If you’re looking for the best women’s day hiking backpack, the Osprey Sirrus 24 is an excellent option, with lots of cushy padding, awesome airflow, and just the right amount of space to store everything you need. I’ve personally used the Osprey Sirrus 24 for over a year on dozens of hikes in a variety of environments—so if you’re looking for whether this backpack is right for you, keep on reading for my complete review below!
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Overview of our Osprey Sirrus 24 review
If you want the TLDR, I’d definitely recommend this bag for almost every type of hiker—it’s super comfortable and feature-rich, has tons of organization, and is well-made with quality materials. Plus, it’s, like, real cute.
That’s not to say it isn’t without a few drawbacks, though, like a few poorly designed pockets and its bulky shape.
Want a bit more context about this bag before making the leap yourself? Let’s get into it!
Technical Specifications of Osprey Sirrus 24
- Gender: Women’s (see the Osprey Stratos 24 for the male equivalent)
- Volume: 24 L
- Dimensions: 21.65H X 13.39W X 9.45D IN. (55H X 34W 24D MM.)
- Materials: The main backpack is made with 210-Denier nylon, with the accent and bottom portion made of 420-Denier nylon.
Features of Osprey Sirrus 24
- LOTS of pockets in addition to the main one, including two zippered hipbelt pockets, vertical pocket in the center, two elastic water bottle pockets, an internal pocket for a water bladder, and two smaller pockets on the front and top
- Chest strap (with an emergency whistle) and hip straps
- Detachable rain cover in a hidden pocket
- Side compression straps
- Load lifters
- Ice ax loop
- Stow-on-the-go straps to attach trekking poles
- Adjustable torso length (from 15 to 19 inches)
- Mesh back panel for breathability
Review of Osprey Sirrus 24
Organization of Osprey Sirrus 24
The Osprey Sirrus 24 has a clamshell design, with a large, main pocket that makes it easy to organize your things when you’re packing or searching for items.
Inside of the Sirrus 24, you’ll find a reservoir that can hold up to a 3L water hydration pocket, with a hydration port in the center, top portion of the pack.
There are two vertical water bottle holders (one on each side), which are stretchy enough to hold my comically enormous 48 fl oz. Nalgene bottle or my Helinox Chair Zero backpacking chair (or one in each pocket!).
A functional water bottle holder may seem kind of like a baseline feature of most hiking backpacks, but I may or may not own another backpack (cough, cough- the REI Traverse 60), which, while generally a well-thought out, has small and angled side pockets that water bottles tend to fall out of unless otherwise strapped in (which is quite annoying).
There’s a vertical pocket in the center of the front flap that’s good for storing things you may need to access quickly, like microspikes or snacks (we’re very snack-oriented here at Uprooted Traveler). There’s also two smaller pockets (one on the top of the front flap and one on top of the backpack) that are both handy for storing loose items, like keys, sunscreen, sunglasses, or a headlamp.
There’s two small pockets on the hip straps—if I had one gripe about the organization on the Sirrus 24, it would be about the hip pockets, which are too small to fit my cell phone or sunglasses. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to fit in there—one tube of lip balm? A singular Clif bar?
Given it has so much other storage, it’s really not that big of a deal (I usually wind up storing the smaller items that I need to quickly access in one of the water bottle pockets), but it’s definitely not one of my favorite features.
Comfort of Osprey Sirrus 24
How the bag actually feels is one of my favorite aspectsF—it’s so comfy!
The padding on both the shoulder and hip straps is thick and cushy. The hip straps are also quite wide, which helps any kind of load you’re carrying feel evenly distributed when the hip strap is buckled. It’s also worth mentioning that this backpack’s maximum recommended load is 25 lbs. (and honestly, when are you ever carrying that much on a day hike?), so I’m confident it will be plenty comfortable to carry all of your day-hiking essentials.
One of the key characteristics of the Osprey Sirrus 24 is its mesh back panel that increases airflow across your back. I personally love this as there’s few things I hate more than swamp back and, in my experience, the mesh panel also helps make it feel super lightweight.
That being said, this metal-framed panel has a few drawbacks- specifically that this bag is actually a bit heavier than most equivalent daypacks, clocking in at 43 ounces. This is a non-issue for most day-hikers, but if you’re really into that ultra-lite life, this may not be the backpack for you.
Additionally, while I haven’t personally experienced this, I’ve read reports that the internal metal frame can cause the hip straps to ride up as you’re walking. This can allegedly be remedied by loosening up the hip straps, but this may impact how well the weight is distributed on your hips. If you’re having this issue, I’d suggest playing around with the torso length—it’s possible you don’t have it set to the right length.
Versatility of Osprey Sirrus 24
The Osprey Sirrus 24 is well-designed for all kinds of outdoorsy ladies in mind—hikers, mountaineers, climbers, you name it! For example, there’s compression straps on the top for attaching a rope, a bungee cord ice-ax holder, and a stow-on-the-go bungee cord system to tuck your trekking poles into, if you need your hands free for scrambling or clearing away brush.
I love that there’s a built-in rain cover that’s easy to use, but totally hidden if you don’t need it.
The long zippers make packed items easy to access and the multiple pockets are awesome for organization.
