S/M & L/XL & extended fit
- Top zipper pocket moved to front half of clamshell from back half
- Front mesh pocket has flat elastic opening, no longer extends up to buckle closed
- Weight increased from 30.6 oz to 38.1 (oof!)
- Non-PFAS DWR Treatment (yay!)
Expanded Pros of Osprey Talon 22 2025 Edition
Comfy adjustable back panel frame transfers weight to hips, offering snack pockets & load lifters: Most daypacks don’t have a full frame, let alone a full size pocketed hip belt or load lifters; The Osprey Talon 22 has all three. This means that if you’re carrying lots of gear and water, most of that weight will be carried on your hips and off your shoulders, thereby increasing comfort and decreasing strain. The frame itself is not metal piping, rather a hard plastic sheet supplemented with foam cross sections for cushion. It blocks all lumps from jabbing in and does a decent job of reducing maximum sweat thanks to the aerated foam cushioning. The hip belt pockets are on the small end of full-size, but fully adequate for storing a few bars each.
Good overall external storage suite: In addition to its aforementioned pocketed hip belts, there are lots more pockets, including: a large front stretch mesh pocket, two side bottle pockets, and one top zippered compartment. These are supplemented by an internal zipper pocket and a laptop sleeve/bladder compartment tracing the interior of the back panel. For a small sized pack, that’s definitely better than average, with plenty of access to your day use gear.
Sustainable: A number of factors make this pack sustainable, of course starting with the use of bluesign approved 100% recycled nylon. You already know what recycled means, but in case you hadn’t heard, bluesign approval indicates certified clean manufacturing processes, such as dye minimization and waste reduction. Furthermore, the DWR treatment is non-PFAS, meaning no forever chemicals. And lastly, it’s just a well-made durable pack that won’t need to be replaced in the near future, or potentially ever.
Expanded Cons of Osprey Talon 22 2025 Edition
Excessively heavy: Honestly, our biggest critique is that this pack is just too heavy. In fact, it’s heavier than most of our preferred full-size ultralight backpacking packs, and our preferred ultralight daypack, the HMG Elevate 22, weighs less than half as much as Talon 22. We would like this pack a lot better if the frame was downgraded to a foam sheet, and a full pound cut off the total weight. Day hikers don’t need to carry as much gear as backpackers, so it’s more valuable to eliminate a pound of total weight than it is to add a pound of weight in order to transfer weight from shoulders to hips. We disagree with the design philosophy on this one, Osprey.
Does not crossover well into urban use: One of the main reasons to choose Osprey Talon 22 is that is has a full size weight transferring pocketed hip belt. However, the other side of that coin is that full size weight transferring pocketed hip belts are awkward to use around town. This one cannot be removed, and dangles clunkily when not in use.
Not waterproof: The best fabrics for backpacks are waterproof, ultralight, hyper durable composites like Dyneema and ULTRA. Any pack still made with ripstop nylon is behind the curve on what is possible in terms of optimal performance. This one requires a supplemental rain cover for use in wet weather.
Who Should Choose the Osprey Talon 22 2025 Edition
Who should choose it
- Day hikers with heavy gear and lots of water to justify a weight-transferring frame and load lifters
- Anyone who appreciates lots of external pockets, especially hip belt pockets which can be hard to find on a daypack
- You don’t mind carrying a heavier pack if it means high quality and good features otherwise
- Sustainable shoppers who want a product that is intentionally made to reduce harm without sacrificing performance oriented features
Who should avoid it:
- Ultralight hikers and who will be turned off by a daypack heavier than their backpacking pack
- Those seeking a versatile crossover pack. Talon’s hip belt cannot be removed and is awkward in an urban setting
- Value shoppers who can get similar or better for less
Osprey Talon 22 2025 Edition Vs the Competition
Vs Osprey Talon Velocity 20: The Osprey Talon Velocity 20 is an interesting varietal of the base Talon, with an emphasis on speed hiking and trail running movement. It features a running vest harness style shoulder strap system that fits 500 ml soft flasks, weighs half a pound less, and has even better external storage. If you’re willing to go forgo the frame, Velocity seems like an overall improvement to us.
Vs REI Co-op Flash 22: The REI Co-op Flash 22 is one of the most popular and most affordable ultralight packs on the market. Considering that it weighs less than half as much and costs less than half as much, we find it to be a much better buy than Osprey Talon 22. That being said, Talon 22 is a better bet for carrying heavy loads and lots of water, as well as for accessing snacks on the go, and has a superior external storage suite.
Vs Osprey Daylite Plus: Another popular pack that you might be considering is the Osprey Daylite Plus, which is from the same brand, but weighs half as much, and costs less than half as much. While both packs have side bottle, top zipper, and front mesh pockets, the Talon 22 has dual hip belt pockets and a hardened internal frame for weight transfer with load lifters. But unless you need the weight transfer, Osprey Daylite Plus is the better and more versatile pack, and we’d choose it over the Talon for a majority of day trips.
Vs HMG Elevate 22: The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Elevate 22 is perfect ultralight roll top daypack, weighing in at just over a pound. This simple design is made with waterproof and ultra durable Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF), and features a minimalist storage suite comprised of two side bottle pockets and one stretch mesh pocket. Because of the high tech fabric, it’s more expensive than the Osprey Talon 22, and we find it to be highly preferable from a performance standpoint. Again though, we wouldn’t normally want Talon’s frame, but it is comfier for carrying heavy loads. But if that’s the case, ask yourself if you really need such a heavy load for day hiking in the first place.
2025 Osprey Talon 22 Review Conclusion
The Osprey Talon 22 2025 edition offers great external pockets and the benefits of a weight transferring frame-hip-belt combo with load lifters. However, that generally isn’t necessary for most day hiking use cases, and as such, is unnecessarily heavy, expensive, and lacking in urban versatility due to its full size, non-removable hip belt. If you want a lighter, less expensive, more versatile Osprey, go with the Daylite Plus instead.
