2009 Osprey Atmos 25 -
Tested
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Price:
£80
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Weight: 1180
grammes
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Features:
Lightweight ventilated pack with 3D tensioned Airspeed breathable mesh
backpanel, BioStretch fixed harness and hip-belt wth ventilated Hexagon
foam, front and side stretch woven pockets with inner or outer
compression options, Stow on the Go trekking pole attachment, two
zippered hipbelt pockets, panel loading entry zip, zippered
top
pocket, internal hydraton slot behind mesh panel plus backpane
hydration sleeve, ErgoPull hip straps, twin ice tool loops with bungee
tie off. Also available in 35- and 50-litre versions and as new
women's-specific Aura 25/35/50.
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What's It
For?
Osprey has revised the brilliant Atmos 25 along with its 35 and
50-litre siblings for 2009. It's a lightweight, all-round hill and
mountain pack with a ventilated back system for warm weather comfort
and built-in flex and stretch to make for easy movement.
The Techy
Bits
The Atmos range has always been unabashedly technical and the new
version is mostly about refining the original and excellent
Atmos 25 that scored
a perfect five stars for performance when we tested it in 2005.
The most obvious change is to the back system. The 2009 version uses a
new tensioned Airspeed back panel which has a much smaller air gap than
before so the load sits closer to the back. The alloy frame is still
flexible to allow the pack to move slightly with your body.
That's backed up with a harness and hip-belt with a small amount of
built-in stretch. Like the original, shoulder straps and hip-belt use
perforated foam, but the new version has bigger, Hexagon-shaped holes
and is coverered in mesh.
The excellent stretch pockets are still present and correct, but the
side ones are now slanted for easier access and the compression strap
can run over or under the pocket. The hip-belt pockets close with a
forward pull too, which is more intuitive than the reverse on the
original and the zipped pocket has moved from the front to the top of
the pack.
Finally, the new Atmos and Aura - women's - packs get Osprey's neat
Stow on the Go trekking pole storage system that holds the poles at
shoulder strap and pack base to allow quick and easy stowing without
removing the pack.
How It
Performed
Just like the original, the 2009 Atmos reeks of quality and careful
design. Osprey's got the basics right yet again - everything on the
pack does what it's intended to do and sometimes, as with the stretch
side pockets, better than the original.
One significant improvement is that the shallower air space eats less
into the internal volume of the pack which previously had a
banana-esque sort of shape to it, which makes for much easier packing.
It also allows for a shorter pack overall. Theoretically load-carrying
should be more stable by moving the centre of gravity inwards, but with
the 25-litre version, it wasn't detectable, though with the larger
capacity ones, and particularly the Osprey 50, it may make more of a
difference.
The original Osprey 25 had an absolutely sublime carry. You'd pick up
the pack and heft the weight, but as soon as you put it on, the mass
seemed to magically vanish. Almost like magic. The 2009 version still
carries very well, but somehow isn't quite as magical. We think it's
because the smaller air gap means that the suspended mesh has to be
under slightly more tension and the pack doesn't quite melt into your
back in the same way.
All of which sounds a bit princess and pea and maybe we are being a
little precious, because the reality is that we're splitting hairs and
the carry is still very, very good indeed.
The stretch pockets are still excellent - ideal for stowing surplus
clothing and bits - the Ergo Pull hip-straps are easy to use, pull
forward to tighten, and we like the ice tool loops, which are basically
unchanged and use a neat shock-corded fastener. Compression straps
which can be routed under or over side
stow pockets are a nice touch too.
Finally, if you're a pole user, Stow on the Go is the best solution
we've used so far to the trekking pole musical chairs game. It's neat
and easy to use and puts the poles out of harm's way for normal
walking, though not ideal for scrambly ground.
A classy update of the original Atmos pack with some thoughtful
revisions and refinements that still does a brilliant all-round job.
The new back system makes for a more compact pack which is easier to
load thanks to a less banana-shaped profile and one or two annoyances
have been ironed out.
If you held a sharp, pointy trekking pole to our head, we'd probably
say that the original carries ever so slightly better, but to be honest
that's splitting hairs and most users will just appreciate the very
comfortable, supportive back system and get on with enjoying their day.
Not cheap at £80, but you're getting a cracking good pack for
your money.
Buy if you
want arguably the best all-round walking day pack out there with an
excellent carry and a raft of well thought out features.
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Excellent build quality, attention to detail and features that actually
work in the real world.
 Does the
original carry very slightly better? Would you even notice?
Weighs 120g more.
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Performance
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Value
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Know more or want to?
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experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
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us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try
a posting to our
gear
forum.
David Aspinall
