Not a review of the Osprey Stratos 36

Three weeks ago when I walked around the top of Langstone Harbour I carried my old Vaude Tour 45 rucksack and I hated it, which is sad ‘cos I’ve have carried it most winters and some summers for at least five years. This year I wore my Osprey Atmos 50 a lot more, mainly so that I could sort out what I was going to carry on our Lakeland Circle Walk and then over a few walks work out how to pack  the sack.  During our Lakes walk the Atmos, the kit and the packing worked a treat no faffs and things to hand as needed. Now carrying the Vaude for the first time in months it felt, and looked, as if I was carrying a bag of spanners.

So we paid a visited Snow and Rock at Porchester to try on a few rucksacks.  Then a couple of days later, to make sure, I called into Cotswolds in Nottingham a to try a Deuter I’d read about, but also to see if they had a Stratos 36 in, they didn’t but after chatting to the guys in store, I wanted the Stratos.

A quick scoot around the interweb and I placed an order with Taunton Leisure.

At this point I was going to write“a review” but having read a couple of anti gear review reviews I think we’d all be happier if I just tell you what I like and dislike about the Stratos and the bits I’m still thinking about. I should also say that I have only worn it lightly loaded on two short walks, which probably makes the whole thing invalid, to serious gear reviewers.

Anyway, the utmost likes are the hip belt and airspeed back, these are the reason I bought this sack. The Atmos which has a similar belt and back has been wonderful, stable, comfortable, it stays cool on warm days, a joy to carry and I can feel that the Stratos will be much the same.

Then there are the things I have discovered, the pouches on the hip belt are a good size taking my camera and several bars of chocolate for the grandkids, Also for the first time with any of my rucksacks I can actually get my hand into the wand pockets while wearing the sack. And just to prove that I am only interested in the gimmicks I really like the MP3/phone pouch on the right shoulder strap, just right for the iphone.

As far as carrying goes it, with the limited use I’ve had, it give that ‘right’ feeling, the hip belt sits well and is easy to adjust as are the shoulder straps, as you’d expect. The water pouch can be hung outside the bag between it and the airspeed trampoline. This frees up room in the bag and moves weight closer to the back. The compression straps, despite the top ones looking a bit odd pull the sack, when lightly loaded, into a quite narrow and not to deep shape.

Dislike, so far, I don’t like that there are no loops or D rings on shoulder straps which is where I prefer to hang my GPS from. The Stratos has the stow on the go wizzywig that allow walking poles to be stowed on a bungy cord under the left arm pit. Now being a gimmicks person I was quite excited about this and took my walking pole out for a walk and a carry, and I hated the stow and go. If this was a proper review I would explain how it works and why it didn’t for me, but I’m not. It was a pain. But on the bright side the bungy bit does give me a loop to hang my GPS from.

There seem to be a lot of straps on the sack all with very long flapping around tails or waste I think they’re called. All will have to be tested for length, cut, sealed and sewn up again.

The things I’m still thinking about are the colour, black and slate, the materials and the loading, what goes where and in what order, that will take a couple of walks to sort out. I also don’t understand why there are two top pockets in the lid instead of one big one, save a zip and the material that divides them, then there’s the big zip that opens up the main compartment, why. I’ve already mentioned the top compression straps, they probably do a good job but they look odd, and foul the big zip to the main compartment and seem awkward with the straps pulling the lid down.

So it looks and feels good, a bit of practice and learning to do yet and I am looking forward to a good long walk with it. Finally, as I have been known to say about other people’s reviews, if he’s paid that much for it, he’s bound to say it’s the best thing since sliced bread, aren’t I

Langstone Habour Farlington to Emsworth

Date: 30 October 2010

Area: Farlington to Emsworth, Hampshire

Distance: 9 Miles 14.5 k

Start Location: Farlington Marshes Car Park

OS Sheet: Explorer 119 and 120

Grid Ref: SU 6755 0429

Outline: Farlington Marshes, Havant, Langstone, Warblington, Emsworth

Route

These notes are provided to enable the walk to be plotted on a 1 : 25,000 map. They are not walking instructions.

I left my mother in laws house in Farlington, walked down the Eastern Road, past Sainsbury's and the Hilton, then under the M27 to the start of the walk in the Farlington Marshes Car Park overlooking Langstone Harbour.

From here head east along the sea wall around Farlington Marshes, into the Hermitage River and under a road bridge where you turn sharp left up the bank to join the road above, head east. After about 400 metres take a path on the right following a small stream south towards the sea, head east and cross the footbridge into Langstone.

Continue to follow the sea wall east, then cross the field to Warblington Church. Take Church Path across the fields until the sea wall and beach leads you around to the huge Mill Pond from there, there are various routes open to you to explore Emsworth.

Journey

As we were in Portsmouth to see my mother in law I was looking for a walk to do while Mrs O-n-G spent some time with her mother. Looking at the maps this walk seemed to link together a number of places from my childhood and later when working in Havant and offered the choice of bus or train for getting back to Farlngton/Cosham.

The day started off with a lovely big blue sky and a warmish breeze, the tide was out leaving the harbour a flat, grey and green desert with the sea a glimmer in the far distance. Luckily, the cool weather meant the never to be forgotten smell of rotting sea weed was thankfully missing.

The walk was largely flat and generally followed the sea wall. Several long distance walks cover the same ground, the Langstone Habour Waterside Walk seemed to predominate, I also spotted signs for the Wayfarers Way and the Solent Way.

As I walked around Farlington Marshes the twitchers were out by the by the score, some with camera lenses on tripods  looking like anti-tank rocket launchers, or camouflaged heavy machine guns, just right for sorted the geese out. Although the way the twitchers blocked the path it was them that needed sorting.

  

Some of the walk is quite close to the M27 and to the south of Havant through an industrial estate, past a sewage treatment plant and a sand and gravel quay. It added interest and makes one appreciate the wilder countryside.

In Langstone I got to walk along a track that had once been the railway line for the Puffing Billy, a steam train that ran from Havant to the sea front at Hayling, the highlight of the 50’s for me.

Crossing the road into old Langstone I had a look in the Ship Inn and around the corner the Royal Oak both well visited in the 70’s  I wanted to see if they had changed much but I couldn’t tell, it was like I was seeing them for the first time.

The old cottages, the mill and mill pond didn’t appear to have changed much. The mill was one of a large number along this coast that were built in the late seventeen hundreds to grind grain and gun powder to be shipped to Spain and Portugal for the Armies fighting in the Peninsular War. 

While looking at the maps I was intrigued by a right of way shown on both 50,000 and 25,000 maps as crossing the harbour from Langstone to Hayling, to the east of the present bridge. I did a bit of searching on the internet and found out that it’s the route of an early medieval track way, see link below. Needless to say I couldn’t spot it.

 (http://www.conservancy.co.uk/assets/assets/Wadeway_Summary_2010.pdf)

Warblington Church is well worth a visit it is unusual and picturesque and it is one of those places that makes you feel the past is not so far away.

Unfortunately, Emsworth disappeared in a prolonged shower of cold rain and as I reached the town center my bus pulled up so in seconds I was on my way back to find out how Forest got on against Pompey.

This was an interesting and enjoyable walk with plenty to see and I’d rate it as a good walk albeit very different from the quiet, more rolling countryside I am used to. Perhaps next time I’m down I’ll catch a bus to Emsworth and have at look around and see what I missed this time.