Gear Review: Osprey Atmos AG 50

Bear In The Mountains  > gear review, packs >  Gear Review: Osprey Atmos AG 50
2018-08-14 Chris 0 Comments

Product Gallery:

  • Osprey Atmos AG 50

Background:

Earlier this year (2018), I had been thinking about getting a pack that might serve me better with the amount of hiking that I have been doing since I made the move to the PNW in Fall-2017 and make an investment in this area of my life.  Spend the money on areas in your life that bring you happiness and improve your quality of life.

I had a 35L and 65L pack from High Sierra and a broken and worn Mountainsmith Circuit 3.0.  My High Sierra packs were certainly a cost conscious purchase at the time, and they have certainly served me well (reviews for each forthcoming).  But now, I was looking for something in between the two sizes.  At times the 35L was too small and the 65L seemed too big for some of my outings.

I had heard about Osprey Backpacks on the different retail sites, blogs and read many reviews across the storefronts out their.  I had seen a lot on my hikes, an understatement out here in the PNW as I have been finding out, and for a good reason. The Anti-Gravity suspension system was a consistent mention as well.  They were built for comfort, durability and a lot of thought went into the design.  After my research and reading reviews I kept the pack in the back of my mind so when it went on sale, I picked one up.

Cost: $187.36 (with tax)

I purchased this on sale (25% off, $230 -> $171.73) at REI during their outlet sale in July. I always have a hard time paying full price so I tend to browse the outlets and discounted areas or monitor and wait for a product I have had my eye on to go on sale. When you are not in a rush to buy something, you have more patience to assess and be critical about purchasing options until an adequate opportunity presents itself.

In writing this article I wanted to provide current information. It looks like the one I got is the 2017 model, which is likely why is was on sale a good bit, so the 2018 models are generally around $230 for the 50L and $270 for the 65L. (Amazon Referral Link)

Initial Impressions:

Straight out of the box the pack was a little darker than the bright orange pictures from the various retail storefronts. Certainly not an issue for me, though I tend to get gear and clothing that is brighter in the green, blue and orange ranges. When I put the pack on it really did have a body forming feel. The pack fit right up against my back and was the appropriate size (M) for my physical/body frame (5′ 8″, 180lbs). It seemed like very little adjustments needed. I checked out all the pockets, compartments, mesh pocketed areas (hip belt and back center). The true test is to take it on a hike for a few hours. The following weekend I had anticipated heading to Mt Pugh (trip report not written).

The Saturday after I got my pack, I was anxious to get out on the trail to start hiking in this pack. Off to Mt Pugh. The forecast looked good or at least decent. It rained slightly on the drive over and was pretty cloudy most of the way up, but it didn’t rain on me. Along the entire trip, I was trying to be mindful of the aspects and features of the pack. Since that inaugural hike, I have taken it on a couple others with different weights, distances and elevation conditions to better assess my initial impressions of the pack.

The hip pockets were nice but not quite big enough and too curved for my cell phone. Great for trail snacks on one side and compass on the other. Easy access and out of the way. The double pocket top flap is nice for keeping things separate. I have been keeping my maps in the top pocket, while I put food, camera and various warming or rain layers in the lower one. Under the top pouch is a flap that can be used to cover the top opening and clip into the same straps as the top pouch, should you decide to remove the top pouch as needed.

The internal compartment is sufficient for the size. These is not much give like some packs have so gear needs to conform to the depth of the pack or less. Its pretty easy to size the pack down if you aren’t carrying much stuff, which makes this more usable for me when I don’t need all the space but still want to use this pack based on the feel and comfort. The lower compartment is sufficient as well. There is a compartment separator that can be adjusted. This feature is intended to keep things from up top falling out when you remove whatever is in the bottom compartment.

The back mesh pocket is good for stashing some quasi-quick need items or for tossing some wet items to help dry them along a hike. The two side mesh pockets are great for stashing a water bottle on either side. If you are carrying fuel, this would be a good place to put it as well.

Something that I did notice as a con is that it doesn’t really have much on the exterior of the pack for clipping or strapping external gear to. I kind of like daisy chain loops so I can have the option to attach a ground mat or tent to the exterior. This feature makes the pack a little more limited, but maybe I just need to scale back and simplify my overnight loadout to make this pack work better for me.

Experimenting is forth coming over the next 6-12 months. Something I have noticed on the newer model versions, they have 2 straps over the lower compartment, which would be convenient for a ground mat, small tent depending on the length/circumference of the straps.

The entire pack just hugs your body. It’s quite comfortable under the different weight conditions I had experimented with. The Anti-Gravity suspension system has been a noticeable feature that I think really makes this pack great. I have not seen this same configuration/implementation on other Osprey packs that I have looked at and seems unique to the Atmos AG pack family-type. The mesh backing also helps to keep your back cool and not as wet from sweat. All the adjustment straps have been easy for me to get to and adjust on-the-fly. I have tinkered with various settings and conditions to better understand how I prefer various strap sections.

I have not performed the custom heat fitting to the hip belt. I’m not sure I will based on the pack’s current fit and comfort to my body. This might be different for the next person who gets the same pack.

Something I didn’t realize on my first hike was the hiking pole attachment on the left shoulder strap and the loop on the lower part of the pack for the end of your hiking poles, once collapsed. This is a very handy feature and keeps your poles most out of the way but accessible, as opposed to taking off your pack to stow your poles where the ice axe generally goes.

I have not assessed its waterproofness or resistance, though I tend to waterproof my gear inside the pack with either trash bags or Outdoor Research Waterproofing Bags (reviews forthcoming).

On subsequent hikes, I have brought along the cellphone clip holster to attach to one of the shoulder straps, which works out perfect for me. This keeps my cellphone easy and quick to get to for taking pictures when Im on the go and not really looking to take off my pack for my standard camera.

Overall Assessment:

This pack has been worth the purchase and has been a great investment at this point. No signs of wear and tear. Of all my packs I have had throughout the Boy Scouts, the Marine Corps and civilian hiking, this is by far my favorite and most comfortable pack. My opinion of this pack after the first couple hikes with it spurred me to buy an Osprey Zenith 88L for longer trips (gear review forth coming). Even between the two packs, this is my absolute favorite. I’m looking forward to my next trip with the pack this upcoming weekend on a possible 20 mile day trip.

Knowing what I know now about the pack, I might have opted for the 65L since the pack can size down fair good (at least the 50L does pretty well). This larger size would provide for a wider range of day and multi-day trips for me and I might not have gotten the 88L. Ill assess this more down the road on my updated impressions.

Number of Hikes: 14 (as of 4-April-2019)

Roughly 135.43 miles.
Roughly 45395 ft elevation gain.

Updated Impressions:


1-Year: ~July-19

Associated Affiliate Links with the following businesses:

Amazon
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Follow by Email
RSS