Osprey Aether 85 Backpack too big?

[TheWhiteWalker]

I just purchased the Osprey Aether 85 liter backpack for my NOBO 2016 thru hike. Reading some of these threads I am starting to think it might be too big. I DON'T plan on carrying a ridiculous amount of gear. It weighs 5.03 LBs empty. Do you recommend I take this back and exchange for smaller liter size? Thank you!

[soumodeler]

A lot depends on the question does your gear fit? Will it fit into a 60 liter pack? Then I would swap it out.

[colorado_rob]

Return it. get a 50-60. if your gear doesn't fit in the 50-60, take less gear.

[Slo-go'en]

YES! 85 liters 20 liters too big and 2-3 pounds too heavy. If you fill up that pack it will be way too heavy and if you don't fill it up it won't carry well.

Look for something a bit more reasonable in the 65 liter range and if that isn't big enough, you got too much stuff or it's too bulky (like a having a cheap synthetic insulated sleeping bag).

[Casey & Gina]

It depends on what you'll be carrying. I'll be taking a 115L pack, and using all the space. But I'm not a typical solo hiker. Honestly 5lbs for a pack is not bad, and it probably is built to carry weight better than a lighter weight pack. But do you need to carry that much weight? If not, don't. And unless you'll really utilize that much capacity, it's better not to have it, as it means that invariably your weight will all be in the bottom of the pack which is not the ideal place for it. One interesting idea to use up extra space is if you use a CCF pad (e.g. RidgeRest) - you can roll it up loosely around the inside, then put your gear in the middle. However, unless you have some special circumstances or bulkier-than-normal gear, I'd size down to a 65L or less. Even a 65L can be annoyingly too large for typical use.