REASONS TO BUY
Great features and pockets
Durable
Easy to use
Adjustable torso length
REASONS TO AVOID
Water bottle pockets are a bit small
Front stow pocket is a bit small
Bladder insertion point is small
Osprey Tempest 20 Review
This pack can comfortably do it all with excellent features, strong durability, and impressive adjustability
Credit: Katie Brown
RELATED: Best Daypacks for Women of 2024
Our Verdict
The Osprey Tempest 20 packs a punch. It's a versatile little daypack with an adjustable torso length along with great features and impressive durability. It was one of our favorite small daypacks overall. Though it's not the cheapest pack we tested, it holds some seriously impressive value as being a pack that can just about do it all. It's large enough for a full-sized laptop and securely stores your bike helmet on the back while still full of technical features for your weekend hikes. The pack comes in two base sizes, and the velcro-adjustable torso length adds versatility. The Tempest is also one of the comfiest packs we tested. Aside from its main drawback — how hard it is to get in a bladder — it's a versatile, feature-filled model that we love to wear and use. See it ranked against other top products in our review of women's daypack.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Osprey Tempest 20 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Women's Daypack for Intense Hikes |  Best Women's Daypack for Long Distance Hikes | Best Daypack for Casual Day Hikes |  A Great Value for Versatile Use | |
| Price | $111.52 at Amazon Compare at 4 sellers | $169.95 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $40 List | $60 List Check Price at REI | $26 List $21.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A versatile, durable, and comfortable pack that works just as well on the trail as in town | A great option for those who need a big capacity bag and want it to carry weight comfortably | A useful and well-fitting daypack that will serve your purpose without breaking the bank | A great, affordable, lightweight running/hiking pack to have in your arsenal but not the most ideal for serious, full or multi-day hiking | A lightweight, packable and affordable bag that holds a lot and can be easily thrown in a suitcase for travel |
| Rating Categories | Osprey Tempest 20 | Gregory Jade 28L | Decathlon Quechua M... | REI Co-op Flash 22L... | Venture Pal 35L - W... |
| Comfort (25%) | |||||
| Versatility (25%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (25%) | |||||
| Weight-to-Volume Ratio (15%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Osprey Tempest 20 | Gregory Jade 28L | Decathlon Quechua M... | REI Co-op Flash 22L... | Venture Pal 35L - W... |
| Advertised Volume | 20 L | 28 L | 20 L | 22 L | 35 L |
| Measured Weight | 31 oz | 42 oz | 28 oz | 17 oz | 12 oz |
| Weight per Liter | 1.55 oz/L | 1.50 oz/L | 1.40 oz/L | 0.77 oz/L | 0.34 oz/L |
| Back Construction | AirScape backpanel; large spaced horizontal padding bars covered by large-holed mesh | FreeFloat suspension | AirCooling Ventilated back | Mesh back with removable pad | Lightweight nylon |
| Hydration Compatibility | External hydration sleeve | Internal hydration sleeve | Inner hydration sleeve | Internal hydration sleeve | None |
| Hip Belt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Compartments | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Number of Pockets | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
| Pocket Descriptions | 2 mesh side pockets, 1 front stuff pocket, 1 internal zipper pocket, 2 zipper hip belt pocket, 1 top zipper pocket, 1 bladder pocket | 2 mesh side pockets, 1 front stuff pocket, 1 front zipper pocket, 1 internal zipper pocket, 1 bladder pocket | 1 front vertical zipper pocket, 2 mesh water bottle pockets, 1 internal zipper pocket, 1 bladder pocket, 1 hip belt zipper pocket | 2 mesh side pockets, 1 side zip pocket, 1 top zip pocket, 1 internal bladder pocket | 2 mesh side pockets, 2 front zipper pockets, 2 internal pockets, 1 bladder pocket |
| Outside Carry Options | Lidlock helmet attachment, trekking pole quick-stow, large stretch front pocket, ice tool loop with bungee tie-off, side pockets, hip belt pockets, sunglasses shoulder stow, bike light loop | External stretch pocket, trekking pole holders, ice axe attachement, sunglasses loop and bungee, hip belt pockets, hydration hose clip | Daisy chain, 2 side pockets, trekking pole holders | Deep side pockets, accessory bungees, zipper side entry pocket | Mesh side pockets, side compression straps, reflective tape |
| Whistle | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Key Clip | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rain Cover | No | No | No | No | No |
| Materials | 100D x 210D wave check high-tenacity nylon | 400D polyester ripstop | Coated polyester | 70D recycled ripstop nylon | Nylon |
| Notable Features | Helmet attachment, trekking pole quick-stow, sunglasses quick-stow, bike light loop, shoulder strap pocket, stowable ice axe loops | Adjustable torso length, internal pocket, cinch straps, sunglasses quick-stow | daisy chain, mesh side pocket, load lifters, padded hip belt, front buckle holder, side and inner zip pocke, trekking pole loops | water bottle pocket, hydration port + tubing, trekking pole attachments, side zipper pocket, bungee holder, sunglass loop, exterior loops | packable, safety whistle, reflective material, adjustable side buckles |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Osprey Tempest 20 is a reasonably lightweight daypack with some great features for light day hikes and commuting. It's made of 70-Denier and 100-Denier Mini Shadow Brick nylon, with a 420HD nylon packcloth bottom, weighing 31 ounces. It comes in two sizes: XS/S (13 to 17-inch torso length) and S/M (16 to 20-inch torso length), both of which have adjustable torso lengths.
