I have carried my Osprey Aura 65 on many backpacking trips now and it has never disappointed me. I tend to carry a heavy load (35+ lbs) and it is well distributed and I have never had back or shoulder pain as a result of this pack. My SO was a big Dana Designs guy from way back and I bought him a Mystery Ranch Terraplane which he ended up selling and bought the Atmos 65 after watching me carry my load with ease while he was in misery in his Terraplane. He's now a convert as well. The anti-gravity suspension is just awesome.

Another thing to consider is the weather. The Osprey provides a lot of back ventilation which has really helped keep us cool in warm/humid conditions.

As others have said, backpacks are very personal, but as a woman especially, I think Osprey has a good thing going. For reference, I'm 5'1", 128lbs.