Osprey Raptor Pro backpack – for racing enduro, not your mates

This backpack is Osprey’s first mountain bike specific pack with an integrated spine protector. At present, it only comes in this 18 litre option, and it only comes in black – Osprey might expand the range if this one shows the demand is there.

The back protection comes in the form of a lightweight D30 insert, and meets all the standards you need to do some enduro or downhill races. It’s been designed with enduro in mind, with input from Tracey Mosley and other Trek riders. As well as the back protection, you get plenty of space – and a LidLock attachment – to carry a full face helmet or chin bar, plus pads, in an external flap. This joins to the main body of the bag with stretchy net pouches and straps, which can be tightened up to compress the pack if you’re not using its full capacity.

The bag’s storage sections are divided into an upper and lower compartment, plus a goggles pouch. The goggle pouch isn’t fleece lined, but it is properly capacious. In the upper compartment, you should have no trouble fitting in all the jackets and snacks you might need on a big day out. However, while the upper section does extend the full length of the pack thanks to a narrow pouch behind the lower tool section, it is not big enough for a large flat item like a laptop, for example – which can limit the flexibility of use for this pack. It’s designed with enduro in mind, not hiking or commuting – or even, perhaps, general trail riding.

The lower compartment contains an integrated tool roll, which you can remove if desired, or just unzip the pack and let the roll…unroll. The hip strap starts with two lightly padded zippered pockets made with stretchy mesh – perhaps offering a little protection if you have your multitool in there and crash. The hip straps continue into a webbing strap with metal fastener. A magnetic chest strap holds the main pack straps in place.

Three things I liked

• there’s plenty of space to carry pads and full face
• it’s light and comfortable to wear
• it’s easy to fit a bladder (if you want to drink from the right)

Three things I’d change

• the metal waist fastener is too fiddly
• the bag layout doesn’t really offer convenient access
• the pouch and tool roll layout could be more useful

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Review Info

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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