Like the Tempest but need a bit more room for longer day hikes?
Check out the Osprey Tempest 30. It has many of the same features we loved in the smaller model, but with ten more liters of carrying capacity and a top lid. Need even more room for one or two-day backpacking trips? The Osprey Tempest 40 will do the trick.
Check out the Osprey Tempest 30. It has many of the same features we loved in the smaller model, but with ten more liters of carrying capacity and a top lid. Need even more room for one or two-day backpacking trips? The Osprey Tempest 40 will do the trick.
Performance Comparison
The newest model of the Tempest has an updated back panel system. It threads the needle of the support of a frame, breathability, and minimalist design.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Comfort
The frame of the Tempest is very supportive yet flexible enough to move with you - it rides the line between comfort, support, and minimalism - which we love. The AirScape back panel is reasonably breathable, which we appreciate on a summer bike commute. Speaking of breathability, the BioStretch harness is padded with breathable mesh holes that keep you comfortable in the heat. The hip belt is lightly padded but large enough to swaddle a variety of hip sizes. It's integrated into the back panel to provide a continuous wrap around your waist (no seams between the belt and the bag touching you). We also love how soft the whole harness and back panel of this bag are. They're quite pleasant to wear against your skin on a warm day and do a solid job flexing with you as you move. It distributes the load really nicely, and our testers found it to be incredibly comfortable.
Though this pack is loaded with features for your comfort, it wouldn't be the best bag to load up super heavy. If you are looking for a pack to schlep heavy gear around, we suggest a pack with a bit more capacity and support. However, we can't think of another bad thing to say- this small pack provides full support and is ready to take on any adventure comfortably.
The Tempest hip belt pockets are another great feature on a comfortable, versatile bag.
Credit: Katie Brown
Versatility
There are a lot of great features on the Tempest that make this a super versatile bag for commuting, day hiking, or mountain biking. Every time we used it, we noticed something new. The main compartment has one small internal mesh pocket with a key clip for stowing your essentials, and there's a separate top pouch that's rather large for things you'll want quick access to, like snacks or a light layer. Then, there's an external mesh pouch for a rain or wind jacket. This pack has two water bottle pockets and an internal slot for a hydration bladder (with a hook to hang it). There's a small vertical pocket on the left shoulder strap that can hold your GPS unit and an elastic Stow-on-the-Go loop that easily holds sunglasses.
It also features two hip belt pockets and a great commuter feature: the helmet LidLock. This is our favorite feature on this pack, as it's a quick and easy way to secure a bike helmet without having it bang all over the place. You pull the plastic piece vertically through the slots in your helmet and then rotate it to lay flat on top. The bungee cord creates enough tension to hold it in place with no flopping around.
For bicycle commuters and mountain bikers, the LidLock on the Tempest is a dream come true.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
There's also Osprey's “Stow on the Go” attachment for trekking poles, which carries them between your shoulder strap and hip belt. If you plan to hike for a while with your poles stowed like that, we recommend fiddling with the poles to find a comfortable fit. Finally, there's an ice axe loop with a bungee strap holder for the shaft, a bike light loop, and a whistle on the sternum strap clip. There's no rain cover, though, so you'll need to pick one up separately if that's a priority for you. We did find, however, that the thick fabric did a decent job of repelling water during our hose test, and the interior of the pack was one of our drier options.
