Introduction
The Osprey Atmos AG 65 is one of the best-selling packs for many reasons. It was designed for carrying all of your backpacking essentials for a single or multi-day adventure. This is my personal experience with some pros and cons of the backpack to help you make an informed decision if their pack is right for you.
Design and Build Quality
The design and build of the Atmos is very unique with its mesh air venting technology it provides an extremely comfortable pack with great airflow and still offers stability. The pack is large enough to hold a multi-day gear haul with plenty of organization. The pack uses 210d honeycomb nylon which is PFC and PFAS free DWR for water repellent. the bottom of the pack uses an approved recycled 500d hi tenacity nylon for super durable protection that is also coated with DWR. This new upgraded version of the Atmos also includes the waterproof rain cover that stores away in the bottom pocket.
Comfort and Fit
The Osprey Atmos AG 65 fits like I have never felt a pack fit before because of the mesh back panel and hip belt that are naturally woven together into one smooth-fitting shape. The oversized and preshaped hip belt with a grippy texture makes a very comfortable and seamless transition from back to hip. I felt that this design more evenly distributed the weight on my hips around the circumference of my waist.
The other main contact point is the shoulder straps. They are heavily padded and just the right width for any size hand. The Osprey also has a number of different adjustment points for the shoulder straps. You can adjust the overall height of the pack with easy pull straps. you can also adjust the shoulder pull from the top of the pack. At the bottom of the shoulder straps, you can adjust how tight the pack is pulled to your shoulders. Lastly, a chest strap across the front can be adjusted up and down as well as the width. If you are like me, I find myself always adjusting the pack throughout a hike to release pain points or just redistribute the weight. All of the adjustment points and compression straps make this one of my favorite packs to use for comfort and fit.
The shoulder straps and waist straps have additional padding that can be adjusted in and out with a Velcro there are markings on the padding to indicate where the sizing is.
Storage and Organization
The Osprey Atmos has a number of different storage and organization pockets. starting from the top is an easily accessible zipper pocket great for storing quickly needed items it is about 7 in by 6 in square and can hold a light lunch very easily. Underneath that is a larger compartment that is the full width and depth of the pack it’s large enough to hold a folded-up towel or other items with easy access as well these two pockets at as the top cap for the pack and can be folded down or tightened to compress the pack and pockets there is an elastic around the circumference of this pocket cap to help hold everything in place.
below that is the main compartment it’s a large open mouth with a drawstring closure inside there is a zipper that accesses the frame as well as an elastic pocket for a hydration pack in the bottom there is a false bottom to separate the lower compartment with holes on each side to allow tent poles or longer items to pass through in the top of this pocket there is a red compression strap to pull the contents tight against the body.
Below the false bottom is another compartment big enough to hold a sleeping bag or clothes that may not be needed during a hike outside of that is the rain cover in a separate pocket it can be removed and used for additional storage as the rain cover takes up some additional room.
On the outside of the pack, there are two zippered pockets that are great for storing snacks and other quickly accessible items that are safe behind a zipper as well as one quick stash pocket with just a buckle closure
On the sides of the pack there are two zippers that zip the entire length of the pack to allow accessing the internal contents on the outside of those zippers are two elastic stretchy pockets designed to be used with water bottles that can be accessed in two different directions from the top down or from the waist back this is great for a Nalgene bottle to be accessible with a pack on or off over the top of that is also a compression strap that pulls from the waist and secures the contents.
The hip belt is very adjustable with the velcro padding and pull waist straps or fit on the Fly. The waste pack also has two large expandable pockets for items needed with quick access and not taking off the pack.
In addition to the zippered storage and organization, there are also a number of straps Hooks, and loops for attaching trekking poles to the outside.
Durability and Weather Resistance
The design and build of the atmos is very unique with its mesh air venting technology it provides an extremely comfortable pack with great airflow and still offers stability. the pack is large enough to hold a multi-day deer haul with plenty of organization. The pack uses 210d honeycomb nylon which is PFC and PFAS free DWR for water repellent. the bottom of the pack uses an approved recycled 500d hi tenacity nylon for super durable protection that is also coated with DWR. This new upgraded version of the Atmos also includes the waterproof rain cover that stores away in the bottom pocket.
Weight and Portability
The Osprey Atmos comes in two different sizes a large extra large with a 68 L volume and a small-medium with a 65 L volume. Which weigh 4.8 lb and 4.6 lb respectively. both packs are easily adjustable for many sizes and heights of individuals.
The pack is designed for 30 to 40 lb of gear.
There are definitely lighter packs on the market and it’s always a trade-off between organization, stability, and comfort as opposed to the weight of the pack. My general rule of thumb is the heavier the load the more robust I like my pack to be. I’m lucky enough to own many different backpacks and can choose the pack according to my travels. If you are looking for a single pack to meet all of your needs the Atmos is a great middle-of-the-ground pack with a lot of bells and whistles that lighter packs don’t include.
Price and Value
The Atmos line of backpacks is not cheap starting at about $270 for their LT line and going all the way up to over $340 for the AG. yours paying for premium materials the mesh breathable back a ton of adjustability and compression straps. There are definitely cheaper packs available but if you are looking for the best of the best most comfortable time tested one of the best-selling backpacks on the market, and can justify the cost it’s well worth it for the comfort.
Pros
- The pros list can be quite long on this pack it has an amazing design and adjustability that makes it simple to adjust the weight during a hike as well as fit many different sizes and shapes of bodies.
- the design of the airflow back panel is unique and very comfortable and one of the best airflow packs I’ve ever used in terms of comfort and durability
- the number of zippers around the pack makes it extremely easy to access any of the contents throughout the pack
- a large number of compression straps and pockets attachment points and trekking poles attachments make this an extremely versatile back
- Made with recycled material and safety DWR coating you can feel good about owning this pack
Cons
- You can’t ignore the price tag of this pack it’s expensive and can’t put it Out Of Reach for many people
- the empty weight of the pack is a bit heavier than most of the similar size this is caused by the additional compression straps Pockets zippers and as always a trade-off between usability and weight
- It’s not quite a lightweight pack and not quite a heavyweight pack falls right in between which may leave some hikers needing to still own multiple packs based on their necessities
Conclusion
In conclusion, I’ve used many different backpacks over the years from super lightweight to Burley packs designed to hold 100 lb. The Atmos would be a pack I would recommend to someone getting into backpacking that has the additional money to spend to get a really nice backpack. I’m excited to put many years and miles into this to see how the durability holds up year after year. the mesh panel on the back feels very strong but I wonder after 5 or 10 years what it might look like. if a friend was looking for a pack and couldn’t afford the Atmos I would recommend they also look at the Aura, Renn, or Stratos as an alternative cheaper pack from Osprey.