I recently bought the new Manta AG 28 as a larger pack for day hikes where I need to carry more gear than my Talon 11 can cope with.
I agonised over getting a larger Talon pack or something else and in the end decided to plump for the Manta AG 28 for its size and organisational capacity and the promised comfort of the anti-gravity system.
On arrival the bag has all the Osprey hallmarks – solid but light with quality feel.
I used the Manta on a few short hikes to see how it felt and was reasonably pleased. Lightly loaded it felt a bit weird at first and the pack felt as if it was always leaning backwards away from me almost as though the shoulder straps were not on. It was just a feeling rather than an actual state of affairs and its generated by the anti-gravity system on the pack which tends to throw the weight off your shoulders and onto the hips – exactly what it’s supposed to do. It did however feel a little odd at first and I had to keep checking that the pack was all ok.
One of the things that helps create an odd feel to the pack is the spring loaded hip belt. The pack has a light wire frame and the hip belt is sprung and semi rigid and tends to act like a gentle vice around you. Some people say it makes the pack feel weird when you don’t have the hip belt on – its easy really you just pull the belt round you and don’t buckle it – it does feel strange at first but you quickly get used to it.
The single colour available from Osprey in the UK is spruce green and given the shape of the pack it does tend to make you look a little like a Ninja Turtle out on the trail.
Over the last week I have taken the Manta on four long hikes around the North Coast of Devon and the pack has really come into its own. Its carrying capacity allowed me to take a fleece, water proof, combat baggies, 2 flasks, med kit, camera, food supplies, gloves, scarves and hat all stuffed inside with room to spare and crucially allows me to carry the lot including a 2 litre bladder in comfort. Once loaded up the pack really shines and it was superbly comfortable even when stuffed to overflowing – the shoulder straps barely pulls down at all thanks to the anti-gravity system. The AG system really does what it says on the tin and the pack was really very comfortable with the weight mostly transferred away from the shoulders. The Talon is good in this respect but the Manta is far better. The Manta has great shoulder straps, very well padded and with roll over lining onto the top of the straps to make it seam free against your body and arms so no danger of chafing, the trampoline mesh back panel keeps sweat to a minimum and across a fairly gruelling 16 miles I was never aware of a sticky back whether in short sleeve shirts or with a fleece or waterproof on.
The bladder compartment is absolutely huge and would easily cope with a 3 litre bladder and the neat exit point through the top centre of the pack makes it all look good and work well when it comes to topping up or refilling the bladder. The large size of the bladder compartment makes it easy to get the bladder out and put it back in again even with a loaded pack and with a quick connect hose you don’t have to bother rerouting the hosework.
On days 3 and 4 of my hike the weather turned foul and this is where the integrated raincover really came into its own. It folds neatly away in the back of the pack but can be deployed in seconds. It’s a god overall fit for the pack and has a drawstring arrangement to allow you to tighten it up as well as a toggle to attach it to the pack so it doesn’t blow away while you mess around inside the pack looking for stuff.
On longish hikes I found the pack very comfortable indeed and never feel any strain on my shoulders. Once I got the adjustments right the pack was amazingly comfortable.
Something else that makes for comfort is the springer loaded sternum strap which means as you stretch and move the strap will adjust itself. It’s a great idea. My only small complaint in this department is the sternum strap seems a little short. I am not that large and the strap is at maximum length. A larger person might have an issue here.
As with the Talon pack it does have stow on the go pole attachments and these worked well although with the larger pack it’s a little trickier to get the pole located into the rear saddle especially if you are using the side mesh pockets for large flask. The side mesh pockets by the way are also very large and will easily accommodate a 1 litre flask. My 1./2 litre thermos looks lost in the side of the pack. The side mesh pockets have two entry points – one for the flask being upright and one that allows it to be at an angle for easier access. I didn’t find it much easier personally.
On the whole the pack has great organisation capacity with sensible designed spaces and interior pockets. I found on sensible design for storage of gear it was as near perfect as I could have hoped for. The mesh pocket at the rear of the pack is perfect for stuffing in gloves, scarves, maps and anything else where you just want a quick stash pocket.
Now down to the niggles I have with the pack. The big one for me was how I wish it had the small pocket on the shoulder harness like my Talon 11. Osprey I would pay for you to modify my Manta to have this. I knew when I bought the Manta I would miss that shoulder pocket for my phone and other immediate use nic-nacs but I never realised how much I would miss it - all the more so as the waist belt pockets are smaller than the Talon, don’t stretch and have a tendency to jam if you open the zip all the way. I couldn’t quite find out why the side pocket zips jam but I think the material folds in a crease once the pack is under load – I will be sewing the zips at the ¾ point open to prevent this happening by not allowing the zip to fully open up . This problem only seemed to occur when the pack was heavily loaded. Finally on the whinge front the sternum strap seems a little short and one of the quick connectors is attached directly to the shoulder strap rather than through a short fly strap. It just creates a snag point when you put the pack on and a small length of strap here might have made life a bit easier.
So do the niggles outweigh the advantages and is the pack as good as it seemed when I bought it ? Well the Talon 11 is a hard act to follow – its near as perfect a piece of kit as I have ever owned. The Manta AG 28 does not quite come up to the same level of perfection BUT with that said it’s still a great bit of kit for people like me who need something with a better load carrying capacity than a small Talon pack and who like to walk in comfort. The Manta does need a little time to get used to it but once you have played around and used it a few times its an amazingly comfortable, capable and solid pack. I have a few minor niggles as stated above but still consider it a great pack and one I would not want to be without for more rugged all-day all-weather hiking. I did consider a Talon 22 but I don’t believe it would have been as comfortable as the Manta AG-28 with its anti gravity design, better organisation options, integrated rain-cover and superior wearer comfort.
The Manta has all the usual quality of Opsrey in its construction – its light, strong and very tough and my experience of Osprey has been a great company with exceptional customer services if something goes wrong. Despite a few niggles I would give it 5 stars for its great comfort and sensible design.


(This review was left on a previous version of this produt)

I'm not used to toting about backpacks, but carried this one around during 5 days of hiking in Nepal.
Does what it promises to do: take the weight off your shoulders, and transfer it to your hips.
That may feel a bit odd if you're expecting the straps dragging & nagging on your shoulders, but it simply felt good to me ;-)

One complain thought:
I'm a broad-shouldered guy, and the sternum strap is a bit too short

(This review was left on a previous version of this produt)

Super sac très confortable avec de nombreuse poches et il n'est pas trop haut , rentre comme bagage à main chez easyjet s'il n'est pas rempli grâce aux sangles de compression.
Mais grince unpeu depuis quelque temps quand il est charger et manque d'autres couleurs.

(This review was left on a previous version of this product)