Take the time to adjust your poles so that Osprey's “Stow on the Go” attachment for trekking poles is comfortable for many miles on the trail.
Osprey's Stow on the Go system is a quick fix for getting your poles out of your hands during a temporary scramble on the trail. If you don't take the time to adjust the fit, it may not be comfortable. But after some tinkering, it can be comfortable enough for a long-term solution.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
There were only a couple of potential downsides to this pack. First, the bladder insertion point is between the pack and frame. While we like the idea of not taking up unnecessary space in the main compartment of the bag with a water bladder, the insertion point is very small and stiff. It is a real wrestling match to get that sucker in, especially when full of water. In addition, the exterior water bottle pocket is a bit shallow and slanted back, so it's easy for a Nalgene-style water bottle to fall out. We really noticed this during our drag test. Other packs held the water bottle tightly, but the Osprey models lost their water bottles almost immediately.
Even when only half full, this Camelbak was an extremely tight fit to get into the bladder holder on the Osprey packs.
Credit: Katie Brown
The last main downside to this pack is its capacity. This isn't the pack for you if you plan to go on winter adventures where you might bring a ton of extra layers and food. That said, our testers think that 20L is still a very solid size daypack for the needs of most day hikers.
Weight-to-Volume Ratio
At 31 ounces, this pack scored a bit on the low side for our weight-to-volume ratio, coming in at a 4.9. Sometimes, a pack that is more solidly built has the trade-off of being on the heavier side, and we find that to be the case here. The excellent construction and extra features do make up for the extra ounces, in our opinion.
We tested both the XS/S (18 liters) and M/L size (20 liters). The M/L size is 2 liters larger, and in addition to the extra capacity, it's also a bit heavier. This weight doesn't include any extras like a rain cover or hydration bladder. Or, obviously, the things you'll carry with you on your adventures.
The Tempest feels lighter than it is and has a ton of handy features like a sternum clip whistle and sunglasses stow pouch.
Credit: Katie Brown
Ease of Use
The Tempest is packed with many features that are all surprisingly easy to use. The main compartment zipper has the ability to zip quite far down the sides, making it easy to pack full and find what you need without pulling everything out. This pack has all the adjustments we've come to expect from a more technical daypack and does a great job evenly distributing weight for a comfortable and balanced carry, no matter what you bring along.
One feature we wish was better is the front expandable pocket. It's narrow compared to other daypacks, and we prefer a little extra room to jam a whole puffy and snacks in there if we want. We also wish, as mentioned above, that the bladder insertion point was a bit larger to make it easier to throw in some water and go. However, the Tempest is amongst our favorites overall for how intuitively easy its awesome features are to use.
A versatile clip can hold most hydration reservoirs - though this pack can only take smaller bladders.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Construction Quality
This pack earned a great score for construction quality. We didn't experience any issues with this pack during our field testing and couldn't find any durability complaints in online user reviews. It's made with a 70-Denier x 100-Denier Mini Shadow Brick nylon body and a 420HD nylon packcloth bottom.
We like that this pack has beefier 420-Denier nylon on the bottom, but compared to many others we tested, its main body is on the thin and light side. If you live in an area with lots of pokey plants and sharp rocks, like the desert southwest, you might need to be careful what you scrape against. But if your intended usage is more on the “average” side of activities, this pack is a solid choice.
Aside from a couple of cons, the Osprey Tempest is a great daypack, with all the bells and whistles needed for a more strenuous day hike, that comes in range of sizes truly suited for all.
Credit: Katie Brown
Should You Buy the Osprey Tempest 20L?
There's a lot to love about this daypack that packs a punch. The Osprey Tempest 20 is comfortable to wear and has some great, easy-to-use features. It's on the smaller end of packs, but we think its design ingenuity makes up for that. We like this pack for commuting in the city thanks to the bike helmet attachment point and low-profile design. Oh, and it works great on day hikes as well.
What Other Daypacks Should You Consider?
If you're looking to save on money but carry a similar amount of gear, we recommend the Decathlon Quechua daypack. It has fewer features but performed well and is a great option for those looking for simplicity or new to the backpacking world. Or, for a pack with higher weight to volume, the REI Co-op Flash is a great option, though it isn't as comfortable as the Osprey Tempest.
—Madison Botzet, Maggie Nichols and Katie Brown
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