Osprey Dyna Women’s 15L Running Pack Review

Trail running above Grindelwald, Switzerland — With the need to carry more gear for a wider range of conditions, the Osprey Dyna 15 liter has been the go to pack for our Way Up days.

Osprey Women’s Dyna 15L Trail Running Pack

I don’t like to carry extra stuff while I’m running, but sometimes you need more than a wind shell and water bottle in the mountains. Running the 3 Passes Trail in Nepal, we needed to carry enough for what the Himalaya throws at you. Conditions ranged from hot to snow to rain spread over two days while going over three passes above 5200 meters. This meant carrying stuff, like warm clothes, a camera, and overnight kit. Also, enough pizza and banana bread to keep the engines going. The essentials for long days in the big mountains while keeping it comfortable for running. Osprey’s Duro/Dyna packs have proven themselves for this kind of need, so they went along as the pack of choice.

The Duro is the Unisex version of this pack series (1.5L 6L and 15L). Here’s Dan’s review of the Osprey Duro.

Focusing on the Osprey Women’s Dyna 15L, I would agree with all Dan said about the Duro, but I get to address some women’s benefits. The Dyna has been modified to better fit women runners with a shorter torso length. The sizing and adjustment straps help make this pack fit well, keeping everything snug and secure even when you’re carrying more load than you’d like. And as promised, no bounce. Even the front soft flask pockets hold everything tightly in place. The shoulder straps are wide and secure, and (bonus!) can double as a sports bra, say, if yours is soaked and really cold and you don’t want to wear it on a long downhill that’s still ahead. It’s not advertised as a feature of the pack, but the vest straps hold everything in place, even you.

It’s a bigger pack than I use for most days, and on the heavy side for a running pack, but it’s absolutely perfect for multi-day runs, days when you need to carry more weight, cover bigger distances with that weight, and a great crossover pack for days spent hiking. For our Way Up runs, alpine runs with lots of vertical that often involve glacier crossings and scrambling, it’s been the ideal size, and distributes the weight and bulk of the extra gear we have to carry. Some things I frequently pull out of it for a Way Up: crampons, a puffy, rain jacket, multiple sandwiches, camera, poles, and the occasional ice axe. Although the pack itself is heavy (600 grams), the weight is balanced and ultimately feels light when packed and in place.

Features I like:

Zipper compartment on vest strap. Instead of stuffing your phone into a soft flask sleeve where it might bounce out, this pocket is just the right size to hold a phone for easy access.
Front soft flask sleeves. They’re quicker to refill than a bladder, and you can still drink without removing the bottles. Osprey has really designed a sleeve/soft flask combo that works, perfectly.
Hip pockets. While the waist belt adds stability to the overall setup, it also gives you a small zipper pocket on each hip. These are the perfect size to keep a few necessities readily available, like a buff, gloves, a snack, and headlamp.
Capacity. The pack itself feels small, but has seemingly endless storage, including some handy side mesh pockets easily accessed for quick needs. Although I don’t frequently carry a bladder, this fits too, along with everything else.

Drawbacks:

Too many zipper compartments. While I like an organized pack, the three zippers on the 15 liter seem like one too many. I always unzip the wrong one. I’d like to see the bladder sleeve not require its own zipper, and then a different color zipper pull for the main compartment.
The double straps that secure the stretch-mesh compression pocket, on the back of the pack, have buckles that always need to be opened and closed to get into the pack. And, the buckles are an odd design that are tricky to close. While the compression sleeve is key for the stability of the pack, I’d like to see them easier to use, or not be required to open each time.
If you do use a water bladder, the magnet that holds the hose to the sternum strap is nowhere near strong enough to keep a hose connected while bouncing along. Magnets are extra weight… Thankfully, it’s easily removed.

Most importantly, the Dyna 15L is comfortable and stable, I’ve never run in a pack that carries so well with the additional weight needed for some days. No bouncing or swinging. That’s what it’s designed for. Comfort.

Features from Osprey: