Osprey Manta 25 is looking the most promising, I’ve got a great viper 10 so why not.

Any views or alternatives?

Inov8 Race Pro 22 might be a good bet, I love mine (though its sadly stolen predecessor, a Macpac Amp 25 was even better but much more expensive)

Always got on with my Manta 30 so I reckon the 25 is a good bet. Lasted me ages and has always been comfortable. Loads of little pockets to fit stuff in and get to it easily. The airflow system really does work to avoid a sweaty back. I love it.

One complaint though is the design of the bladder means that without a suitable implement or the Ospray cleaning kit it’s a pain to clean.

I’ve got an Escapist 35 (I think) and it’s pretty awesome. So another vote for Osprey.

I’ve got a Vaude Splash Air 20+5, which is pretty good. It’s got an expander zip bit (hence 20litres expandable to 25). They also do a 25+5, I think.

Only thing against it really is the pockets for organising stuff aren’t great so it all gets slung in the bottom of the pack in a bit of a mess. There are pockets in the smaller pocket, but these invariably end up with my wallet, phone, keys etc. in.