|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | |||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Osprey Atmos 50 > Owner Review by Mark FergusonOwner Review - Osprey Atmos 50Date: November 5, 2006 Name: Mark Ferguson Age: 49 Gender: Male Height: 6' (1.83 m) Weight: 215 lb (98 kg) E-mail address: redhawk@markferguson.com City, State, Country: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Backpacking Background I have been hiking off and on for most of my life. Highlights are the three summers I spent in the Alaskan back country when I was a teenager and several recent family trips to national parks. Last year I completed a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. I am trying to take one or two big trips each year. My hiking style is still too much "old school" meaning that I tend to pack everything that I think I might need. That makes for heavy packs. I am working to get my loads into the lightweight range. Product Info Manufacturer: Osprey Year of Manufacture: 2005 URL of Manufacturer: www.ospreypacks.com Model: Atmos 50 Size: Large Listed Weight: 2 lb 15 oz (1.33 kg) Weight as Delivered: 3 lb 3 oz (1.45 kg) Listed Capacity: 3,200 cu in (53 liters) Product Description The Osprey Atmos 50 is positioned as a lightweight backpack with an internal frame and is constructed of 210D nylon materials. The pack's one large central compartment loads from the top and contains an internal sleeve that can hold a 100 oz (3 L) water bladder. The compartment is closed with a drawstring collar. The drawstring uses a slide lock to hold the collar closed. The collar itself extends about 4 in (10 cm) to provide additional storage capacity. A lid covers the top of the pack and it contains a zippered compartment. The lid buckles to a couple of compression straps which help cinch the load. Additional pockets are layered on the front of the pack's main body. Two water resistant zippers provide access to two pockets that are really one compartment that is divided internally by a fabric separator. This separator does not run all the way to the bottom of the pocket. Layered on top of these pockets is a pocket made of a stretch material that is welded to the pack. The top of the stretch pocket is secured by another compression strap. Below the external pockets on the front bottom of the pack are two removable straps for holding a sleeping pad. The pack also has loops for ice axes and two daisy chain strips are on either side of the front stretch pocket. Each side of the pack has an expandable pocket, a lateral compression strap at the top and a zig-zag compression strap at the bottom. The pack uses what Osprey calls an "Airspeed Suspension" which is an aluminum frame with struts to create a curved structure to the back panel. This creates an air space between the pack and the hiker's back. A piece of open mesh is stretched across the airspace and this is what rests on the hiker's back. The shoulder straps are made of a material that Osprey describes as a "perforated, molded waffle foam." This foam is covered by a thin layer of nylon. The harness also has load lifter straps to help position the load. An adjustable sternum strap is included and the strap's buckle has a built-in emergency whistle. The hip belt is made of the same material as the shoulder straps. The belt uses an ergonomically designed tightening mechanism. Each side of the belt has zippered mesh pockets. Field Information and Usage Review I have used this pack in central and southwest Oklahoma, Yosemite National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. Weather conditions have generally been mild to hot and relatively dry with some rain. I purchased the pack specifically for a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike I was planning. I bought the Atmos 50 about 6 months before that trip so I would have time to try the pack before the big hike. I will focus on three specific outings with the Atmos 50. In June of 2005, I used the pack for a couple of day hikes in Yosemite National Park during a family vacation. The weather was great with temperatures in the mid-70s F (23 C) and no precipitation. The first hike was a three hour day hike in Yosemite Valley. I had a minimal load: water, snacks, rain jacket, first aid kit and both a video camera and a SLR, 35 millimeter film camera. In truth, the Atmos 50 was more pack than was needed for the hike and all the contents tended to slide to the bottom of the back despite how tightly the compressions straps were pulled. Despite that, the Atmos 50 was comfortable. With the pack on and the shoulder straps and hip belt tensioned appropriately, the Atmos 50 felt glued to my back with no swinging or shifting of the pack as I walked. I really like the design of the hip belt tensioning system. Rather than pulling back, the straps are pulled forward. This seems to require less effort to get the desired fit and keeps the buckle centered to the body. During this day's hike, we seemed to stop a lot: for food, to take pictures, to spray bug repellent, etc. I began to tire of constantly buckling and unbuckling straps and cinch cords to get in and out of the pack. Part of this I chalk up to not having yet developed a good system on where to pack particular kinds of items. One option would have been to remove the top pocket by un-threading its attachment straps from their buckles. This would provide direct access to the main compartment, but would lose the ability to cinch the load vertically. The next day, we hiked the Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall loop. In addition to more food and water, I added some clothing and items to increase the load and volume within the pack. With more clothing, it was easier to position the load and to cinch the compressions straps to hold the load in place. Since we walked longer and stopped less frequently, my irritation with opening and closing the pack was less. Plus, I did a better job of positioning items in the outer pockets for ease of access. Again, the pack fit very comfortably and rode very well. Vernal Fall was throwing a tremendous amount of spray on the trail that approaches the fall. The trail was more creek than walkway and we were quickly soaked. The Atmos 50 is not a waterproof pack and water did soak through the material. Despite the wetness, all the buckles and straps held their tension and the pack stayed glued to my back as I maneuvered up the wet rock steps. Once we reached the fall, we laid out for about an hour. The Atmos 50 was completely dry by the time we resumed the trail. In August of 2005, I used the pack on a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma. The purpose of the trip was to