Osprey Seral Lumbar Bike Hydration Pack

I bought this thinking that I needed more water than a bottle, but less than the 5 gallons my large hydration pack holds - but I had some major concerns. I was concerned it wouldn't be enough water. It was. Now, granted that may or may not be everyone's case, but this holds a really decent amount...I had a quick 10 miles at just under 2 hours and still had a good deal of water left over. I was concerned that it wouldn't hold all my stuff. It did. Again, that may not be everyone's case, but so long as you are just toting the essentials, there is plenty of room. I was concerned that the magnet wouldn't hold the water tube in place. It did. Not only that, but its even easy to find where the tube hooks back up on your waist even while riding. I was concerned that it would be dead weight on my lower back. It wasn't. I barely realized that I had this on...now, granted I am a big fat guy, but this honestly and genuinely didn't feel like I was wearing anything at all. My back doesn't ache, nor did it get sweaty like it does with my day-pack. I thought I'd just reserve this for hour-plus rides, but with the size, comfort and simplicity of this pack, its instantly become my every-day-go-to-before-you-get-on-the-bike accessory. I cant recommend this highly enough

This pack isn't the normal well-designed product I've come to expect from Osprey. Organizationally it's pretty good, with the waist belt pouches being very handy, and the outer front pocket decent as well. It holds a decent amount of key riding gear for Spring and Summer rides. But where this falls WAY short is the compression and load balancing for use in active sports like mountain biking, because it bounces all around, and falls away from the waist - which makes for a REALLY annoying pack. The magnet that's designed to hold the long tube around the front of one's body while in use also is poor, so the tube is routinely falling off during rides, which is not only annoying, but potentially a safety hazard, as it can get caught in gears, one's bike frame and other areas. And because it doesn't grab the magnet on the tube, it also makes it a royal pain to try to easily and safely return the tube in place while one is riding, so you end up fumbling to put it back. Definitely wouldn't recommend this pack for mountain biking peeps.

The pack is bigger than it looks, but that isn't an issue. It has two design flaws, one of which can be significant. I bought this for road running, and it works pretty well for that purpose. The magnet that holds the tube in place isn't very strong. It holds while road running, but I doubt it would for trail running or mountain biking. The piece with the magnet likes to slide down the tube when I'm drinking. It's not a huge deal while running, but would a much bigger issue while biking. To fix it I made a stop for it out of Sugru. A rubber band would probably work pretty well, too, but I happened to have some Sugru. The biggrr flaw is that the tube isn't low enough on the bladder, so I couldn't get all the water out. The photo shows how much water I couldn't get through the tube. Depending on the situation, this could be a big problem or a small problem.

This pack has overall been perfect for my needs! I use medical equipment that I have to be connected to 24 hours/day. I needed something sturdy that I could use when I wasn’t connected to my pole at home. The lifetime warranty was a huge plus for me! Also the fact that Amazon carries it cheaper than other retailers made this a no brained for me as Osprey in my opinion is the bomb! I initially bought the smaller pack, and it is equally as fabulous, however my equipment didn’t all fit in it as well. So, back to the Seral. I didn’t want to have to wear a medical backpack every time I left the house and when I found this I was so relieved! I’m a pretty small person so the footprint of the bag is pretty big, however that’s what I needed for all of my stuff. I was even able to put my phone and my wallet in the pack as well as a few other essentials. The pack is easy to put on, take off, and to load. I can wear it in the front or the back and the sides have padding that prevents my pelvic bones from being rubbed raw or bruised. Big bonus for me! I removed the hydration bladder and use that section for my pump, infusions, as well as an ice pack. (I put the ice pack in the section that was intended for the bladder so it doesn’t run the potential of leaking or sweating on the pump I use)). Then I use the clips made to hold the bladder tubing in place to secure and prevent tangles of my tubes. Very convenient and prevents the pump from alarming due to linked tubing. There is also a magnet on the side that’s meant for the bladder mouthpiece, it’s fantastic for other items I hang from my bag to prevent them from flipping around! When I am driving or sitting for long periods I have to wear it in the front, but it gets to be heavy ((because of everything I have to carry...not the bag itself)) so my back gets tired. The bonus is that I can just spin it around and wear to the back! This typically even works well in an office chair too, so that issue isn’t really a non issue. I have no real cons about this pack and have even recommend to friends that have similar medical needs as mine. I would purchase again and again based on the level of freedom as well as comfort that this pack gives me. There are sadly few options for adults like me that need to be able to carry life saving equipment, but don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb in public. Although this wasn’t “intended” for what I use it for...it has been a Godsend for me! As far as the smaller version...equally as high in my opinion, I just needed a bit bigger bag. When I have short outings, and can use a 500ml infusion bag vs a 1200ml infusion bag...it’s my other go to...although I rarely switch them out as I adore the bigger one. My husband was happy to have the smaller one for his use! 🤣 Thanks Osprey for making such a versatile bag that didn’t require me to alter for it to work for me!

I use this when the weather gets too hot for my Raptor backpack. This allows me to carry the necessities and sufficient water for my rides. The "four stars" is because the zipper that closes over the water bladder tends to creep open as you use the hose. It never opens enough to lose anything, but it is an annoyance. Also, the magnet could be a little stronger. On some drops and jumps the hose has come loose. It doesn't cause any problems, but again, just an annoyance. I love the pack and would recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to the hydration backpack.