One thing to note, though, is that this bag’s capacity is best suited for spring through fall- you’d be hard-pressed to fit more than a couple of articles of heavy clothing inside.
Similarly, if you hike with a lot of camera gear, you may have a hard time fitting your camera and multiple lenses in the bag. I wind up using the Peak Design Capture Clip to clip my camera onto my shoulder strap (you learn all about this nifty little device in our Peak Design Capture Clip review) so that my Sony A7III is easy to access and there’s more free space in my bag for my other hiking essentials.
Pssst… looking for a camera to take on your hiking adventures? Check out our review of the Sony A7III to see if it might be the right one for you!
If you’re looking for an all season bag or are hiking with lots and lots of gear, I’d suggest going with a slightly bigger women’s day hiking backpack, like a Sirrus 34 (let me know in the comments if you’d like to see a review for this bag too).
Perhaps I’m the only person on the planet that does this, but I’ll admit that I sometimes use my Sirrus 24 for purposes other than a hiking backpack—namely, a carry-on for travel (primarily where we’re going someplace where I want to have my hiking backpack, like Hawaii) and an everyday carry backpack for work.
It does fairly well for both of these use cases, due to its ease of use and organization.
However, it’s pretty small if you prefer one-bag travel, like Justin and me. Additionally, the back panel and fixed hip straps make the Osprey Sirrus a bit bulky and not the most convenient to just tuck under an airline seat or in the lockers at my office.
My go to carry-on is the Peak Design Travel Backpack, which has hip straps you can swivel up and stow away in the back—and my husband, Justin, actually uses this as his hiking bag! If you’re looking for an awesome carry-on bag, especially for one-bag travel, be sure to check out our Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L review (spoiler alert- we totally love it!).
Usability of Osprey Sirrus 24
This bag is super straightforward and easy to use—I love that, even though it has plenty of features, there’s not a million buckles and compression straps to worry about. The straps and load lifters are easy to adjust and, as mentioned above, the long zippers and multiple pockets make it easy to access and organize your gear.
The one aspect that doesn’t seem super well thought-out is the hydration pack pocket. Given the rigidity of the metal frame, the pocket can be a bit challenging to open all the way and thus, hard to squeeze in some 3L water bladders that are completely full (although Osprey’s own water bladder is designed for its backpacks and fits perfectly).
A full hydration pack will also take up a significant portion of the backpack (you’d usually need that much water for a day hike if you’re hiking in the summer or in warmer conditions, so this may be a non-issue anyway).
The hydration port is also really small, so depending on the size of your bite valve, you may have a hard time threading it through.
I almost exclusively use my trusty Nalgene bottles, instead of a hydration pack, so this hasn’t been an issue for me, but, if you’re a hydration pack enthusiast, it’s definitely something to keep in mind!
On the plus side, I love the location of the hydration port in the back between the shoulder straps. It’s out of the way but still super easy to access.
Durability of the Osprey Sirrus 24
Listen, I am not the gentlest person on gear and, twelve-plus months into using the Osprey Sirrus 24, I’ve had zero issues with durability.
This is likely due to the high quality construction–even though I’ve stuffed the backpack to its full capacity (and, probably, beyond), I’ve never had any issues with the zippers catching and the stitching is all well-intact.
What’s even cooler is that, under the Osprey Guarantee, they will repair any defects or damage to your backpack for life (so long as it’s beyond simply cosmetic wear and tear).
So, in sum, here’s the breakdown of the good and the bad of the Osprey Sirrus 24.
Pros of Osprey Sirrus 24
- Lots of pockets, which is helpful for organization
- Tons of useful features, like an included rain fly or trekking pole holders
- Comfy shoulder and hip straps
- Adjustment system for different torso lengths
- Easy-to-use straps and load lifters
- Breathable back panel
- Quality material and construction
- Sleek design
Cons of Osprey Sirrus 24
- A bit on the bulkier side
- Best suited for three-season hiking
- Hip pockets are comically tiny
- Hydration pack pocket design makes it hard to pack a full 3L bladder, which would eat up a ton of the space in the backpack, anyway.
Verdict on Osprey Sirrus 24
In summary, the Osprey Sirrus 24 is one of the best women’s daypacks for hiking and well worth its cost. There’s a lot to love about this bag—I’ve used it hiking in all kinds of conditions and for different use cases and, with the amount of features and organization the bag offers, it’s risen to the occasion every time.
The only major reasons that the Osprey Sirrus 24 may not be right for you is if you are super into having ulta-lite gear (which generally is not much of a concern for day hikers), only like hiking with very full hydration bladder packs, or want a bag that can be used to store bulkier winter gear.
Otherwise, 10/10, would recommend!
I hope that helps you make the decision of whether the Osprey Sirrus 24 is the right women’s day hiking backpack for you.
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Thank you for this great overview and please review the 34 Sirrus as well 😄
Thanks for reading and for the feedback, Nienke! I’ll try to snag an Osprey Sirrus 34 to test out!
Do you know how many versions of the Sirrus have been released and what year this most recent version was released?
Hi Jessica,
I’m not sure how many versions have been released or when this most recent version was released. If it’s at all helpful, I purchased my Osprey Sirrus last year.
Best luck with your backpacking journey.
Jess