check the gear I would be using on the Grand Canyon hike. Even though this was overnight trip, I packed the gear and supplies I expected to take on the three day rim-to-rim hike. While I am working to lighten my loads, I have not mastered lightweight packing and it showed. My load weighed out at 30 pounds (13.6 kg). I managed to stuff a double-walled tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, clothing, food, water, camera, and other sundries into the backpack. The sleeping pad straps on the outside the pack securely held my sleeping pad. In fact, with the sleeping pad attached, the pack would stand up on its own which made it easier to put on, set down, and get into. Packing the Atmos 50 for this trip revealed a significant issue for me. The construction of the frame and struts curves the back panel of the pack. This curve pushes into the pack and decreases the usable packing area. Packing the Atmos 50 becomes a bigger puzzle than normal because certain items may not fit just where I wanted or expected. This issue is compounded if a water bladder is loaded into the internal sleeve. So much so that the pressure of the contents on the water bladder would cause the struts to shift position which would shift the load balance of the pack. It also quickly became clear that when the pack is loaded, the water bladder could not easily be extracted or replaced. I had to unload the pack before I could remove or reload the water bladder in its sleeve. There is an alternative to storing a water bladder inside the pack. The air space between the pack frame and the mesh panel is accessible through a zippered opening inside the pack. I could suspend a water bladder in this space without using any room inside the pack. While it is easier to remove and load the bladder with a loaded pack, I still had to remove some items from the pack to have easy access to the zippered opening. Despite the increased weight for this trip, the pack still rode comfortably. The load stayed balanced and I continued to have the feeling that the pack was glued to my back. On our first day, the temperature was in the high 90s F (36 C) with about 80% humidity. The air space between my back and the pack worked as advertised. Compared to my companions, my back was bone dry. On the second day, we were doused by a mid-day thunderstorm. Calling this rain is a bit of an understatement. Think being dumped on by a giant bucket of water. I was soaked in seconds. As noted earlier, the Atmos 50 is not a waterproof pack. The water soaked through. After reaching a shelter and emptying the pack, I had to pour the water out of the pack. Within a short time, the pack dried out. At some point in this hike, the hip belt pocket on the right side was damaged. These pockets are made of an open "fishnet" style mesh. While the mesh makes it easier to see what is in the pocket, I was afraid it would also be easy to snag and tear. I don't know when this happened as I found the tear after the trip. It is a shame that the material is not more durable because the pockets are handy. They are a convenient place to keep a snack or handkerchief. I could even put a small point-and-shoot film camera in them. The pocket zippers open from the back to the front. With a full load, I sometimes had trouble finding the zipper pull and opening the pocket. I think it would work better if the zippers opened from front to back. In October of 2005, I used the Atmos 50 on a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. This trip is why I bought the pack and, after my previous hikes with the pack, I felt confident in using it. In preparing for the hike, I thoroughly examined the pack and noticed a couple of problems. As mentioned above, a mesh pocket on the hip belt had a tear. I also saw that the aluminum frame was slightly distorted. As a consequence, the pack had moved out of position on the frame. Osprey warns against using the pack as a seat or cushion because the frame could be easily bent and I believed I was taking appropriate care with the pack. Regardless, the frame and pack sack were mis-aligned. The more durable materials that were meant to take the pressure of the frame and contact with the ground were out of place. With firm, but judicious pressure, I got the frame back into shape and the bag repositioned. I would not be surprised if this becomes a common "maintenance" item for the pack. Despite making changes in what gear and food I was taking on the trip, I started the hike with a 35 pound (16 kg) load. Obviously, I still have some learning to do before achieving lightweight hiker status. I had hoped to use both the bladder sleeve and the air space to carry water. Given what I had learned about using a bladder in the internal sleeve, I changed my plans. I used a bladder in the air space and a couple of 32 oz (1 L) bottles that I planned to store in the external side pockets. However, with the pack loaded, there wasn't enough slack in the pockets to push in a water bottle. I was afraid something would tear. So, I stored the bottles in the stretch pocket on the front of the pack. In the end, I found the external side pockets were only useful for hold soft items like bandannas or trash. The hike itself was splendid and the pack performed well. Despite the sometimes deep steps on the trail, I never had a problem with the balance or ride of the pack. The air space kept my back cool and dry even with a water bottle in the space. The pack does have a haul loop that was a convenient handle for lifting the load to my back. I did manage to tear another hole in the right hip belt pocket. Again, I don't know when or how that happened which makes me think it does not take much pressure to tear the mesh. Summary The Atmos 50 performed as expected though I was glad I had taken the time to field test the pack before the Grand Canyon hike. I felt confident in the pack's features and capabilities and I found that it met my needs. I found the pack comfortable to wear even though I was probably pushing the upper limit of its weight capacity. The pack kept the load stable with little or no shifting the contents in the pack. What I liked:
What I didn't like:
Conclusion I have enjoyed using the Osprey Atmos 50 backpack. I expect to continue using the pack as I try to whittle my loads down to "lightweight" levels. I do hope that Osprey will look to improving the pack in the areas I noted. The first, and I think easiest, item to address would be to use a more durable material on the hip belt pockets. Read more reviews of Osprey gear Read more gear reviews by Mark Ferguson Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Osprey Atmos 50 > Owner Review by Mark Ferguson | |||