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Osprey Flap Jack 25 litre Pack Review

By Dave Roberts   

on April 19, 2014    No ratings yet.

Osprey Flap Jack 25 litre Pack Review

One of the things we’re proud of at Mud and Routes is that our kit is tested in proper mountain conditions. Photographs on the grass verge in a Midlands’ car park doesn’t quite cut it for us. So we were in a bit of a quandary as to how to review this commuting pack from Osprey – the Flap Jack.

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Designed for the commute, there’s a plethora of pockets as well as a padded laptop pouch inside the pack against your back. The shoulder straps are well padded and wide, so you can get away with cycling with this and possibly on a run-commute.

All this commuting stuff it does admirably, with the pack itself being slightly padded providing excellent protection to the contents as well as a huge opening that’ll swallow both a laptop as well as my running kit, lunch and even my DSLR at a push. That remember is an inclusive list, this pack is spacious, and feels larger than it’s 25 litre capacity.

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The pack did this so well, we decided to give it an outing on the hills. This wasn’t exactly the most challenging hill – Tal y Fan at 610m, but still more than enough to see how it coped. We wouldn’t swap it for a dedicated walking pack, but if you find yourself in a position where you’ve only got one pack then this is certainly a better option than some of the real budget packs out there. The only thing that made it less suitable for the hills was the lack of a decent waist belt. There’s a belt, but it’s not padded. It is quite wide for a webbing strap however and reasonably comfortable.

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If you’re looking for an active commuting pack, then this might fit the bill, depending on how active you are! Perfectly fine for commuting in on the train and running back, or cycling. Perhaps not so suitable if you’re commuting by trail run, but you’d probably need to go for a proper trail running pack by the likes of OMM or Salomon for that sort of functionality. This is a quality pack, which you’d fully expect considering it’s an Osprey, that’ll see you right from leaving the house in the morning to returning home in the evening be that by running, visiting the gym or by train.

Manufacturer Says:

  • Padded laptop and tablet sleeve
  • Document sleeve keeps magazines and papers in order
  • Internal mesh pocket keeps cords and small gear sorted
  • Large zip access front pocket offers secure storage
  • Front organizer pocket keeps small items secure and accessible
  • Zip pocket on front flap provides quick access to frequently used items
  • Side zip pocket with interior spacer mesh sleeve for versatile storage
  • Top padded grab handle
  • Reflective hints and blinker patch for safety when bike commuting
  • Three colour interchangeable web straps for customizing look

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

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