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Osprey Eclipse 32
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Price:
£90.00
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Weight: 1810 grammes (medium w harness
and hipbelt)
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Features: 32 litre
claimed capacity, interchangeable Profile harness and
hipbelt system, internal hydration pocket, ski and axe
loops, zippered front pocket with key clip, front panel
access, avalanche shovel holder, StraightJacket compression
system, 3D Space Mesh back panels, mesh stuff
pockets.
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Great adjustability, stability, build quality.
A tad weighty and not cheap either.
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Osp-who? Osprey are new to the UK and are specialist pack
manufacturers based in Colorado at the heart of the US outdoor scene.
They're being brought in by the UK importers of Mountain Hardwear and
the first ones should be in the shops about now - January
onwards.
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The orange wings fold over to
compress the
contents in a vicelike grip
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Okay, real world observation - 90 quid for a 32-litre day sac isn't
cheap, you can buy a perfectly respectable pack for half the price,
so you'd be right to expect something out of the ordinary for your
dinero. So what do you get?
First impressions are of impeccable build quality with quality,
tough-feeling materials. It also looks like nothing else on the UK
market - bar perhaps some of Karrimor's Hydro packs - with a strange
foldover compression system using foam stiffened 'wings', more of
which later. Access to the main body of the pack is via a zip-open
central panel and there's a separate , roomy hydration pocket with
its own top zip access. The Osprey logo's nice too, but hey, we're
shallow...
There are so many distinctive features that it's difficult to know
where to start, but in use, what really marks out the Eclipse is its
back system. Most 30-litre day packs come in one length, and if it
doen't fit, that's tough. The Eclipse, by contrast, is available in
three different back length, but that's just the beginning of it.
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And in Langdale action opposite
Pavey Ark
Ideal size for a winter day sac - it feels like a big
32 litres
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Harness
The Profile Harness and hip-belt Velcro in place with whopping
great pads and can be moved up and down for a perfect fit. The
shoulder straps are ergonomically S-shaped and use thin, but
comfortable foam, while the hip-belt uses our fave construction with
dual-density foam allied to a tapered cut which snugs over your hips
and is adjustable with two tensioning straps for a customised
fit.
That might sound a bit OTT for a day sack on paper, but allied to
a thick pad of breathable '3D Space Mesh' foam, it makes for one of
the most comfortable carries of any pack we've used, of any size.
Once adjusted right, you simply aren't aware of the back system,
which is how it should be. If you're going to be carrying heavy loads
- winter climbing hardware for example - in a smallish pack, that's a
big plus.
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The best back system in its
class?
Can be moved up and down to suit
note contoured staps and hjpbelt
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The Front
Turn the pack round for more unusual features. The contoured,
scarab-like shape is distinctive and the unusual 'Straightjacket'
compression system also stands out. Twin foam-stiffened wings fold
over towards each other to compress the entire pack, not just the
areas covered directly by conventional compression straps.
MHW UK's marketing man Rob Wylie uses the example of trying to
compress a sack load of ball bearings - a conventional system will
just result in a series of bulges. The Osprey's wings however
compress the entire carrying space. We reckon Rob should get out
more, no-one carries ball bearings these days... In the real world
though, the system works and holds contents firmly and neatly in
place and close to your back where they should be - neat. It also
works well to hold ice tools firmly and with no buckle icing
problems.
The other features are a zip-down central back panel, which gives
good access, at the expense of having to unclip the compression
system every time, a largeish central pocket and a smaller lower one
complete with water-resistant zip. All work well and there are also
side mesh stuff pockets for quick stowage, though, as usual, we found
them awkward to access without removing the pack.
The Weight
You rarely get something for nothing and in this case, the price
you pay is a hefty 1810 grammes of weight. There are lightweight
expedition sacks that don't weigh much more than that... However the
pay off is the high level of comfort and stability and apparently
durable construction. Arguably it's a price worth paying if that's
what you're after.
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Verdict: The Americans have a
reputation for building some of the best packs in the world
and the Eclipse Osprey shows why. If what you're after is a
heavy duty day sack with massive adjustability, fantastic
all day comfort and a great compression system then you can
stop looking here. The harness, hipbelt and back system are
particularly impressive and carefully thought out. The only
downsides are the above average weight and the price tag,
though you have to balance that against its undoubted build
quality. Lose 500 grammes of weight and it would be damn
near perfect.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Whizzo Colorado-made pack just appearing in UK shops. The
back system is very, very comforrtable and multi-adjustable,
which is unusual with a sac of this capacity. An innovative
compression system using fold-over foam-padded wings holds
the contents in a vice-like grip and build quality and looks
both impress. Only downsides are the 1800 gramme dry weight
and the 90-quid price tag. Very, very nice.
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