Gear Review: Osprey Zenith 88

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Background:

After purchasing my Osprey Atmos AG 50 pack at the beginning of July and my favorable impressions from my first 2 hikes with it already, I decided that this was worth getting a larger one for over night and extended trips. I had planned for a multi-day trip a couple weeks earlier and after trying to pack my 50L, I decided I would get a larger pack and be done with getting another pack for a long while.

I went to REI to try on a couple of the different Osprey packs (including a couple others like Gregory and REI) to determine which family of larger packs was more like the Atmos AG 50.  I looked at the features and configurations to see what I liked and didn’t like.  I’m anticipating something would be capable of multi-purpose usages like extended trips, snow hikes and camping as well as alpine climbs. 

I decided that the Zenith series was the next best thing since the Atmos family of packs cap out at 65L. Since I knew the Zenith 88 was on sale at REI’s outlet site, I decided to go home and purchase the pack after doing a couple more nights of additional review reading to make sure I was getting something favorable from reading the various pros and cons people had written about.

As a quick note, within the Osprey Zenith family, there are 75L, 88L, and a 105L size packs.

Cost: $272.46 (with tax)

I purchased this with a combination of two $20 rebate cards and a 25% off discount from the Outlet Sale (25% + $40 off, $360 -> $249.73) at REI during their outlet sale in July. To reiterate a previous line from my last Osprey gear review, I have a hard time paying full price.  I will browse the outlets and discounted areas or monitor and wait for a product I have 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.

The reason this was on sale was the pack I got was the 2017 model, so the 2018 models are in the range from $350 for the 75L and $400 for the 105L. I can’t really see any differences from the pictures in comparison to mine, except for maybe a more meshed material between the shoulders and hip belt for the back to help with ventilation.

Initial Impressions:

Straight out of the box the pack looked as it did on the various retail store fronts.  When I put the pack on it really did have a body forming feel, though I could tell it was not the same as my Atmos pack. I ordered the medium size, which was appropriate for my physical/body frame (5′ 8″, 180lbs). The pack did not need much adjusting. I checked out all the pockets, compartments, mesh pocketed areas (hip belt and back center).  Taking the pack on a multi-day hike would be a better assessment period.  Plenty of hours of wear with an overnight load.  (Read about the multi-day trip here).

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Since that inaugural multi-day trip, I have taken it on one other trip with a different loadout, distance and elevation conditions to continue evaluating the pack. I say this because my perspective is still limited though I have carried it for many hours and miles.

Focus on the features

The hip pockets are bigger than the Atmos pack and the curvature is less of an issue with this one, which is likely how they are attached.  After my experience with my cell phone on the Atmos, I have stuck with my cell phone holster on my shoulder strap.  For my trips, I had food on one side and my compass on the other.  I like the ability to keep my on-the-move food where it is easy to access without having to take my pack off.  This allows me to keep hiking while eating as needed.

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.

The double pocket top flap is nice for keeping things separate. I have been keeping my maps in the top pocket.  I have been stowing more on-the-move food, my digital camera and a light warming or rain layer depending on the anticipated conditions in the lower bigger area. Unlike the Atmos, there is no top flap under the top pouch. The top pouch does detach and has a strap that could easily fit around my waist of slung over my shoulder.  This part is nice because if I need to drop my pack and go light on a side trip, this provides that handy functionality. 

The internal compartment is a good size and has more give than the Atmos. The external straps help to reduce the size if you don’t need all of the volume it provides. The lower compartment is a good volume 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 bottom compartment would be ideal for a sleeping bag and any other overnight stuff that is not immediately needed.

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. Behind the back mesh pocket there are two pockets about 1-2L big.  I have used these for my cooking gear and some easy access warming items.  The two side mesh pockets are great for stashing a water bottle on either side.  On my two trips I stashed my fuel bottle on one side.  Its really a good spot for it.

Though the pack does conform to my body, it doesn’t have the same feel and comfort as the Atmos pack.  This pack does not have the Anti-Gravity suspension system as the Atmos does, which is likely why it doesn’t have the same comfort level.  The material and design of the area that sits against your back is sufficient.  It does not breathe as well as the Atmos.

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.

The Stow-on-the-go hiking pole attachment is quite handy.  It is on the two Osprey packs I have and appreciate the design and concept.

During my trip on Goat Mountain (write up here), I did encounter rain and hail.  I could tell that there is a waterproofness or resistance to it though Im not sure how long that would last before the inside contents get wet.  I tend to waterproof my gear inside the pack with either trash bags or Outdoor Research Waterproofing Bags (reviews forthcoming), so I’m typically not concerned with a rain cover or encountering rain.  If I were to do something over a week, I might consider a rain cover to prevent water saturation of the material.

Overall Assessment:

This pack has been good at this point. No signs of wear and tear after the 2 multi-day overnight trips. I have noticed that the shoulder straps have a different cut about them in comparison to the Atmos pack.  This is likely  because I had a heavier pack on those trips,  so am noticing it more.  On the Goat Mountain trip, I didn’t notice the straps as much, but my pack was also lighter.

Number of Hikes: 2 (as of 23-Aug-2018)

• Welcome Pass to Boundary Way (21-22-July-2018)
• Goat Mountain (4-5-August-2018)

Roughly 34 miles.
Roughly 10560 ft elevation gain.

Updated Impressions:

More experimenting is forth coming over the next 6-12 months, especially as I attempt to downsize my loadout and lighten my gear. I will also explore and assess how it handles during snow outings.

6-Months: ~Dec-18/Jan-19
1-Year: ~July-19

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