Why is the Osprey Exos 48 the best backpacking pack?

The Osprey Exos 48 has been my go to pack for over a decade. I’ve hiked over 6000 miles with this pack including a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail and most of a thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. I say “most of” because I didn’t start the PCT thru hike with the Exos 48 but I finished the PCT thru hike with the Exos 48.

Ultralight Dreams

As I planned my PCT thru hike, I was very caught up in the ultra light trend and went with one of the new ultra light packs. This pack was made of Dyneema and had a carbon fiber “frame”. The specs of the pack were amazing. Something like 18oz and a 60 liter capacity. I took the pack out for a few practice overnight hikes before my thru hike and it seemed fine. However, after a couple weeks on trail the frame system started to fail while in the middle of northern Washington. One of the carbon fiber frame poles was sticking through the nylon pocket that was supposed to hold it in place. Ironically, the day before I began my hike, I met another thru hiker named “Bandit” in Mazama who had the exact same issue! He was trying to fold over a bottle cap into the nylon pocket to prevent the poke through on his pack. Frustrating to say the least I called my mother and asked her to send me my old Exos pack.

Comfort on the Trail

The Exos 48 carries a 30lb load with ease. Once dialed in and loaded correctly, it quite literally sticks to your back like your very own turtle shell. The mesh air flow backing is particularly nice as it not only allows air to circulate between your back and the pack but it also gives the pack a bit of a cushioned feeling fitting the contours of your body perfectly. It doesn’t sway back and forth or bounce at all and it moves quite well with you, making it easy to navigate through tough terrain. The waist fits snugly and securely effectively transferring the load to your hips where it is supposed to be. Over the years, Osprey has reduced material in the waist belt and shoulder straps shaving weight but without compromising comfort. The pack comes loaded with features and it just works really well on long days.

Osprey Exos 48 Pack Features

This is not a barebones potato sack with shoulder straps. The pack comes loaded with features.

The water bottle pockets on either side work really well for tall slender bottles like Smart Water Bottles. I am able to remove my bottles to take a drink and repack them all while still moving down trail.

I love the large, stretchy, mesh, catch all pocket. Generally, I have my Ghost Whisperer down jacket and rain jacket stuffed into this pouch along with my Ziplock trash bag and toilet kit.  All easily accessible.

There are plenty of other random lashing points for example if you carry a foam sleeping pad, ice axe or prefer to carabiner items to the outside of your pack.

For those who want to reduce weight and don’t find the need to have the top-lid, it is easily removable and there is an attached cover built into the pack to replace the pack lid.

Furthermore and maybe my favorite feature is the “Stow-on-the-Go” trekking pole holder. If you are a trekking pole user like I mostly am, you may have found that there are times when you don’t want or need to hold your trekking poles. This system allows you to easily collapse and store them out of the way so you can use both hands to scramble, eat, drink or take photos.

The waist belt pockets could be larger however I have found them sufficient for my use. I load them up with bars in the morning and as I eat and hike throughout the day the left pocket turns into my trash pocket.

PS. The Bearvault BV500 fits inside the pack which is great when you are in bear country.

Durability

I am not easy on my gear. I beat this bag to shit and it held up just fine. I would often find myself using it as a chair during a lunch break or just tossing it on the ground when I was tired and using it as a back rest. Not once did I have a tear in the main compartment. The 100-denier high-tenacity recycled ripstop nylon is extremely durable and is coated with DWR (Durable Water Repellent) to help shed precipitation in less than ideal conditions.

I have found this pack to be great for airline travel as a checked bag or even a carry on depending on how strict the airline is. I’m never concerned with baggage handlers throwing it around during loading and unloading of the aircraft.

Osprey’s Almighty Lifetime Guarantee

So why am I on my third Osprey Exos? Well after 2100 miles on the AT the mesh air flow backing was tired and developed a hole and one of the load lifters had broken. Keep in mind, neither of these issues prevented it from still working. I sent it in for repairs based on the “Almighty Guarantee” offered by Osprey and they mailed me a brand new pack! No questions asked. Something similar happened after the PCT. The mesh airflow backing was fine but some of the bungie straps were tired, the side pockets for water bottles were tired and sternum strap started to pull out of its anchor point on one side of the shoulder strap. I sent it in for repairs and a couple weeks later I received a letter from them. They had cut out my “AT 2000 Miler” patch from the old pack and mailed it to me! A few days later I received a brand new Exos 48.

$240 and a Lifetime of Backpacking

I spent something like $240 on that first Exos and I quite literally have a backpack for life. One that works great, is feature rich, super comfortable at carrying a load and is perfect for a thru hike, weekend hike or as a travel bag and THAT is freaking awesome.

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