Sunday, January 30, 2011

Osprey Momentum 26 Overview

My bag from Osprey finally arrived! I could not be more excited. For years I have coveted an Osprey pack and finally I have one!

Since I have only just gotten the pack I will not be able to give a full review, however I would like to give an overview of the pack.

First off; This pack is a real looker:

The bag is very visually appealing. I really enjoy the Bamboo color as well as the stylish use of reflective material that is both flattering and functional. Major Plus!

Second: Pockets Galore
The accessory pocket contains mesh dividers to organize your necessaries.

This is the main compartment of the Momentum. As you can see it too contains mesh dividers. I think that I will use this bag for bike trips and short hikes in warm weather, so these will most likely be used to hold camera equipment and the like. I think that this a great idea to have divider pockets in a bag of this size because it provides the ability to protect you camera gear without lugging around a big stiff camera specific bag.

The laptop compartment has ample room for this 15.4 in comp. It is also very padded to protect your investment.

When I initially looked at the bag I was a little bummed by the fact that it appeared to have no side pockets for a water bottle. However, upon further investigation I found that it did in-fact have such pockets, and they were better than expected. Unlike most bags where you have open-top pockets, the Momentum has pockets that zip out when you need them to hold a bottle, and zip up when you need to carry precious cargo in them; DOUBLE SCORE!

What comes next still blows my mind:

Now you see 'em...

Now you don't! The shoulder straps have a compartment that they can be tucked into to make this sweet backpack into a streamlined brief-case! What a cool idea. I can think of so many useful applications for this feature; air travel, functional professionalism for those who ride their bike to work, and even storage. This is a great feature, and the good news is that even when you pack the straps, the interior capacity is not inhibited.

From what I can tell this is going to be a great bag. I cannot wait to put it to the test and check each feature individually.

Thank you Osprey for choosing me!

UPDATE: I HAVE A NEW REVIEW THAT FOCUSES ON THE FEATURES AND NOT THE COSMETICS. CHECK IT OUT: http://randomstreamoc.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-osprey-momentum-backpack.html

oh yeah, thanks for the cool hat too:

Look for updates every once in a while and a review in a month or two, the testing begins today.



This could be the beginning of something special,

-J


14 comments:

Nina said...

It's amazing how we all get excited about backpacks! The hidden straps feature is pretty sweet.

Thank you for your recent comment. Yes - you should definitely check out the Eben Ice Caves!

Anonymous said...

Looks like the momentum 34 litre to me, rather than the 26 litre backpack.

Just wondering, can it stow a 17 inch laptop?

Unknown said...

The one I have is the 26. It fits a 15.4" nicely, but I don't think it could handle a 17." I bet the 34 would be able to take it! Thanks for checking out the blog!

Happy Hiking

Unknown said...

Hey, thanks for the pics. As it's not in stores yet, I am very curious about upcoming reviews. I would love to know how it puts up with a light rain without the raincover.

Thanks for the post.

Unknown said...

Sebastian, it is pretty snowy here so I have not had a chance to test it out for rain, it is good with snow. I promise to give an update as to its effectiveness with rain. Thanks for reading!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I can see you answered the question about it looking like the 34 but if you go to their website your pics that say 26 look exactly like the 34 and nothing like the 26 which has net pockets on the side, not zippered ones. Could you tell me where you got yours and help solve the mystery?

Unknown said...

Joshua, no problem. I noticed this too when I got mine. It has kind of bothered me too. I think that the one that I got is a new model, but I could be very wrong. Osprey sent me this bag for winning a contest that they were putting on, so there is a possibility that it is a mislabeled bag, or an imperfect in some way. Either way it is a great bag. Are you looking for it as a school bag, hiker, or commuter?

I have a few new tests to do with it. What would you like to see done with it?

Anonymous said...

to clear up the confusion about the difference in side pockets on the Momentum 26 and 34, there was a change and newer models of the Momentum 26 have the mesh pockets just like the Momentum 34 as shown on the Osprey web site.

Unknown said...

Awesome! Thank you very much for clearing that up!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I read your review, thanks! If you've had a good chance to use it, could you please post what your new thoughts about it are? There aren't any other reviews of this bag on the internet except this one for now :D

Unknown said...

Hey bud, I just made an updated post on this bag, thanks for checking this one out. The new review focuses more on usage and not cosmetic details! Check it out: http://randomstreamoc.blogspot.com/2011/04/update-osprey-momentum-backpack.html

Anonymous said...

Could you post some pictures of yourself actually wearing the backpack so I can get some perspective of how large it actually is? I'm only 5'7" and I don't want to get a pack that's too large. I definitely have my eye on a momentum 26 or 34, I just need to choose the best fitting one.

Unknown said...

No problem, I will try to take some myself this evening, but I may have to wait until my girlfriend gets back in town on Sunday.

Just some info, I am also 5'7" and the 26 is not too big, in fact, if you need a little extra space I think that I would go with the 34. Not that the 26 is too small for my frame, I would just like a little more room for spare clothes. I think that I will be using the bag for my laptop, and finding a set of panniers for clothes and extra books for school.

Thank you for the inquiry, check back soon.

-J