Optimised Carry Systems: A Brief Insight Into Osprey.

Words: Lewis Wilson of 114.index

New for the SS23 season, HHV brings you a selection of lightweight, sturdy, technical packs from the best in class for outdoor bags. The mighty US pack-maker, “Osprey”. So, let’s set the scene and delve into who they are, what they do and how they came to be at the top of their game.

For what is now, most probably, the world’s foremost brand when it comes to technical backpacks and luggage, Osprey started out very humbly in the university town of Santa Cruz, California. In 1974, one Mike Pfotenhauer had finished his education at UC Santa Cruz and decided that he had had enough of the array of outdoor gear on offer at the time. It didn’t suit him, it was too expensive, and he just wanted to know how to fix it himself if anything went wrong. These are just some of the reasons Osprey’s founder has stated as to why the company was founded in 1974. They’re not too dissimilar to a lot of other outdoor brands which were conceived in the mid-20th century when the gear pool wasn’t vast as it is now, so keen outdoors people and friends tended to get creative in their own little workshops.

With the company growing as fast as its good reputation among locals, Osprey was running a retail store and factory out of its hometown, innovating all the while. Osprey is quoted as saying they get the most satisfaction out of hearing the customers’ stories of the travels they have taken their pack on. By the late 1980s, the company was responsible for the world’s first innovations in backpacks such as the top pocket, or lid, which “turns into a genuine fanny pack in seconds”. Very early on, you can see the strides they made forward to always improve and tweak the designs of Osprey packs and it was always top of the list to hear what their customers were saying, really taking it on board.

“After sixteen years of intense pack-making in Santa Cruz, California, we’ve pulled up our roots and moved to the small, quiet town of Dolores, Colorado.”

Turn the page of this story to the start of the 1990s and Osprey has re-homed themselves through a need for more skilled labour to keep up with demand for the packs outside their home state. It was here, in Colorado, which is probably the state which is most densely populated with US outdoor brands that the above was quoted, from an Osprey newsletter in 1991, which further mentions the employees being able to ski to work in the morning or take the short cut along a frozen river to get to the factory. So the story goes, is that the building which would then become Osprey’s new factory was actually a Gore-Tex factory, which was closing down the very same day that Pfotenhauer and co. were there to visit. A gift of premises, labour, machinery, and materials, all gift-wrapped in nylon with a nice seam tape bow.

In the modern era, the 21st century has a never-ending stream of technical outdoors brands producing some seriously good, technical, now sustainable products. Packs are aplenty and depending on your desired pursuit there’s no shortage of options. Yet still, Osprey is the benchmark for hiking, camping and even baby carrying. With production now solely based in Vietnam to keep up with market trends and competitors also moving out of the US, Mike Pfotenhauer has built a trusted and dedicated team across all aspects of the design and production process to continually keep up a head of steam when it comes to innovation and advancements of their own products.

In terms of design, there’s no shortage of variation in product and certainly no lacklustre approach to ensuring every base is covered. The perfect example of this doesn’t lie within the confines of their backpacking or hiking packs, but in the brand’s baby carriers – with over 50 iterations which cater to a plethora of needs for outdoor-going families. This ethos is compounded further by a quick browse of their website, where any user or customer can find a comprehensive list of owners manuals for each line they produce, in a range of different languages to ensure there is a digestible version for each individual.

A stalwart of Osprey’s vast offerings can be seen clearly in the Talon series. Namely, the Talon 22, which by all extensive purposes is the most widely appealing pack for the average hiker. Coming in hot to HHV this season is the Talon Earth variant, in the delicious Desert Brown and tantalising Tundra Green colourways. Both of these colours have seen great popularity since their introduction around a year ago, making waves in the outdoor communities with their tones being bang on trend for the more fashion-savvy of us. These two colourways are underpinned by the more subtle Stealth Black Talon 22, with no real aesthetic overtures, this pack focuses fully on all of the utilitarian delights this range has to offer.

The real cherry on top of these Talon Earth packs is the fact that they are made up entirely of recycled materials, top to bottom. This further cements the legacy of Osprey with their true desire to cause minimal impact on the environments they wish to preserve. Bluedesign® Product designation in multiple categories including consumer safety and responsible use of resources is only the beginning, with more to come across all ranges in the near future, Osprey states that their aim is “to become the most progressive, transparent and sustainable outdoor hardgoods brand worldwide.”

You can now shop the Osprey range online and at the HHV store.