Osprey EXOS 34

[Diamond Diggs]

Working on bringing down the #'s!

I have looked and looked at every ultra lite pack I can find. My eye keeps going back to the Osprey exos series. It gets rave reviews, very little cons that I can find. I love the sound of the ventilation feature as well as the store and go for trek poles... and while its certainly not top priority, the exos looks great - and being right at 2#, it certainly has my attention.

Any of you guys already carry the exos care to chime in?

What do you think about it?

Any other pack suggestions?

[Diamond Diggs]

the exos series not just the 34, more likely the 46!

[bigcranky]

My personal feeling is that the 46 is a good size for someone whose other gear is very light or UL. Nice little pack. I think the 34 may be usable by an experienced ultralighter, but is otherwise too small. (I think my food bag is 34 liters sometimes...)

The Exos 58 would be a great choice for hikers moving toward the lightweight end.

[skinewmexico]

The Exos 46 and 58 didn't work for me, hip belt felt like it would cut me in two. Wouldn't transfer any weight. The 58 seems to work OK for my skinny buddy, but not on my 36" waist. Sold it and got a ULA, sweet. Going to keep my Mariposa and Jam2, and sell the 46 too. Neat packs, just didn't work for me.

[FireInk]

I have used my exos 56 for a long weekend. Seemed to have plenty of room. Depends on your gear and time of year you may be able to get away with the 46. The Ventilation on the back is nice. Osprey is also great to work with on repairs and such.. Maybe another good selling point.

[jjohn06]

I'm looking for a new pack as well. I carry a tarp and plan on having less then a 10 lbs base weight. I like the size and weight of the exos 34, but I will probably pass on the pack for a ULA, GG pack, or maybe a MLD. The reason is simply that the exos is not a simple pack. It is loaded with unnecessary features, straps, buckles, etc. Sure it might be light, but for me hiking light or ultra-light is more than just the wieght, it is about making your gear minimal and simple, and the exos is certainly neither.

[Diamond Diggs]

well, I am wanting to have a TOTAL pack weight of 20# winter/15# summer. The exos 34/46 is certainly not the lightest of packs available, but I love the way it looks, and there are features on the exos I love that I have not found on any other ultralite pack:
-ventilation
-pack-n-go treking pole carriers
-slanted side mesh pockets for easy water bottle access on the go.
-comes with hip belt pockets for fast access items
-stylish (sorry, i just cant help myself - it just looks cool)

all under 2 pounds.....

but..... There are some concerns:
-lighter options available
-poss. problems with pack sloshing around on your back (bc of vent. system)?
-poss. uncomfortable hip belt?

....Im thinking more and more about making my own..... all my gear, as a matter of fact. All to my own preferences.
Just not sure, I can find all the right/hq material I would need.

[lazy river road]

I am also looking into buying my first pack....ULA seems like a pretty popular brand and a good name...The catalyst seems like a good pack but may go a bit smaller.....how do osprey and gregory hold up to ULA packs...what are peoples opinions on zippers vs no zippers...

[Nasty Dog Virus]

I ran into two NOBO's with exos packs when sectioning Pen Mar > Harpers a few months ago. One guy had a new pack that was sent to him in Harpers by Osprey after the mesh backpad had worn thru. The other had the pack he started with and had a fist size hole in his backpad. He said Osprey was mailing him a new one to Duncannon, Pa. Both praised the pack and said they would buy it again. Both had the 46.

[ike1985]

i recommend an aarn, u will never go back to regular packs

[MedicineMan]

I just carried an AARN Marathon Magic for 3 days in the Citico Wilderness and I carried an Exos 34 in May during my hike in MA/VT/CT.
I found there are similarities. Both the Exos 34 and the MM33 (for me) are most comfortable with a tot. pack weight of no more than 17 pounds. I carried each with 22-24 pounds and the comfort is much better at 17 and below. The volume of each of these packs will force you to leave the fluff at home! The front pocket system with the AARN is well thought out and very useful. The lack of a dedicated and defined hipbelt might be an issue but at 17 pounds and below most likely not-it's when you push the weight of the AARN over 20 pounds I bet it will show.
Each pack is well made but either are limited to me by the outside temp. Once it goes below 48-50F I'll be carrying the Exos 46.

