Osprey said they only see the kind of wear I had on the pack from thru hikers. Osprey repaired it at no charge and sent it back to me in less than a week because I told them I needed it for a trip. I had used the pack so much that the hipbelt wore out next to the pack on each side.
I could not believe that a 60L pack weighing 3 lbs 4 oz could be made of fabric this tough. I am a lifelong backpacker and this is the best pack I have ever owned. I wouldn't take the Osprey into the Tasmanian wilderness, but for any other walking it's fine. Mind you my wife's Macpac is now 10 years old, has done far more walking, and is showing no signs of age. The pack is light and that usually means flimsy but that this one has survived and is still functional despite carrying a typical 40 lb load for many months says positive things about its durability. The waist band and shoulder straps had to be very carefully adjusted to set the pack at the sweet spot on my lumbar area, large patches of moleskin also helped. I also found trouble with the abrasive quality of the back support of the Osprey. With wear, the waist band started to slip badly, needing to be reset every 5 minutes or so.Īs I was in the USA, Opsrey was able to replace the waist band and struts FOC while I borrowed a friend's Gregory (which gave me persistant sciatica from pressure on the side of the tail bone). The main problem has been when the qantas broke a side strut and then I broke the other side leaning on it.
My Aether 60 is now 4 years old and has had a hard life through the Bibbulman track (1000km) 2008, Larapinta track 2009 and the whole AT this year. Just goes to show ya, there's no substitute for testing out backpacks in person. I am glad I tried them out in the store, because just based on internet reviews and videos, I WAS leaning towards the Atmos. My personal opinion, is that the Atmos style design is much better suited for smaller packs and day hikes as opposed to heavier hiking or traveling needs. Actually, i would argue you'd probably sweat alot more with a fully packed Atmos because it felt TWICE as heavy as the Aether. And to be honest, the mesh padding on the Aether created some airflow itself, so i don't think your back would sweat THAT much more. I rather sweat a little more than have back pain. In hot climates, the Atmos design may create more airflow and less sweat.but the tradeoff is too much. And when you twisted your body from side to side, the pack swung more compared to the Aether which stayed snug against he back and felt more a part of your body. Going in, I thought that the design of the Atmos would be more comfortable with the airflow system, but it actually made the weight much much heavier. I was shocked at the huge difference in feel. But the Aether, because it fit snug against my back, felt like i was carrying nothing.
The Atmos held the weight out too far because of the meshed back panel space and seemed TWICE as heavy. I have to say, the Aether was sooooooo much more comfortable to me. I loaded each with about 25lbs and walked around. I tried both the Atmos 65 and the Aether 60 at the EMS store here in NYC.
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