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For women who tackle challenging trails, finding a backpack that fits comfortably and distributes weight effectively can be frustrating. Many packs, even those marketed as “women’s specific,” often fall short, resulting in discomfort, chafing, and a compromised hiking experience. The search for the right pack can feel endless.
We reviewed the Osprey Tempest 20, a daypack designed specifically for women and frequently praised for its fit and features. This review will objectively evaluate its performance, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages, and ultimately determine its suitability for demanding day hikes.
- LidLock bike helmet attachment
- Internal padded laptop sleeve
- Blinkie light attachment
Why the Tempest 20 is Engineered for Women on Demanding Hikes
Imagine navigating a steep, switchbacking trail, the sun beating down, and the weight of your pack digging into your shoulders and hips. A poorly fitting pack, designed without a woman’s anatomy in mind, can exacerbate the discomfort, causing pressure points, restricting movement, and ultimately impacting your enjoyment of the hike. The straps might chafe, the hipbelt might ride up, and the overall weight distribution might feel unbalanced. This constant struggle with an ill-fitting pack detracts from the experience, turning a challenging but rewarding hike into a painful ordeal. The consequences extend beyond mere discomfort, potentially leading to blisters, back pain, and a reduced ability to navigate challenging terrain safely.
The perfect solution would be a pack that contours to a woman’s body, distributing weight evenly across the hips and shoulders, and providing ample support without restricting movement. It would offer adjustable features to fine-tune the fit, ensuring optimal comfort and stability, even when carrying a moderate load. A pack with a shorter torso length, contoured shoulder straps, and a shaped hipbelt would address the common fit issues that women often face with unisex or poorly designed women’s packs.
How the Tempest 20 Addresses Key Hiking Challenges for Women
The Osprey Tempest 20 is built from the ground up to address these specific needs. It’s not just a smaller version of a men’s pack; it’s a thoughtfully designed piece of equipment engineered for the female form.
| Feature | Explanation |
| Women’s-Specific Fit | The Tempest 20 features a shorter torso length, contoured shoulder straps, and a shaped hipbelt designed to accommodate a woman’s anatomy. This provides a more secure and comfortable fit, addressing the common problem of packs that are too long or don’t sit properly on the hips, causing discomfort and instability, especially when carrying heavier loads on long ascents. |
| AirScape Backpanel | Like the Talon, the Tempest 20 utilizes an AirScape backpanel with foam ridges and mesh, promoting airflow and reducing sweat buildup. This is particularly beneficial for women, who often have a higher body temperature than men, helping to prevent overheating and discomfort on strenuous hikes, especially in warmer climates. |
| Adjustable Torso Length | The Tempest 20 allows for fine-tuning of the torso length, ensuring a perfect fit for a wider range of body types. This feature addresses the “one-size-fits-all” packs that often fail to accommodate women with shorter or longer torsos, leading to improper weight distribution and discomfort. |
| Stow-on-the-Go Trekking Pole Attachment | This convenient feature allows for quick and easy attachment and detachment of trekking poles without removing the pack. For a woman navigating uneven terrain, this allows for quick transitions between using poles and having hands free, enhancing safety and efficiency, particularly on steep descents or when scrambling. |
The Tempest 20’s design is a holistic approach to comfort and performance. The women’s-specific fit, combined with the adjustable torso length and breathable backpanel, creates a carrying experience that is both supportive and comfortable. The Stow-on-the-Go feature and multiple pockets enhance efficiency and convenience on the trail.
Exploring the Tempest 20’s Versatility on Diverse Hiking Terrain
The Tempest 20’s features aren’t just about comfort; they also contribute to its versatility across various hiking scenarios.
| Case | Explanation |
| Day Hike with Significant Elevation Gain (3,000+ feet) | A hiker tackling a steep, challenging trail needs a pack that can comfortably carry water (2-3 liters), lunch, extra layers, a first-aid kit, and trekking poles. The Tempest 20’s capacity, with its stable fit and adjustable features, ensures comfort and support even when carrying a heavier load on a strenuous climb. |
| Scramble-Heavy Hike with Rocky Sections | A hiker navigating a route with significant scrambling sections needs a secure pack that doesn’t impede movement. The Tempest 20’s close-to-body fit and contoured design minimize bounce and allow for a full range of motion, even when navigating challenging terrain. |
| Hot Weather Hike with Limited Shade | A hiker tackling a trail in hot, exposed conditions needs a pack that provides excellent ventilation and easy water access. The Tempest 20’s AirScape backpanel and external hydration sleeve address these needs, helping to prevent overheating and dehydration. |
These scenarios demonstrate the Tempest 20’s adaptability to various hiking conditions. It’s not just about the pack’s capacity; it’s about how well it performs in action, providing comfort, stability, and convenience, regardless of the terrain or the weather.
The Tempest 20’s Capabilities Beyond Day Hiking
While primarily designed for day hiking, the Tempest 20’s versatility extends to other activities. Its comfortable fit and ample storage make it a suitable option for scrambling, where a secure and agile pack is essential. The same features that benefit a hiker – the contoured design, breathable backpanel, and convenient pockets – also benefit a scrambler navigating technical terrain.
Furthermore, the Tempest 20 can also serve as a capable travel daypack. Its compact size and comfortable carry make it ideal for exploring cities or venturing on short excursions.
Areas Where the Tempest 20 Could Improve
While the Tempest 20 excels in many areas, it’s important to acknowledge its limitations.
Limited capacity for overnight trips. While suitable for ambitious day hikes, the 20-liter capacity is generally too small for overnight backpacking trips, unless you are an extremely minimalist packer.
Hipbelt pocket size (again). Similar to the Talon 22, the hipbelt pockets on the Tempest 20 might be too small for some larger smartphones. This is a minor inconvenience, but worth noting. (Again, other brands like Gregory actively address this.)
Sternum strap adjustment. Some users have reported that the sternum strap, while effective, could offer a wider range of adjustment to better accommodate different bust sizes.
Is the Osprey Tempest 20 the Right Backpack for Your Hiking Needs?
The Osprey Tempest 20 is an outstanding daypack for women tackling challenging trails. It’s thoughtful design, comfortable fit, and versatile features make it a top contender.
The Tempest 20’s value proposition lies in its ability to provide a comfortable and secure carrying experience, even on demanding hikes. It addresses the common fit issues women often face with other packs, allowing them to focus on the trail and enjoy the experience.
This pack is best suited for experienced female hikers who need a comfortable and reliable pack for day hikes with significant elevation gain or challenging terrain. It’s also a great option for scrambling and travel.
However, it’s not the ideal choice for women who need a pack for overnight backpacking trips or who require exceptionally large hipbelt pockets.
If you’re a female hiker looking for a comfortable, well-designed, and versatile daypack for challenging trails, then the Osprey Tempest 20 is an excellent choice that we highly recommend. If, however, you need a pack for multi-day trips or have specific requirements for larger hipbelt pockets, you might want to consider other options. Searching for a similar pack with a men’s-specific fit? Read our comprehensive review of the Osprey Talon 22.
Read Also: Hiking Backpacks.