I’ve had experience with various packs from Tom Bihn, Mystery Ranch, 5.11, Maxpedition and Osprey. While my Tom Bihn Synik 22 is my edc and is pretty comfy. Nothing comes close in comfort to my Osprey Quasar. Which surprises because it has a simple back panel, harness system and thinner padding on the shoulder straps compared to my US21 and Synik 22 yet it fits perfectly on my back. While the Quasar is too large and doesn’t meet my organisational requirements for an edc pack, I use it as my “day out” pack for family outings.
They are both very well built. I have two Boreallis, one of them has almost 20 years of hash use. Still holding up. Amazing. TNF rules! Ospray Qasar is also very good.
Great job as always. Well done comparison of two more main stream packs. Nice to see both the higher end bags as well as quality packs from the bigger manufacturers showcased.
Got a Borealis from ~2013 and been considering whether I should upgrade it. Tbh I don’t use it often but it’s light and has pretty good capacity so I don’t have the heart to throw it away.
I think I'm the only one with something wrong 😉😂🙈. I went to the shops several times and tried on very different backpacks, some of which I ordered online then sent back (refunded with no problem). As for me the most comfortable Osprey backpacks. I have the Quasar model. The North Face Borealis backpack has better organisation. But so what if my back hurt terribly after putting this backpack on, it pinched my shoulders. I tried on some of their brand new backpacks (2024) dedicated to women or universal.
I've worn both packs and The North Face wears horrifically. It destroyed my back and shoulders within 30 minutes. It might appear to have a more sophisticated back panel, but those straps are just awful. The Osprey presented is not an exemplary model for the brand (they generally make great comfortable packs, but more geared towards hiking), but it is still light years beyond the Borealis. Buyer beware, that thing will kill your shoulders.
Is this still true for the new packs? I'm considering between some of lighter weight packs like recon and quasar, Patagonia Refugio. I've seen multiple reviews saying that the north face recon is comfortable and things like that. I think its a bit rigid?
@@cr8460 ok, I'm definitely reconsidering before trying. If in my case, I would like a 26L about backpack which is versatile in different situations, school (able to put 13 inch laptop and not looking too obtrusive), possible outdoor or occasional light hiking, maybe places to put whatever I would need, hiking poles etc, weekend trips. I would also want a lighter pack, hopefully around 2 lb, at most 2.5 lb around. I've seen something like the osprey parsec and osprey quasar which looks good and fulfilling some checkboxes. Would you have other advices? Curious what bag are you using now.
@wilsonlamlyt7138 I've tried just about every Osprey pack and really I should've just stuck with the first one I purchased, the Talon 26. I generally hike home or exercise after work so I can fit my clothes in it, my books, my work materials, everything, and it's just incredibly comfortable with large hip pockets with zippers that are incredibly easy to use with one hand. That might sound like an odd thing to point out, but a lot of hip belt pockets don't comfortably fit larger phones and are stiff, and require two hands to zip or unzip which is a bit of a deal breaker for me. I've sold so many packs and now pretty much solely use this (I also purchased the slightly larger Pro though for winter hikes and I still feel the original 26 is better). I actually screwed up the hip belt zipper pocket recently (my fault) and Osprey fixed it without any questions for free. They stand by their warranty like no other brand.
Am I seeing this correctly and does that TNF pack have non stretch side pockets? If it does that might just be my next pack. I'm tired of backpacks with stretchy mesh pockets, they aren't durable and I refuse to buy a backpack with those, especially on the sides.
Thank you for watching! The north face pockets have an elastic band to allow them to expand to hold a other bottle but they are not the meshy stretch pockets that the quasar has
Thank you for watching! Both bags are pretty solid, overall I prefer the raven as I like the aesthetic and organization layout a bit more and it’s pretty comfortable especially with the newer back panel, but I do think the Borealis is more comfortable (although many have disliked the newer north face straps so it might be worth trying to test the straps out of you have an REI or north face near you)
Both are good packs but the Quasar is over priced. I have a Northface Recon, quality is an issue, lots of loose stitching and a random out of place stitching by the strap.
Do you think the new Borealis materials are as durable as the old one? They look a lot thinner… The old one was used a lot but since it didn’t stand up it got consumed in the bottom near the back panel due to the constant slipping and despite useful material. Having good material is useless if you don’t have good design…
