Hey Marty, for carrying a bladder I would probably recommend the Osprey (Cam also lives his Camelbak) b/c it has a dedicated bladder pocket.
In terms of design ethos, Osprey and Osprey are opposites - Osprey packs in loads of features, and they're plain to see, whereas Spurcycle favours a simple, utilitarian but classy design approach.
As far as carrying stuff goes, the Spurcycle hip pack has more raw carrying space, but the Osprey I use (the Savu) makes up for it since the two bottle pockets can be used to carry a jacket or, frankly, anything that fits into that shape and can be held in place using one of the elastic cords - as well as the side pockets. The Seral, however, Osprey's hip pack with a bladder, won't be able to carry as much as the Savu or the Spurcycle simply because the water bladder takes up so much room. Again, the side pockets help, but their size limits the flexibility, and that's one thing I love about the Spurcycle (and the From High Above): there are some small pockets for organizing but otherwise, you're able to arrange it in your own way.
June 18, 2020, 10:37 a.m. - Pete Roggeman
Hey Marty, for carrying a bladder I would probably recommend the Osprey (Cam also lives his Camelbak) b/c it has a dedicated bladder pocket. In terms of design ethos, Osprey and Osprey are opposites - Osprey packs in loads of features, and they're plain to see, whereas Spurcycle favours a simple, utilitarian but classy design approach. As far as carrying stuff goes, the Spurcycle hip pack has more raw carrying space, but the Osprey I use (the Savu) makes up for it since the two bottle pockets can be used to carry a jacket or, frankly, anything that fits into that shape and can be held in place using one of the elastic cords - as well as the side pockets. The Seral, however, Osprey's hip pack with a bladder, won't be able to carry as much as the Savu or the Spurcycle simply because the water bladder takes up so much room. Again, the side pockets help, but their size limits the flexibility, and that's one thing I love about the Spurcycle (and the From High Above): there are some small pockets for organizing but otherwise, you're able to arrange it in your own way.