User Review: Osprey Atmos 50

Osprey Atmos 50
Above: The current Atmos 50, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed July 13, 2007 by Dan

Rating:
Design: top loading internal
Size: 50 liters
Number of Pockets: 3
Max. Load Carried: approximately 40
Height of Owner: 5'5"
Price Paid: $60

I just used this backpack for the first time on a 5 day backpacking trip and I agree with most of the previous reviews about the back pack. However I will add a couple things. I didn't think the mesh covered cavity that sits against your back was really effective in keeping me cool, especially for the difficulty it creates in packing gear.

Also, I stuffed this pack about as full as possible (I packed too much food and a large tent) and the curvature of the main compartment can create large voids in the pack as well as weird stress points on the outside pockets' zippers. If you are someone who packs things in bags (i.e. all food in a bag, all clothes in a bag, tent in a bag) as opposed to everything packed individually and intermingled (i.e. clothes, food items and other items mixed together to create the best fit in the pack) then this may not be the best pack for you because there will be a bunch of empty voids in the pack.

Also, though I didn't weigh the pack, I am guessing that I started out with about 35-40 pounds and the hip belt wasn't rigid enough to transfer all the weight to my hips and I was probably carrying about 60% of the weight on my hips and the other 40% on my shoulders.

Other than those complaints, the pack is a nice size and it does hold quite a bit of stuff without looking or feeling huge and there are a lot of nice ways to carry things on the outside of the pack. I don't think I'd be happy with it for $200 bucks but it's a fairly nice pack for what I paid.