Not often one gets surprised by the major companies.
A few months back a friend came off his bike and managed to tear the shoulder strap off an Osprey Talon 11 backpack he'd borrowed from me. I was prepared to write the bag off as it had served me well and owed me nothing, but he highlighted the "Osprey All Mighty Guarantee - if this bag is damaged for whatever reason, Osprey will repair or replace free of charge, whether purchased in 1974 or yesterday". Right I thought, they'd be quite within reason to decline this claim, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, so tracked down the Canadian suppliers who issued me a return authorisation number. I posted the pack to them about a month ago and yesterday received a brand new Osprey Talon 11 in the post.
Many thanks Osprey, great to see a major company stand up to their advertising.
I used the Talon for a about 2 years, and then replaced it with a Syncro 15, a great pack with a mesh backband on a lightweight frame that keeps the pack off one's back. I found that I missed the hip belt pockets though and bought a Deuter Compact Air 10 which I use most of the time now, though I still use the Osprey Hydration system, the magnetic system to hold the bite valve is brilliant.