Osprey Skarab 30 liter rugzak review
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Tested: the Osprey Skarab 30 backpack for men

This article was written bij David van Balen

Osprey Skarab 30 backpack for men review

I have a mission: I’m looking for the ultimate all-rounder among the 30-liter men’s backpacks. I therefore test the Osprey Skarab 30 backpack. My requirements: an indestructible backpack to use during hiking trips, on my motorcycle and just get to work every day. My previous all-rounder was very good but had two major disadvantages:
 
1. It was just too small for big day trips and
2. It did not offer any support while walking with the same overloaded backpack
   
This backpack was extremely light, the material was extremely durable and in seven years I only had to put a new zipper in just it last year. He fell to the ground (quite some meters down), was dragged through the bushes and withstood all possible weather types. Seven long years of using it almost every day. In other words, this is a story about the successor of my, almost, indestructible first backpack. No assignment that is easily fulfilled. But I will tell you: I found it!
 
David met de Osprey Skarab
 

Osprey backpack 30 liter

If you are talking about backpacks then of course you say Osprey! Not that there are no other brands, because my former all-rounder is from The North Face for example. However, since last summer (and many treks afterwards) I am and remain surprised about the enormous quality that Osprey has to offer. My Osprey Atmos AG50 backpack is great, full stop. But there is also another backpack from the brand that carries the name Osprey that can meet my big wish list.
   
My search starts with the requirements. Where I want a lot of frills, brackets and elastics on a trekking backpack to keep everything in place, I want as few attachments as possible on my daily driver. The storage options, but not the open compartments that you see on many backpacks. My reasons for this are:
 
1. I also use the bag on my motorcycle, so loose lines, elastics or open side pockets are useless and / or provide extra flapping
   
2. If everything can be tucked away nicely it means that I can do crazy things with the bag, such as jumping and climbing without having to be afraid of losing things.
   
Where many backpacks have the calibrated mesh bottle pockets on the side, I went looking for an outsider. Preferably one that would meet all my requirements, the ultimate, sustainable all-rounder … And I found it! The Osprey Skarab 30 backpack for men it is!
   
In my search for information about different backpacks, the new Osprey Skarab 30 was limited in the reviews. Very strange and completely unjustified as far as I am concerned, because what an amazing backpack this is. I tested it while traveling by motorbike and in the forest and I can already tell you that I no longer have to look further for the next seven years, or maybe longer, because Osprey gives a lifetime warranty on her backpacks. It is not without reason that Osprey calls this guarantee the Almighty Warranty, very trustworthy and rightly so!
   
Looking for a 30 liter daypack for women? Then check out Antonette’s tips here!
 
With Antonette carrying the Osprey Hikelite 26  

Along the way with the Osprey Skarab 30 in Norway

During my motorcycle ride to Norway I took the Skarab 30 as a carrier of my most important things. We drove from inn to cabin, slept in a different place every night and therefore needed little (compared to a tent holiday). However, for the duration of a week that is just more than fits in a regular daypack. That is just so ingenious about this Skarab 30: all my stuff for one week fitted in! That is not the only thing, the sober appearance makes it very cool to see. I have the Mystic Red version and it also colors my red bike beautifully.
 
Osprey Skarab 30 review
 

About the Osprey Skarab 30 backpack

And so a lot fits in the backpack on the other hand, 30 liters is normally perhaps a bit too much for a daypack. But not for this one because you can easily reach all your stuff with the zipper on top. You can also make 30 liters of backpack smaller with intelligently placed side straps. As a result, the Osprey Skarab 30 is always pulled tight and again ensures that it does not stick out or flap in the wind. The full carrying straps, hip straps that really sit on your hip and a Full Foam back that carries like a real trekking backpack make this 30 liter backpack a real heavyweight in its class. And I have not even finished naming everything that I love about it.
 
Osprey Skarab 30 review
 

Backpack for on a motorbike

During the Norway trip it was often the case that in addition to my clothing, book, slippers, towel and toiletries, I also had room for groceries. Yup, on vacation with a 30-liter daypack that offers space for a bottle of wine and a supper, isn’t that just awesome? The Foamen back seems to be a step back from the systems of the large trekking backpacks, but I didn’t experience it that way, it wears like an adult backpack. The only danger here is that you can take a lot of things with you rather quickly because you hardly feel them.
 
In addition, the Osprey Skarab 30 backpack has spacious pockets on the hip belt that easily accommodate wallets, pocket knives, telephone and keys. The open front pocket turned out to be a solution for rain gloves and, as mentioned, extra groceries en route. A mesh pocket for your important things is under the head closure. I transported my phone charger, earphones and reading glasses. There is also a scratch-free pocket for your sunglasses.
 
Op de motor in Noorwegen
 

The Osprey Skarab 30 backpack while hiking

In the meantime I have been able to test it during a few day trips that I made on foot. It will not surprise you, here too the bag is just pure awesomeness. Especially the full-fledged hip straps and the snap buckle stand out. The hip straps feel very solid, not like a padding to make it look like a real backpack. They really work, they are wide and sturdy and are therefore really on your hip instead of some of the straps at the competitors that fall around your belly like an extra belt without offering any strength.
 
And then the hipbelt, a little mentioned and praised part of backpacks, but not unimportant. This hipbelt excels in robustness. I have stepped on it a number of times and nothing happened at all! This cannot be said of all hipbelts. Speaking of belts, the closure of the chest strap with a magnetic clip that also holds the Hydropack drinking tube in place!
   
Is there also a downside? No actually there is not. Within two months the spout tore from my Hydropack. Which was immediately replaced at Bever Arnhem outdoor store, without problems or hassle. That is service that you can expect with products in this category, but still very nice if it actually works. Thanks for that!
 
Osprey Skarab 30 review
 

Conclusion and disclaimer

I have been using the bag for two months every day now and I really do not know what to consider for the many users like myself on this great product. Even after my bis usage, it still looks like it has no 10,000 motor kilometers and a few hundred kilometers of walking left! The bag does everything I need, looks the way I want and in both cases a bit more. The Osprey Skarab 30 is a super impressive backpack of which I have seen one extensive review but this backpack is worth so much more with this enthusiastic review. Well done Osprey!
 
Have you become enthusiastic? Order the backpack now at Amazon!
 
We were offered this backpack by Osprey Europe in exchange for an honest review on our website, which we gave you with this. This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we will of course receive a modest commission for you at no extra cost.

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