new obsession

[Buffalo Skipper]

oes deluxe in spinn
warbonnet blackbird
crowsnest 3s UQ
golite ultra 20 TQ
osprey exos pack

swoosh,
The Osprey Exos is on my short list also. I have an Aether 70 for backpacking and a Stratos 24 for heavy dayhiking. The Aether weights in at over 5 lbs and is larger than I need for my 2-3 day backpack trips, and the Stratos is really too small for an overnight.

I tried on the Exos at REI last weekend (I don't have an REI store close to me and I was on vacation---got to the Las Vegas and Santa Monica stores!). Coming from the Aether, I thought the Exos was light on padding and adjustment. I wanted to get your thoughts (or anyone elses) on it....

[Wags]

swoosh,
The Osprey Exos is on my short list also. I have an Aether 70 for backpacking and a Stratos 24 for heavy dayhiking. The Aether weights in at over 5 lbs and is larger than I need for my 2-3 day backpack trips, and the Stratos is really too small for an overnight.

i came from an aether 70 as well. yes, there is significantly less padding. but i'll tell you what. i haven't noticed it. my baseweight is probably 13-14 pounds, sometimes less if i don't carry an alky backup stove or if i'm sharing gear with my hiking buddy (sometimes i leave the steripen at home as he brings his, or something along those lines). i've had 25 lbs in it and carried it just fine. above that, i don't have any experience, so i cannot comment.

i really, really like the pack. small little hipbelt pockets carry my ibuprofen, deet, and chewing gum - a neat feature that i didn't have with the aether.

the bucket pocket is nice and big. i keep my raincoat and tarp there... design-wise it's set up very similarly to the aether, it just doesn't have the sleeping back compartment thing at the bottom (which i don't use anyway). it is a well thought out pack that i really, really enjoy. a couple of loops on the shoulder straps allow me to store my knife and bandana out of the way, yet graspable at a moment's notice. the lid holds all my quick assess stuff (tp, balaclava, map, windshirt)...

personally i really enjoy the pack and i have not carried the aether since buying it... buy with confidence if you can keep your base weight down...

[Buffalo Skipper]

Thanks, that is good info. My current winter base weight (excluding food, water, fuel and clothes) with the Aether 70 is just a hair over 16 lbs. If I had an Exos, lighter tarp, and a real TQ (3S Burrow), it would be under 11 lbs, but it will be next winter before I can afford those high ticket items.

I am shooting for a total weight of under 30 lbs (with Aether and current gear). This is down from just over 40 I was hauling last year, so it is an improvement. I also have better and lighter boots and hiking poles, so that will help as well. Next year I would like to be down to a total of 25 lbs or less with the Exos, if I go that route, which I expect. One of my challenges is that I like good food, and that can sometimes bulk up my pack.

My next big trek is the first week of December, so we will see where I am then.

Summer weight will not change too much, as my warmer gear weighs a few ounces less than my high end winter stuff.