[Closed] Recommend me a large-ish backpack

Osprey Talon..

Great bit of kit IMHO.

Large (22ltr) roomy, and room for everything..

Great fitting, and 3ltr Bladder compatatble.

Spotty Dog all in all.

+1 for the Osprey Talon. One of the best designed bits of kit I've even had, surprisingly tough, very comfortable and has a great compression system so everthing's packed nice and tight even when only half full

Dakine Nomad.....
Excellent. Maybe a little on the smaller side of what you are after but the size up (Drafter IIRC) should do you splendidly.

Cheers guys - the Osprey was on my list after seeing one in Cycle Surgery. Will take a look at the Dakine too.

dakine apex for me. i just cant enough stuff into the nomad for coaching etc..

I've got a Vaude Splash Air 20+5 that has plenty of room in and is expandable.

It's got a rigid curved back with a mesh bit to keep if off your back to help you stay a bit less sweaty & comes with a removable built in raincover which is good for commuting (high viz orange).

It's got a sleeve in the back for a bladder, but not a separate compartment which might be seen as a downside.

Niggles for me are:
- not a great deal of separate pockets inside to store stuff - there are a couple, but most if it all just ends up lumped together
- main pockets only go about halfway down each side making it hard to reach things at the bottom when you have stuffed it right full. Does mean that things don't spill out easily though.

Wingnut Enduro. weight sits low (on your hips, not your back) very easy to access side pockets and waterproof or the larger Adventure pack.
www.roughrideguide.co.uk/rucksacks.html

but... What MTB are giving away a free Osprey bag when you subscribe to the mag I think!

Thanks all... very helpful.

Are hydration bladders universal or do you need to match the bladder manufacturer with the pack?

universal (on the whole)

FWIW I use a 3l Camelback in the hydration compartment of my Talon. Has a little strap to hang the bladder hook on so works perfectly

Alpkit do a very basic one that will take a bladder, and is totally waterproof. Cheap as chips too, I use it.

I have just ordered an Osprey Escapist 20 had a physical look at the 25 which would be big enough for a commuter bag but I only wanted it for long off road rides as I have an Ortleib backpack for the commute.
Quality looks very good and the owner of the bag was very very impressed with build and its versatility.
It also comes in a 30 litre and the material is that bit thicker/tougher than the Talon and it is out and out bike speciifc.
Shopping around you can pick one up for £63.

I bought this for a three day WHW ride, its pretty good. Its a 20 litre, takes a 3 litre Hydro, I used a 2 litre CB bladder and it was fine.
£50 from Cotswolds. 😀
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Cheers y'all. Quite a few here for me to check out.
Neil F - Salomon looks good, thought I carried a lot of stuff about!

Dakine Nomad is 'only' £60 from Evans at the mo - just ordered a tacky orange one 😀

Quechua trail 27L from Decathlon is the nuts! £29.99 with a bladder (which isn't too bad) and a 5 year warranty. It's blooming comfy and light too!! Beats my Berghaus and camelbak products into the ground. [url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/diosaz-27-raid-67869411/ ]Clicky[/url]

+1 for the Decathlon packs ,they come in a variety of useful sizes too , best value by far.You could buy the whole range for the price of some "premium" brands.

I've just bought one of these from Alp kit..

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16379&category_id=295

It's superb only £20.