[Noah Genda]

I've got the Osprey Aether 70, and also have the Osprey Stratos 36...I got the smaller Osprey for dayhikes, but bought it specifically because of the Stow 'n Go feature for trekking poles...hip belt also added two nice pockets. The 36 is big enough to pack plenty of day stuff - Stratos is the way to go if'n you ask me!

[Danielsen]

When I was looking for a decent pack last year I got really excited by the exos packs, thinking they would probably be right for me, and so I went to the store (Dick's Sporting Goods had them in stock) to try them on.

Sadly, the shoulder straps attached too close together at the top and they cut into my neck, on every osprey pack I tried, adjusted in every way possible.

Other than that, they were wonderfully comfortable. The neck-rubbing was a dealbreaker, though. I ended up getting a Granit Gear Vapor Flash and it worked great, and I still use it when I need a bombproof, high-capacity pack. For most things I pack a cheap Outdoor Gear Wal-Mart distributed pack that's I've stripped to a sub-2-pound wunderpack.

[Chomp09]

Sure, Osprey may have good customer service and stand behind their products, replacing them when they don't stand up to the abuse of a thru-hike, but isn't it more valuable to have a pack that doesn't need to be replaced in the first place?

I love my ULA Circuit. One pack traveled the entire AT with me, zero issues. (Although I hear ULA's customer service is nothing to sneeze at either...)

My two cents, if it fits you, go with the ULA, you won't be sorry!

[Walking Thunderbird]

I completed an 09 SOBO thru with the Exos 34. The pack worked great for everything I needed. My base weight was 10-12 pounds, and I rarely carried more than 4 days worth of food, so I probably got up around 25 total including food and water (I was eating A LOT to try to maintain body weight). I got the pack because I was facing a time crunch and had to move fast (I finished in 75 days), and it worked out fine. I was able to fit everything I needed (which wasn't much) into the pack with no problem.

The only small rub (that I think happens with all Osprey packs if you use them a lot) was that the mesh backplate frayed a little bit starting in NH, but it didn't get worse. Overall, I'd highly recommend the Exos 34 for anyone wanting to do lightweight.

[SouthMark]

I have both the 34 and the 46. I hardly ever use the 46. The 34 is large enough and I have removed the top lid pocket to get the weight down to 1 lb 14 oz. The listed volume of these packs do not include the pockets. I have all of my gear and 10 days of food fitted in the 34 for the 100 mile wideness in August. I have my rain gear strapped on top but everything else inside.

[MedicineMan]

The only time I can see using the 46 is for deep winter camping when I'm humping the large top and underquilts and the winter tarp....but if you get the 46 you've got everything else covered.

[Peakhunter]

I just bought the exos 34 for my thru! I have seen it in person and is the perfect size for my gear and food, with that being said I will only be hiking from May-August so I won't be taking winter gear. If I was starting in March I would go with the 46

[cjlusmc]

Working on bringing down the #'s!

I have looked and looked at every ultra lite pack I can find. My eye keeps going back to the Osprey exos series. It gets rave reviews, very little cons that I can find. I love the sound of the ventilation feature as well as the store and go for trek poles... and while its certainly not top priority, the exos looks great - and being right at 2#, it certainly has my attention.

Any of you guys already carry the exos care to chime in?

What do you think about it?

Any other pack suggestions?

I bought a exos 46 from rei because it looked perfect on paper but after using it for two weekend hikes my experience wasn't that great. For me personally, I felt like they went too light on the hip padding and without the normal suspended suspension like on the atmos series, it didn't carry that we'll for me. I returned it and bought a ULA ohm 2.0. and couldn't be happier. I'm ultralight zpacks sleeping bag, zpacks solplex tent etc etc but the exos just didn't feel right. I'm 5 foot 6 with a 32 inch waist and the hip belt just didn't seem to transfer the weight of the pack well. Ymmv.

[Del Q]

I have the Exos 58, cadillac pack, ton of great and usable features. Am at about 30 lbs with water and food. Am a pretty big man, need a larger pack. The other reason is that I have pretty serious back issues, getting surgery in october after fall hike. I think that have a real frame helped. Not 100% sure.