The Seral is a lumbar styled hip pack with a 7-liter capacity and a 1.5-liter hydration reservoir, featuring their AirScape backpanel and Airmesh hipbelt, all of which provides the utmost in comfort and stability. The pack offers easy to access zippered main compartment with an integrated reservoir sleeve, a front compartment with additional organizational pockets, and dual zippered hipbelt pockets. At the reservoir’s bite valve the tube attaches on the side of the hipbelt with a magnetic latch system. It weighs 0.82 pounds, comes in Obsidian Black, Molten Red, and Slate Blue color schemes and retails for $85.
For further information refer to www.osprey.com.
Backpanel and Hipbelt
It uses their AirScape Lumbar contouring backpanel which features an extra thick ridged foam design with central air channels for ventilation and breathability, all of which provide excellent comfort and conformability. The sides feature their open weave Airmesh wrap around hipbelt which has zippered fabric pockets and those lightly padded broad hip wings offer stability, comfort, and breathability. For the front attachment, it utilizes their ErgoPull waist strap closure system which allows for a snug and stable fit.
Storage
For a lumbar pack, it has quite a few useful pockets and compartments, including a medium sized main compartment, a smaller front compartment, and two zippered hip pockets. It features a Blinkie light attachment on the bottom front, but unfortunately, it doesn’t have a rain cover to protect your pack in inclement weather. All the pockets and compartments combine to give the pack 7-liters of storage space.
The main compartment has a nice long curved top zipper, and the design means it opens up nice and wide making for easy access and viewing of all the internal items. Since it has the most storage volume, I’d stick larger items, such as a lightweight jacket, a tool bag, bulkier things, gloves, and headgear in there. At the back, it has a slot for the hydration reservoir with an integrated quick release buckle and strap system, that helps keep the reservoir stay in place, stabilizes it and prevents any excess bouncing.
The front compartment sort of bulges out and is attached as almost a separate entity from the rest of the pack, though it perfectly blends in with the dynamics and design of the entire pack. Besides the primary area of the front, it has two internal organizational pockets along the back length of the compartment, a little stretchy mesh one and a longer zipped one that uses weatherproof material. In the front, I tended to place my first aid kit and more substantial snacks, maybe a spare tube, along with wipes, small items, and tools in the pockets.
The hip belt has a zippered pocket on each side which are ideal for small tools, a point-and-shoot camera, keys, and snacks.
Reservoir
It utilizes the Osprey Hydraulics 1.5L lumbar reservoir made by Hydrapak has two welded buttons on each side to help it bend and conform around the back and assist with its compression and load stabilization. Also, the buttons act like baffles to stabilize the water and maintain a flatter profile so that it won’t bulge out. It uses Hydrapaks Slide-Seal top that opens wide for fast filling and closes tight for a leakproof seal. Constructed with lightweight, abrasion resistant TPU with RF welded seams that offer superior durability and elasticity, and it’s 100% BPA and PVC free.
It features Hydrapak’s high-flow silicone Blaster bite valve that self-seals after each sip and has a twist on/off bar to prevent leaks when not in use. At the bite valve end, the tube utilizes a magnetic attachment system which clips onto the outer left hip of the pack for easy access while riding. The tube grab and strap plate employ a strong magnet to keep the tube in place, and it allows easy attaches and detaches so that you can have a quick drink.
Impressions
The hip pack’s shoulderless design moves it conformably into the lumbar and lower back and hips, offering increased stability and comfort and draws the center of gravity in close to the torso. For additional trimming of the load, it has top and bottom compression straps on each side to pull the pack into your lower back and wrap around your hips for improved stability, even over technical terrain. This trimming system helps keep the pack stable when varying the load so that it will work for everything from a short outing with less gear to epic days with more equipment. When the water in the reservoir shrinks during usage and the extra girth decreases, you can also use the compression straps to pull the pack snugly back into place.
The reservoirs hose snakes out from the right side of the main compartment and then wraps around the front and the bite valve couples with the magnetic clip on the left side. Initially, the hose length was a bit too long for where I positioned the magnetic clip and for my waist size, so I pulled the bite valve off and trimmed the hose it to the proper setting.
The ErgoPull waist strap closure system with its large front quick-release buckle was easy to use, and it offered a snug and stable fit. I found the strap length was a bit too long, at least for me, and there wasn’t any way to capture the excessive strap so it would flop around while riding along, which was a bit annoying. I might try trimming the extra straps or use some elastic hair ties to hold them down, but they do need to come up with a better system to take care of this situation.
Once the pack was trimmed in with the compression straps and the waist belt, it pulled into my back like glue and adhered and contoured into the nooks and crannies of the lumbar, back and hip region. It became part of my back and was hardly noticeable, and it stayed in place, even on the gnarliest trails, though if you took a direct vertical hit, it would bounce ever so slightly, but would instantly return to its Velcroed in position.
The tube magnetic grab and strap plate system for the bite valve keep things mostly in place, even on the roughest trails, though if you gave it a decent hit, it would pop out, making for a somewhat entertaining experience with the tube hanging down by the shock and pedals. It was quick and easy to detach the magnetic coupler to take a sip of water, but reattaching it on the fly was somewhat more problematic, and finding the correct spot for coupling was occasionally a game of hit and miss, though with practice it increased the odds. It was best not to drink some water on anything remotely rocky and bumpy, and it was better to wait until a smooth spot for hydrating, else you’ll end up having to stop to take care of things. You can adjust the fore, and aft location of the magnetic plate on a webbing ladder above the hip’s left pocket, though it still isn’t movable to the other side of the pack. When the Blaster bite valve was open water flowed with a decently high volume, making drinking easy and enjoyable, and it never leaked. I did find that the twist on/off bar wasn’t the easiest to use, and I wish the lever were more significant and taller to facilitate its adjustment.
Bottom Line
The Osprey Seral Lumbar Pack with its 7-liter capacity was just about perfect for more extended forays and when you might need gear for inclement weather, though it still isn’t cavernous. The storage layout of the pack with its two compartments and hip pockets offered great organizational characteristics, and the main with the long curved zipper had a functionally wide opening making gear retrieval easy.
I am a pretty light water drinker, so the 1.5-liter reservoir was ideal for most rides, but you might need more on longer days or in hotter conditions. The reservoir and bite valve worked just fine, but the magnetic hose clip system was hit and miss while trying to use on the fly, and it would sometimes pop off when accidentally hit, so I’d like to see some fine tuning at that interface.
Once the compressions straps and waist strap was tightened down, the pack sucked snuggly and conformably into your back, for a Velcro-like fit, with tons of stability, security, and comfort, even in the dynamic motion encountered during rough rides. The AirScape backpanel and Airmesh hip belt worked in synergy to help this design become part of your back, with an almost invisible feeling while wearing the pack; as long as you don’t overload it too much. Although the ErgoPull waist strap closure system was stable and secure, they need to tidy up how it deals with excessive portions of the pull strap, since they tended to flop around while riding.
As with any of the Osprey products, its full of features and is highly functional, and the materials, design, stitching, construction, and craftwork is exceptional. It comes with their ‘All Mighty Guarantee’ warranty, meaning Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge – whether it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday.
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