The Exos Series really makes you stand back and realize how far pack technology has come. These ultra-lightweight packs are easy on your back and tough enough to carry the goods you’ll need for a multiday journey. And they counter the idea that to shed weight, you have to give up bells and whistles. The Exos 58, for instance, is a 58-liter (for the medium size) pack that weighs less than 3 pounds. Three pounds! And you still get a breathable mesh back panel. Smart compression straps can either sit inside or outside of side mesh pockets. A genius trekking pole strap system gets your poles out of the way for scrambles, and front zips provide easy access to stuff in the middle of your pack. Choose from the Exos 34, (medium at 34 liters and 2 pounds 2 ounces), the Exos 46 (medium at 46 liters and 2 pounds, 5 ounces) or the 58, depending on how much gear you need to carry.
The ingenious aluminum suspension system on Osprey’s Exos packs allow for air circulation between pack and back to keep you free of sweat. It’s just the right size for a weekend trek while remaining extremely lightweight, even after you attach your tent or sleeping bag using bottom straps. While you’re at it, toss in the new shape stable Hydraform Reservoir water bladder to avoid uncomfortable bulges when filled, or sagging when empty. They both sell online for $150 and $30, respectively.
Osprey isn’t joking when it calls its Exos-series packs ’superlight’—these overnight-capable packs come with a stiff and robust frame yet weigh about the same as most frameless daypacks.
The 46-liter Exos weighs a remarkable two pounds, five ounces. Does that sound too heavy? My stripped-down Exos 34 weighs one pound fifteen point five ounces, lid and frame included. In either the 34 or 46 liter versions, the Exos feel supernaturally light. If you can lift one of these lightweight marvels in the store and not end up bringing it home, you’ve got more self control than I do.
The site reviewed the Exos 46, Talon 4 hip pack, and Space Station 140 travel bag. They found the travel bag to be “massive”, the hip bag to be of “great value” and “high quality”, and that the Exos 46 is a “featherweight workhorse”. To see the Exos 46 review, click here. To see the hip bag and travel bag reviews, click here and here.
The guys at Outdoor Adventure Guide magazine went for an outdoor excursion and listed the many items they brought along with them. One of those items was the Osprey Exos 46 backpack, and they said it was “way more hardcore than we were”. To see more, click here.
Elevation Outdoors magazine described how they were “shocked” at how well a pack as light as the Exos 46 could carry their gear, and as a result, chose it as the best fast and light pack on the market. The review was part of the June/July 2009 issue, and can be viewed here.
The Osprey Exos 58 was selected by Backpacker magazine as a great choice for backpacking in a rain forest for their August 2009 issue. To see more, click here.
The Summer 2009 issue of SNEWS has a chart comparing the prices of various outdoor products from back in the 1980’s and their current prices, and the Exos 46 pack was compared to the Ariel pack from 1984. To see more, click here.
In April’s Gear Guide Edition of Backpacker, Osprey Packs Were Featured Again And Again, Including: The Sprint Series, The Variant 52, The Argon 85 And The Exos 58 Among Others. To see what honors Osprey Packs garnered, click here.
