I am in the market for a new pack and have decided on either the Osprey Escapist 20 litre or camelbak HAWG but I still have my existing 3 litre bladder so feel a bit agrieved at shelling out the extra (even if it is the new antidote bladder).
Trouble is there is only manufacturers blurb and no real owners reviews for the Escapist and I am reluctant to take a punt on manufacturers hype. Is the NV back harness of the HAWG comfortable.
I am a big bloke who sweats like a big bloke so the better the air flow the more comfortable it would be.
Any other similar size packs that you lot own that would fit the bill-I am intersted in EVOC too but baulk again at the price.

Got a Raptor and the Escapist 25 and after 20 years and god knows how many packs (Camelbaks/Dakine/Berghaus) have finally found the Osprey to fit the best and be the most comfortable. Lots of compartments and very light to start with before you fill them full of stuff which was my main criticism of a lot of the Camelbak packs.

May sound stupid but how big on your back is the Escapist 25? Will it swallow a bike pump (one of my pet annoyances with my Mule).
Have just looked at the pricing of the Evoc Freeride packs and they are definitelt not in consideration now. 🙂

The escapist 25 is huge. I use one for commuting, it swallows shoes, laptop, trousers, shirt, towel, pump, tube. wallet, phone etc. I would have thought it would be massively overkill for MTB, ditto the escapist 20.

How much stuff are you carrying about with you?

I use a Mule but the pump has to sit in the outer pocket and collects trees when off piste. With a full three litre bladder two spare tubes, multi tool, two CO2 cartridges, zip ties, spare brake pads, energy bars, metal tyre levers phone, wallet and keys with windproof in the outer pocket there is room for a sarnie but it ends up horribly mangled bordering on inedible if I were to try and squeeze one in. The other thing is I want to have room for waterproof jacket/pads on occasions and a first aid pack as at the moment I really have the barest essentials (and yes I have given first aid on a number of times for others but also needed it for myself).
Be nice to also be able to fit in my favourite wool hat/spare buff too.
May be too much kit in most peoples books but if you are miles from nowhere and need something that becasue your kit bag is too small you have left behind then the issue of 500g of extra kit means nothing (I am 17.5 stone so weight really isnt too much of an issue).

Sorry to revive an old thread but can anyone confirm the Escapist 25l will take a 15” Macbook Pro? Looking at the sizing it’s rather borderline….

Has anyone used an escapist 25 vs 30?
I fancy one as a general use day pack but with the potential for a bit of bikepacking. Am trying to find out how much bigger the 30 is against the 25.

It’s five litres bigger.

Really? I hadn’t realised that 🙄
Was wondering more if it becomes unwieldy in the bigger size etc

Well, I’ve got a 25 and it’s on the limit of what I want to carry on a bike, but you may be broader, narrower, have different perceptions of what’s comfortable/acceptable. But if you look at the dimensions, the width is the same, but the 30 is slightly taller and deeper.

I wasn’t being facetious btw. Everyone’s a different shape. I think the 25 is a great pack on and off the bike, but I’d find a stockist, get them to put some kit in each and see what you think. HTH – dimensions off the Osprey web site.

Escapist 30 Dimensions
Dimensions are shown as length (height) x width x depth
S/M 50x25x28 cm.
19 11/16×9 13/16×11 in.
M/L 55x25x28 cm.
21 5/8×9 13/16×11 in.

Escapist 25 Dimensions
Dimensions are shown as length (height) x width x depth
S/M 48 x 25 x 24 cm
18 7/8×9 13/16×9 7/16 in.
M/L 52 x 25 x 26 cm.
20 1/2×9 13/16×10 1/4 in

sorry – wasnt trying to be awkward – just unsure whether to get the bigger one. Its main use is going to be carrying jackets/ sandwiches / nappies / drink / toys i think, but was looking at a pack with a nod for me being able to use it to play too 🙂

Thanks for the real world feedback though. Unfortunately am not near a stockist so may order one of each and send one back.