Osprey Packs

Kresta 30L Backpack - Women's

Stupid Helmet Carry Position

As another reviewer mentioned, for some reason Osprey designed this pack to have a helmet position on the TOP OF THE PACK, meaning that all but the back compartment are inaccessible while carrying your helmet, i. e. anytime you're skinning. I really like the pack other than this design flaw. Unfortunately, this is a deal breaker for me, so off I go to another manufacturer.

A Backpack That Just Makes Perfect Sense

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

One Size

Height:

5' 6"

Weight:

135

As my first touring specific bag I am very happy with this pack! I snowboard/splitboard and the pack is very practical for that. Favorite feature is even with a board strapped onto the bag you can still access all the compartments. The avy gear is always quick & easy to get to as well. The avy safety compartment is weatherproof so even when wet gear is placed there, it wont get your additional layers in the other pouch wet. Sizing is also customizable & comfortable.

Absolutely love backpack.

Bought this backpack because I saw video on how it opened it up from the rear. It has so many pockets. I'm now using it as my main world travel backpack because it's so comfortable. And as a minimalist, it's fits everything I need and even under the airline seat depending on how you load it. I saw that it's was described as ski/ snowboard backpack and ordered it anyway. And now I'm glad I did and Would highly recommend this to other people.

Big Design Flaws & NOT DURABLE

I bought the Osprey Women's Kresta 30 Pack (Powder Blue, S/M size) in March 2020 because as a petite woman I NEED a gender-specific fit for day ski tours. I've used Osprey packs for trail running and backpacking, overall I have been fairly happy with Osprey packs. So I thought I'd try an Osprey for day ski tours. About me: I have been backcountry skiing for more than 10 years. Although - to be fair - this pack is a decent size for a day ski tour with some standard features there are 3 main FLAWS. #1. IT IS HARD TO ACCESS YOUR STUFF. Basically the back compartment where you'd put your stuff -- all the things that are NOT your avalanche safety tools - like a jacket, lunch, etc. is blocked. Once you cinch down the pack and buckle it, you must remove the pack, un-cinch and unbuckle all the straps. Even to access the compartment for your avy gear you must unbuckle those straps. But wait... it gets better because not only does the pack itself block you from getting stuff out, SO DOES YOUR HELMET WHEN IT'S ATTACHED TO THE PACK! #2. HELMET CARRY OPTION IS VERY POORLY POSITIONED ON THE PACK. The helmet carry feature - which is basically a must-have since a bobbing helmet will be annoying in about 10 seconds on any trip - is located in such a way that it adds a whole 2nd layer of stuff to undo and remove before you can access the pack's main storage compartment. Yes, that's right - TO GET ANY DARN LITTLE THING OUT OF THIS PACK YOU FIRST HAVE TO REMOVE YOUR ATTACHED HELMET, THEN UNBUCKLE AND UN-SNAP ALL THE STRAPS... then & only then can you actually grab anything out of the pack. Let me tell you that undoing everything & removing and reattaching my helmet over & over during a day tour gets old fast! 3. FABRIC IS NOT DURABLE - SKI CARRY, ESPECIALLY ON A FULL PACK, MAKES THE SHARP SKI EDGES CUT THE PACK'S FABRIC. The pack fabric is not reinforced. The ski carry feature positions sharp ski edges against the pack, especially when the pack is full. 1 trip= PACK SHREDDED!