We take Osprey's medium load backpacking / mountaineering light pack for a spin. Does it live up to the brand's excellent reputation?
Osprey Aether 70 pack tested
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Price:
£130.00
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Weight: 2070 grammes
(medium)
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Features: AirScape
suspension with peripherals 7075 AL rods, ventilated nubbed
foam back system, internal frame sheet, stretch woven front
pocket, sleeping bag compartment, sleeping bag straps,
IsoForm harness with dual density foam, IsoForm custom
moldable hip-belt, internal hydration sleeve, lid converts
to bum-bag. Double base. Also available as the women's
specific Aerial 65.
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Great build quality, attention to detail, good carry.
Nothing really.
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What's It For? The new Aether 70 - also available as the
Ariel 65 for women - is Osprey's take on medium load backpacking and
light mountaineering. An all-round backpacking / mountain big pack
that's not going to cope with the really big loads like the Crescent
and Luna, but should take most normal backpacking use in its stride.
The Techy Bits Unwrapping a Osprey pack is always a homage to
detailed design. Some pack makers seem to throw things together, but
with Osprey, everything seems to have been carefully thought
through.
The main technology on the Aether includes the heat-mouldable
hip-belt that we've used before with the Crescent, stretchy pockets
and panels modeled on the excellent Atmos daypack range and a new
back system which uses a nubbed closed-cell foam back panel to
increase air flow to the back.
The rest is solid Osprey with top spec fabrics and sensible
touches like a double base area.
How It Works The Crescent we took to the Himalayas a few years
back was simply the best big load-lugger we've ever used, so we were
expecting great things from the Aether and, frankly, we weren't
disappointed.
Like the Crescent you get a choice of back sizes and hip-belt
variations which you then micro-adjust to fit your physique. Even
without having the heat mouldable hip-belt fitted to us, the pack
felt immediately 'right' even with a medium back-packing load. Heat
moulding the belt replicates extended wear and gives a better fit and
is well worth doing. If you're contemplating heavier loads, you might
also like to note that the beefier, more supportive Crescent harness
will also fit the Aether.
All the classic Osprey touches are there - cut aways over the hip
bones for support and comfort, a hip-belt that you tighten by pulling
inwards - far more natural - and a general feel of quality and well
thought-out design.
We like the new AirScape back system a lot. It uses nubbed foam -
think little pyramid shapes - under mesh as a central panel which has
two benefits. First it gets a little more air to your sweaty back
regions, but it also means that sweat doesn't soak into the back
system in a sponge-stylee.
Twin aluminum rods transfer the load directly into the hip-belt,
though in reality they're a single unit which meets behind your head,
where Osprey has thoughtfully provided a noggin notch for unimpeded
upwards vision - great if you're climbing, or just looking up...
There are loads of other nice touches too. The cover for the
sleeping compartment zip is stretch fabric so you can access it even
when the sac is stuffed and the stretch back and side pockets are
ideal for rapid stowage of frequently needed or wet items.
The lid can be removed and teamed with the hip-belt to create a
handy bum-bag as well and Osprey has even built-in a pad of the
nubbed foam for added comfort, which is nice.
Overall none of that would matter if the Aether weren't a
comfortable, stable carry, but the good news is that it is for all
but very heavy loads, when you'd be better off upgrading to a
Crescent or Luna.
Osprey does it again with a comfortable, well-designed
all-round backpacking sac that will handle medium loads with aplomb
and has all the features you're ever likely to need. It's simply a
very well-built and very well-designed pack and even at £130,
excellent value.
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Performance
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Value
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Know more or want to?
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