Aether 85 Pack

I recently bought this through REI, and am awaiting it's arrival through the mail as they didn't have it in stock at the store.

I tried on a different Aether pack, as well as a Deuter pack. I've been using a really cheesy pack so any improvement has to be a good one. Though the Aether felt good, the Deuter did seem somehow better, almost lighter despite them being nearly identical in weight.

I chose the Aether as it was larger, and I'd prefer to have a bigger pack, mostly because I pack the the bulk of our daughter's stuff (she has a small pack that has a water bladder, and carries her PJ's and a stuffed animal), but we'd also like to make a 30 day trail hike, which, if possible, would be the CD, and it may be that we'll need to pack more food as there are less places to stop from what I gather. Had there have been a larger pack that fit I'd likely have chosen it.

The other reason is it's an American product with a great reputation and warranty. German's are known for over engineering stuff, and I couldn't stop considering it despite it not being what I felt was ideal (large).

I have a short upper body (17") so my choices were quite limited.

I'm not sure what to do with my old Cuscus 75 now. I wouldn't recommend one to anybody!!! Unfortunately we were duped by the reviews (which now are poor) many moons ago, and didn't know much about packs to begin with.

That's the pack my youngest son bought, to carry gear for his younger kids and also his surfing wetsuit (heavier on the way out than the way in, since it doesn't dry much in the humidity of the Olympic coast). It's big and it's heavy, but when you're acting as sherpa, a lightweight pack really doesn't do the job. Once the kids hit their teens and carry all their own gear, you can go lightweight (you'll have to if you want to keep up with them!).

I personally can't wear any Osprey pack; their belts just don't work at all on my hips! But my son finds his Aether 85 quite comfortable. YMMV, for sure!

If light weight becomes an issue, which it likely will as I'm now in my 40's, I'll get a pack that'll do the majority of our hiking (weekends).

I believe the Deuter was a little more comfortable, and had they made a larger pack I would have had problems making up my mind.

One of the reasons I chose Osprey was that I had the understanding that it was an American product. I was just shown that they moved production to Vietnam after 2000. That blows!

It seems as though there's just not many truly American products anymore. Even our Big Agnes tent is foreign built…

Hopefully this Aether pack will do me nicely in the meantime. I can't wait to try it out!

Osprey's warranty is great, you can purposely run it over with your car and they will fix it ( not that I recommend doing this) they will fix or replace your pack for LIFE! Impressive if you ask me. I just gave my Exos to my brother, I kind of already miss it.