the best BACKPACK…           

Osprey | Aether 100

Bottom Line:

The Osprey Aether 100 is a game-changer. It’s life-altering. Seriously.

No. More. Pain.

Why it’s the best:

A full pack used to mean days of pain. Initial setup to support the weight, followed by endless fussing with straps to relieve bruised hips, aching shoulders, or a compressed back. It took the fun out of trips with a full pack – long treks, geared-out winter trips, desert journeys loaded with water.

That ended with this pack.

Its well-designed suspension makes heavy loads feel feather-light. The well-centered weight keeps you nimble, agile, and dancing across rock-tops – whether stream crossing, avoiding mud, or just having fun. The well-designed padding lets you tailor your fit (right balance of “padding” vs. “straps” across your body), and stays comfortable for the long-haul.

The plentiful pockets allow you to segregate gear (e.g., cooking gear vs. sleeping gear).

The innovative plastic frame is molded to create space for your head (and hat). No more hitting your head on a full pack (or craning your neck forward to avoid it).

Hoisting your 80lb pack up off the ground still feels like – well – 80lbs.  But once it’s on your back, you’re good-to-go. The pockets are plentiful enough, giving you room to segregate gear. Keep your cooking fuel separate from your pillow.

Nothing’s perfect:

The external water bottle pockets aren’t great for horizontal storage of a Kleen Kanteen, Nalgene, or the equivalent.  They occasionally slip out, and have an unfortunate habit of poking you in the kidneys. Turning the bottle upright eliminates both problems – but then you can’t access the bottle without taking off your pack.

The rear external pocket is great for swift access, but we worry it’s a point of weakness. In our experience, stretch fabrics usually fail first.

Our first pack had an annoying squeak. The straps on a fully-cinched pack were rubbing on the plastic frame elements. Osprey customer service was exemplary, (i) acknowledging the issue affected some units, (ii) offering at-home troubleshooting steps, and (iii) offering warranty repair/replacement if needed.