I'll echo some comments from previous reviews first: good quality pack, seems very sturdy, but not heavy. Nice ventilation, and good amount of storage for a hydration pack. The little waist belt pockets are kinda gimmicky, I could see fitting a small point and shoot camera in there, or a knife/multi-tool, but not much else.

I agree that it's STUPID that osprey didn't include a detachable hose (so I had to go out an buy a splice for about 6$ and install it) but the bladder seems of good quality, and havent had any leakage problems yet (fingers crossed)

If you really cinch up the rain cover you can get it to stay but it is finicky, would have made sense to have a bit of a lip at the top, but the shoulder straps come right to the top, making it hard to keep in place.

All in all a good pack that I would buy again, but do yourself a favor and get a hose disconnect aftermarket.

ohh also I am 5'10" and I got the M/L but could have got the S/M... I think I'm kind of on the border in terms of height FYI

Sorry Osprey, I generally love your stuff and was excited to get this pack, but you just got too many things wrong on this one (back it goes... thx bc, you guys rock!!).

I just returned from hiking on the Napali Coast on Kauai with this thing. While there were some very nice aspects to this bag (nice overlapping front side zip pockets, hiking pole stow&go system, helmet, light lash point, pretty comfortable, stayed cool without excessive arch away from back, etc.), they were overwhelmed by the following list of gripes:

1) Nearly worthless waist belt pockets. Too small to hold more than a couple of peanuts, or a bus pass. To make matters worse, they lose most of their tiny volume when you cinch down the waist belt... I find this location the most convenient place to keep GPS, camera, phone, snacks, etc for ready access... Why can't someone make decent sized belt pockets... not that hard to keep them out of the way, and even include some kind of cinch system to keep things from flopping when the pocket is not full... Also, make 'em watertight!

2) Side stretch pockets are located way too high for non-contortionists to be able to reach water bottles/snacks.

3) Fancy new water bladder. While I liked the idea of the scaffolded bladder and was willing to put up with some additional bulk, I think Osprey could have optimized these with less material to make it lighter and less bulky. All of that structure and a drinking tube not readily removable from water bag add up to make the thing even harder to clean than older style bags. Worst of all, unless I was extremely careful when screwing on the cap, and getting it mega tight, the thing leaked all over my stuff (and, embarrassingly, the hotel bed).

4) Rain cover. Nice to see an integrated one attached, but no way I found (granted it was under flashlight in pouring rain) to firmly attach it to the top of the pack, despite integral bungee. As a result, whatever stuff hadn't already gotten soaked by bladder cap leakage, was doused when the rain cover kept falling off!

All in all, this pack made a tough hike, quite annoying.

I bought the S/M size of this pack (I'm 5'-2") to replace the camelbak l.u.x.e. hydration pack womens 520, which I found to be too small and uncomfortable. I like how this pack lets my back and shoulders breathe, doesn't bow outward in the back, and holds everything I need for long day hikes in rough terrain. I usually keep an extra layer inside, some snacks/lunch, maps, compass, knife, headlamp, hat, beacon, and a big Nikon D90 DSLR camera. The pack is a little bit heavy compared to other, similar sized packs, but the great design, rigidity, breathability, and comfort of the pack makes up for the extra weight and I would rather carry this than a lighter, sweatier pack.
The hip belt pockets could stand to be better designed because the way you need to pull the zippers to fully open and close the pockets requires 2 hands. The side pockets are a bit small and would be hard to fit a water bottle in, but with the 3L reservoir I have never needed extra water and instead I use the side pockets to stash maps and zippered-off pant legs. It would be nice if there was an option for an insulated reservoir and tube to use during winter. None of these are deal-breakers for me though.
Overall, a very well thought-out and designed pack.

The best thing about the Manta 25 is all the large pack features on a small day pack. The under-arm trekking pole holder, hipbelt pockets and daisy are some of the more useful features. I took the pack on a 7 mile maiden voyage while packed full (I was initially concerned with the deceptively small size but it swallowed everything I needed) and was very pleased with it. No discomfort, no water sloshing in the reservoir, no sweaty back thanks to the mesh backpanel. It's expensive but worth the money.

I must say that I am very impressed with this pack. Osprey makes some of the best packs on the market and this is no exception. It is very sturdy, not to heavy, and has their awesome airspeed back panel. I was pretty set on getting a Talon 22 until I saw this pack and all the features that it has.

The only thing is that the rain cover it comes with is kinda big for the pack, but with the draw chord you can get a pretty good fit with it. Just to let you know that the rain cover covered my wife's Osprey Aura 35 PERFECTLY...just to give you an idea of the size. I like that you can fully remove the rain cover from the pack giving you some extra storage space if you know its not going to rain.

The pack is a little narrow, and you also have a small hump in the main compartment due to the airspeed suspension, but this was not a big deal to me.

Do not hesitate to order this pack from Backcountry....its awesome!

The pack is great, except that it is way too narrow. I'm 6'2", and the part where the hip pads go out are so close together they are pressing into my lower back instead of being around my hips. Makes it uncomfortable if I have any weight in the pack or I'm wearing a tshirt. Good pack, would recommend if you are a lanky person, but any broad chested guys should avoid it

The pack is great, except that it is way too narrow. I'm 6'2", and the part where the hip pads go out are so close together they are pressing into my lower back instead of being around my hips. Makes it uncomfortable if I have any weight in the pack or I'm wearing a tshirt. Good pack, would recommend if you are a lanky person, but any broad chested guys should avoid it

This is a great day pack-it has already proved itself. The bladder system works easily, slides in with dedicated space for a day's stuff- light rain top & bottom, xtra layer, 1st aid kit and trail food. I actually bought an extra 2L hydration insert to go with the 3L that comes with the pack so I have more flexibility. Bite valve works well but be careful of the magnet locator- keep it away from your compass! This is a light pack and the pockets on the outside provide good flexible stowage. The trekking pole loops work well and the integrated rain cover is a plus. You get what you pay for- this is Osprey and worth the $$. I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Good streamlined day pack. Could be used overnight in summer with the right gear(See my upload). Bladder system is amazing, slides in easy even when full. Bite valve seems pretty loose and I think it will leak, hopefully not bad. Light pack with a bunch of pockets on the outside and even an integrated rain cover that comes out of the bottom. Pretty expensive but considering it has a top notch hydration system and rain cover, I don't mind paying that much for osprey. Very happy with the purchase, I have no doubts that the manta will be my go to day pack.