This is the Osprey Exos 48 backpack.
Despite weight just two and a half pounds, it is capable of comfortably carrying up to
40 pounds in weight.
It certainly makes it an excellent option for through hikers or any back packer looking
to balance weight with performance.
Osprey has equipped the Exos 48 with a super light air speed suspension system.
Again, weight being focuses or keeping weight down being a primary focus here.
You can see that there is a suspended mesh back panel.
So this contacts your back, but there is still separation between that panel and the rest
of the back pack.
It allows air to flow cross ventilation there.
Again, keeping weight to a minimum.
You have got a perimeter metal framing on the side of the pack so it gives it some structure.
Then it is only two and a half pounds, but you have got that capability to really carry
some weight.
Contoured shoulder straps as well as the hip belt.
You have got the two wings here.
Really nice padding, kind of beefy padding, really, for a pack in this weight class.
So often in an ultra lightweight back pack you have got it stripped down so far that
you are sacrificing a lot in terms of comfort and/or carrying capability.
It is just not the case here in the Exos 48.
You do have sliding adjustable sternum strap, safety whistle built right into that buckle,
load lifter straps and certainly adjustability on the hip belt itself including a really
nice ergo closure single pull on either side.
So turn that back around.
Take a look at how we actually get into the Exos 48.
So it is a lidded pack.
Again, sometimes on ultra light weight packs you sacrificed the lid entirely.
Not here.
It is a floating lid so you can raise it or lower it to make room for whatever you need.
An extendable... slightly expendable spin drift collar here at the top of the pack so
you can kind of cinch it down hard when you don’t have a complete or full load inside
the pack back.
Or you can extend it when you are maybe dumping extra layers that you have been wearing earlier
in the day.
Another interesting feature here on this pack.
You can remove the lid entirely and there is a flap that will come over in its place.
So if you don’t want the lid and the storage capacity that is there, you can cut weight
even further in having more stream line design.
Bringing that lid back for just a second, there is a zippered storage pocket beneath
the lid and also around back.
So you do have some nice capacity there.
As I mentioned, it is a top loading pack, so here is how you would get into the pack
bag.
Also on the face here it is very large stretch pocket.
I have got a jacket in here.
Keeps that close at hand, but all kinds of stretch storage here in the front, kind of
blow out the capacity on the pack.
Also stretch side mesh pockets, kind of ideal for water bottle, but you could run tent poles,
trekking poles other gear on the outside of the pack as well.
Some other nice features to call out here on the Exos.
There is a streamlined—that is kind of a key word here on the Exos—but you have got
kind of narrow compression straps here.
They really do allow you to cinch down on this pack.
So if you don’t have a full load or if you are lashing gear to the outside, those compression
straps really lock everything in place.
So you have got that here on either side of the pack.
Also have similar strapping here at the bottom of the pack.
There is some real versatility there.
You can remove these entirely if you don’t need them, again, that idea of shed weight
further if you don’t need it.
But you can lash sleeping pad on here or other gear if you need to.
And despite that kind of narrow design there, it really is capable of locking things down.
You have got some gear attachment loops on there, trekking pole loops as well.
As far as some additional pocketing is concerned, on each of the shoulder straps you have got
kind of gel pockets or GPS pockets, however you want to look at that.
Sizable zippered pockets on the hip pocket.
Got a headlamp tucked in here.
I have got some keys and some other small items on the other side, so some nice pocketing
there.
On the inside of the pack you do have a lined hydration sleeve with two ports called out
with the H20 symbol here on either side of the pack.
So whichever way you would want to string the hose, whether you like it over the right
shoulder or left shoulder, you have got that versatility here on the pack.
It should be noted that the pack does come in three different torso lengths, a small,
medium and large.
So you want to check your torso length and make sure you are getting in the right size
of the pack.
Cubic inch capacity on those varies slightly from one to the next, but basically 2700 cubic
inches to 3100 cubic inches.
Small pack compared to some heavy haulers out there, but with that capacity, with that
weight, two and a half pounds, the Exos 48 is ideal for ounce counting through hikers,
but also has a feature set and capability for any back packer looking to balance weight
with load carrying performance.