In this Osprey Kestrel 48 review, we will talk about what we like best about this backpack. The Kestrel 48 was designed with the overnight backpacker in mind. However, by filling this backpack halfway and tightening up the compression straps, this backpack can double as a daypack.
The Kestrel 48 was built to be versatile, and is fully featured with all of Osprey’s special design components. The Kestrel 48 is designed in much the same way as the much larger Osprey backpacks for hiking. The difference is that it carries less volume than the others, which also means that it weighs less and takes up less room on your back.
- Breathable AirScape ridged foam backpanel with adjustable torso length
From overnight to daypack
The Kestrel 48 can be converted from an overnight backpack to a light daypack. Simply compress the content of your backpack all the way using the straightjacket compression system. The straightjacket on this backpack consists of side flaps and top and bottom straps that combine to tighten up the content. If you’re not going to be filling it all the way, tighten it up and turn it into something that you can just roam around within the city with.
Volume capacity
The Kestrel 48 is midway between a week-long hiking Osprey backpack and a daypack. The volume capacity on the Kestrel 48 is 46 liters for the small size and 48 liters for the larger size. This is about twice as small as the other backpacks that can carry 70 liters of gear. If you do not need to be away for several days at a time, this backpack is an excellent choice. Generally speaking, the Kestrel 48 can carry 35 pounds of gear.
Where to store external gear
The Kestrel 48 has plenty of external attachment points and small pockets for extra gear. For example, it has tie-off bungee cords on the front of the backpack so that you can attach some ski poles or trekking poles. Granted, there are also special trekking pole loops at the bottom of the backpack.
Do you have a bicycle helmet you would like to attach? The Kestrel 48 has a daisy chain around its front panel that you can use as multiple attachment points for external gear. But for your larger items, ones that you cannot tie off to anything, there is a large stretch mesh front pocket. There is no zipper on this front pocket so you will store items there that you would like to easily remove and put inside. You can put in larger items such as winter jackets, blankets, and towels.
There is also an external sleeping bag compartment that is actually zippered so that the sleeping bag doesn’t get wet in the rain. It is also protected from moisture, so no more damp sleeping bags at night. To double up the nighttime comfort effort, you can store your rolled up sleeping pad inside of the sleeping pad straps.
The Kestrel 48 has zippered side pockets that you can use to store gear that you will want to access on a frequent basis. These pockets are rather large, and are larger than Osprey’s usual side pockets. Furthermore, the hip belt has smaller zippered pockets that you can use for things like your cell phone, spare change, and a compass. Or simply store away your trail mix in a spot that can be easily accessed.
Nifty features
Osprey has added an external hydration sleeve to the Kestrel 48 to make it super luxurious to go hiking with. And this hydration sleeve, slip in an Osprey hydration pack. These hydration packs have tubes that stick out of them which can be attached to your shoulder straps. With these tubes, never be out of water. No more need to carry water bottles with this because you can have your liquids immediately when you want them. His hydration sleeve is completely separated from the rest of the contents of the backpack. So if the hydration pack leaks, the water will not seep into the compartments of the backpack.
To make this backpack waterproof, Osprey has added an integrated rain cover. This rain cover exists inside of an external compartment at the bottom of the backpack. This saves you from actually having to purchase some garbage bags and awkwardly trying to cover your gear with it.
Luxury comfort
The backpanel is designed with all of Osprey’s luxury backpanel components. First, it has plenty of padding all around it and is covered with a breathable Airscape mesh. In order to prevent the weight of the gear from pressing into your pressure points, the Lightwire frame of the backpanel evenly transfers the load between your back and your hips. Basically, some of the load will be applied to the hip belt so that your back is not to taxed.
Specifications and features
- Weight: 3.51 pounds (s/m) and 3.68 pounds (m/l)
- Dimensions: 26 x 15 x 16 inches (s/m) and 28 x 15 x 16 inches (m/l)
- Volume capacity: 46 liters (s/m) and 48 liters (m/l)
Features:
- Zippered sleeping bag compartment
- Sleeping pad straps
- Straight jacket size compression
- Hip belt pockets
- External hydration sleeve
- Bungee tie-off tool attachments
- Daisy chain on front panel
- Large stretch mesh pocket in front
- Trekking pole attachments
- Padded mesh backpanel Lightwire frame
- Lightwire frame for weight transfer from back to hip belt
- Holds about 35 pounds
- Side zippered pockets
Pros
- Has all of the bells and whistles at a lower price
- Made for overnight backpacking but doubles as a daypack
- Hydration sleeve is external to prevent spillage into the main compartment
- Has many attachment points
Cons
- The hip belt pockets are a bit small
- The hip belt is not highly adjustable, so if your waist on the larger side, and you’re wearing heavy jacket, it may be a tight fit
- Breathable AirScape ridged foam backpanel with adjustable torso length
The Verdict
The Kestrel 48 is one of our favorite Osprey backpacks. It has all of the great features that Osprey backpacks have to offer, but it has a decent sized so that you have enough room to carry plenty of gear, without being encumbered by humongous backpack. The compression system allows you to convert this into a day pack for travel in the city.
In order to give you an idea of how this compares to other similar backpacks, please see out Kestrel 48 vs Atmos 50 review. The Atmos 50 has many of the same features as a Kestrel 48, but it is simply larger and holds more volume. In fact, the Atmos 50 has a few features that the Kestrel 48 does not have.
Overall, we give the Kestrel 48 two thumbs up!