Osprey Skimmer 28 Review – Best Female Daypack?

We look at the Osprey Skimmer 28 as a budget backpack for women with plenty of features and impressive quality at it’s price point.

The Osprey Skimmer 28 was an obvious choice when it came to choosing a new backpack. Brand name and price can’t really be beaten when it comes to spending €65,00 euros of your hard earned on a decent day pack boasting a name like Osprey.

The biggest decision was what size to go for as the Skimmer comes in a 20, 28 and a 32 liter, the mid range volume 28 seemed to be the sweet spot.

Gayle needed something decent, lightweight and comfortable for day hiking and also just a general purpose pack for everyday use and when we go overlanding. Comfort is always a top priority when it comes to backpacks and the reviews on the Skimmer were all positive with emphasis on good load distribution/transfer.

All Osprey packs have an ‘airspace’ panel on the back which is a ‘technology’ to help prevent sweating and allow air circulation in hot weather. Most good packs have a similar feature – very important in the heat of the Andalucian summer.

Specs:

Strapping up

The Osprey Skimmer 28 is just like any other pack when it comes to setting up straps, it’s well worth the time to dial the pack in properly as getting this part right plays a huge role in overall comfort when you’re 5k into the next hike.

The Skimmer has 5 straps in total, the shoulder straps are slightly closer together for female shoulders, the straps are sufficiently but not overly cushioned and are vented for air circulation. There are two straps on the hip belt which can be adjusted and finaly the sternum strap which assists in taking the weight from the shoulders.

Designed for ultimate versatility, Skimmer 28 features a large daypack capacity which is perfect for year-round day-long adventures.

Osprey Europe

Pockets

Main access is called ‘bucket zip’ by Osprey, essentially the top of the pack zips around and you can flip the ‘lid’ over exposing the inside of the pack, it’s functional and we like it. The inside of the lid has a mesh pocket with zipper which is handy for smaller items such as keys, headtorch, batteries etc.

Moving to the exterior you have a ‘shove it’ pocket or sleeve, this is a feature common on tactical packs and is commonly known as a ‘beavertail’. While not as heavy duty and rightly so on the Skimmer the functionality remains where you can stuff an item or items into the front of the pack without actually opening it – handy for a waterproof, fleece, hat etc. There are two compression straps which can be adjusted to tighten things up and make them more secure.

On each side of the pack you also have two large pockets, these pockets are zippered and not open/elasticated which will be down to personal preference and what you use them for. We have 1 liter Laken water bottles and they do not fit, a 750ml however would be just fine.

There is what Osprey are calling a ‘scratch free zip pocket’, located at the top of the pack this pocket is ideal for the likes of sunglasses however don’t expect any kind of padding or fleece lining. If your pack is full then you might struggle to get anything in here as the space used in this pocket is taken up in the main compartment of the pack.

Lastly we have hip belt pockets, zippered and one on each side. These pockets are small but handy nontheless for items such as keys, spare camera battery, energy bars etc.

Hydration

The Skimmer has a hydration sleeve on the outside of the pack which is good as it means you don’t have to empty the contents of your pack to re-fill. The compartment will accomodate a bladder/hydration pack of up to 2.5 liters.

Conclusion

The Osprey Skimmer 28 is a good choice if you are are looking for a pack designed for women. You get a trusted brand in the market place with a quality product at a very acceptable price point for what it is. The Skimmer in all its sizes offers tremendously good value for money.

There are of course alternatives but if you are looking for a basic pack with added features and therefore added value then you can’t go wrong with the Skimmer. For us the 28 was the perfect size for what we do, your hiking may require a smaller or larger pack, either way, each pack in the Skimmer line is perfectly suited for day hikes, longer hikes and for throwing in the back of the rig when we’re off camping or overlanding.