New pack

Hi,

I need some advice on my decision for a new pack. I'm not sure about which pack I should choose; an Osprey Aether 70 or a Fjallraven Abisko 65? Both fit pretty good I guess, but the Osprey leaves some space between my lower back and the pack itself. I don't know if this is for ventilation or if the pack doesn't fit properly. I'm hoping to get some advice here!

Len

Pack up your gear and take it to the store with you. It's pretty hard to get a comfortable pack fit using weights and sandbags, because they are so different from what you'll actually be putting into the pack.

Fit is the first three criteria for selecting a bag. You don't seem overly enthused about either bag... that's probably not a good sign. Minor irritation now could be a major problem down the trail.

Why just these two bags? Did you order these two planning to return one of them? If so, maybe you should stop by a store and try on a bunch of other bags first, then get a better idea how the different bags fit you.

I was wondering why only two, also. It could be that the OP has already read all the other threads, researched packs, and narrowed it down to these two. However, if this is still early in the search, I'd suggest taking a look at Deuter's line of Aircontact packs. After a couple of years thinking that the Osprey Kestrel line was my ideal pack, I've recently started using a Deuter ACT Lite pack and am finding (so far) that I like it better. Since the Aircontact is to the ACT Lite what the Aether is to the Kestrel, it would pay to spend some attention on the Aircontact if the OP hasn't already. (The weights are pretty comparable and both are equally adjustable, so you can compare based on suspension comfort and feature set.)