In New York last summer, my backcountry camping journey began with a visit to Paragon Sports, one of the biggest retailers of sporting goods in the city. Although I had been a car camper for some time, I wanted to broaden my horizons beyond the safe and comfortable confines of commercial campsites. The first order of business was to acquire an appropriate pack. When I explained to the sales rep that I would likely be going on short trips, usually overnighters but occasionally as
long as three nights, he recommended that I look at packs between 50-60 liters, which were supposedly designed for trips as long as five days. When I asked what the larger 80- to 100-liter packs were for, he said that they were for extended excursions, like two-week backpacking vacations around Europe. But after filling a 60-liter pack with various display gear around the store, such as a small tent, sleeping bag, pot, etc., I couldn't imagine how food and drinks (particularly booze) would fit on top of it all. With a slightly puzzled look on his face, the sales rep replied that camping foodstuffs--by which he meant beef jerky, nuts, maybe condensed soup--don't take up much volume and Why would you take alcohol on a backpacking trip?!?! In the end, though still somewhat skeptical, I selected the Osprey Atmos 65.
I've now used this pack on three occasions, and I've had enough. I selected the model primarily because of its "airspeed" design feature, which consists of a mesh backpanel that separates the main body of the pack from the user's torso and allows for ventilation. It was also, relative to its size, the lightest at approximately 1.61kg according to specs. However, I found the pack to be uncomfortable, even painful, in the shoulder areas even when packed well below the advertised comfort zone of 15-20 kg. Assuming everything had been properly adjusted for my frame, I suspect the problem lay either in the separated backpanel, which distributed the weight away from my core, or in the shoulder straps themselves, which are extremely narrow in width and thin in depth and made of a swiss-cheese-like hole-punctured foam (presumably for ventilation purposes). In any event, I'm done with it.
If anyone's interested in taking it off my hands, this dismal review notwithstanding, I'm willing to let anyone have it for less than it would cost to have one shipped here from the States.
I have the Osprey Atmos 35 pack. I don't use it for camping but mainly just use it as a backpack when I ride my bike (the air flow mesh thing, etc.). I find it to be a good size for carrying a laptop, notebook, and some random things like that.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to look at the Gregory backpacks. I have 2 of those (1 really small one that I wear on my bike if I don't need to carry a laptop) and 1 hiking backpack that I use for Europe and places like that. The Gregory is more comfortable for my shoulders at least.
I've tried the Gregory Palisades 80 for an overnighter and found it to be satisfactory in all the ways the Osprey isn't. I'd actually considered a Gregory during my initial pack shopping but passed because of the lumbar support, which felt somewhat uncomfortable at the time, although now I appreciate how it helps distribute weight away from my shoulders.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I'm glad that the Osprey Atmos 65 is so not to my liking, as it allows me to rationalize purchase of a new pack.
Do you still have this osprey pack? I woild love to buy it from you
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