Osprey  Aether 70 Pack

I took this pack on a 3 night camping trip with the family and on a 9 mile hike/climb up to the summit of Hermit Peak in New Mexico (10,212ft). It's a great looking highly adjustable pack with lots of compression straps. There aren't many pockets which sure would have come in handy for easy access to snacks, compass, maps etc... There is a pouch attachment that I might get but it looks a cumbersome. I got the hip belt molded which I think helped make this pack more comfortable. It's free at REI and makes a difference so I would recommend it. I gave this pack 4 stars instead of 5 because of the lack of easily accessible pockets. Otherwise I think this pack is great.

Just purchased this as my Christmas Present. Was excited to see a few updates. 1. Comes in more colors than just those shown on this website. Not just the "im bright, so buy me" colors. I went to the local store and got the only one they had which was in dark blue (midnight blue) similar to last year's model. 2. It's confirmed. That's a front loading zipper you see in the picture. It's now a top and front loader. However be advised it adds a little weight to the overall pack. Up to 5 lbs. now but totally worth it in my opinion. Haven't used it out yet, but wanted clarify some questions I originally had, for those yet to purchase. Enjoy!

very adaptable to packing gear inside, or on the outside old school style

5 pounds for an empty backpack? Osprey can do better than that... The J-zip for one - neato, and I'm sure it sells a lot of bags, but in reality, if you know how to pack your bag so that the stuff you'll need first is near the top, or in the sleeping bag compartment, and the stuff you won't need until setting up your bivouac site is in the middle, when would you use this feature? Wasted weight and cost. There are a million other similar examples of wasted cost\weight\complexity as well. I say this however as someone who really likes the way this bag carries outsized loads. Osprey quality is incredible

I spent 2 months in Africa this summer and took the Aether 70 Pack. It worked great and I had no problems with it. The main reason I got this pack was because of the ease of accessibility. The front zipper opens 3/4 of the way which is more than most packs I saw or had. No one else had this pack on my team and this pack was the only one to not have any problems. Everyone had issues with zippers and the durability of the straps. The Aether 70 pack held together through all the wear and tear of treking trough the bush. One day we traveled for 8 hours straight and I was carrying 37 lbs. in my pack. After about 2 hours my left shoulder began to hurt. It was only the one should so that made me believe that I could make an adjustment to fix it. After a little adjusting it worked out great. There is so much space inside for all of your things and the water bottle pockets are both big enough for a 32 oz. nalgene bottle and then some. There are straps all over the backpack to be able to tighten down and even add on external things like a mattress pad. This pack is overall a great pack and would definitely recommend it for extended trips. If going on short trips I would recommend a smaller pack unless you carry a lot of things.

I purchased the Aether 70 to replace a slightly smaller Osprey pack (now being used by my wife who loves it). The Aether suspension system is excellent and the pack has more than enough room for extended trips. My friends, who all have Aether 85s, tell me it's not a big boy pack, but if they can fill up an 85 they're probably taking too much stuff. It would be nice if they would add some small zippered pockets to the waist belt, but maybe I'll add my own. The removable top that can be used as a day pack is a great feature. Thanks to the REI staff in Phoenix who did a great job fitting the pack and custom molding the waist belt.

I use this for multi-day trips and backpacking. I took this when I did my college tours and it worked great as a piece of luggage. I mainly use it as a backpacking pack and it performs great! I would recommend you try it at an REI store first and ask the sales reps to pack up the bag and adjust it to your measurements. They'll do a great job introducting everything to you! It'll be worth it because a good fit is everything. The bag itself can take a beating from a reckless owner like myself. My favorite part about it is the water bottle pockets on the side that fit bottles in two different positions on each side. Very nice Osprey. I highly recommend this bag!

We recently traveled to Costa Rica to go backpacking to Cerro Chirripo. We purchased Osprey Aether and Ariel packs, both were fantastic during our trip. Very comfortable, adjustable, great storage capacity. It rained a lot, we thought the water resistance would work a little better, some of our stuff, not in water proof stuff sacks got wet. We realize they sell a cover, but thought it wouldn't be needed. Other than a few wet things, the pack itself was perfect for our trip of 7 days in the mountains.

Seriously cannot say enough about this product. Osprey once again never fails to put out a truly amazing product with multiple features for backpacking. If you're handling loads of 40lbs or greater, this pack handles it with ease. I highly recommend the custom mold-able hip belt if you are a thinner individual who needs more padding on your hips for comfort. The top/front access makes mid trip stops a breeze during inclimate weather. This pack has almost more features than you can count. If there is a piece of gear, there is a place for it, with extra room to spare! It's not as light as some of the other packs out there, but I think the durability/comfort and versatility of this pack outweighs any flaws you can find, if any. It has withstood the many rigors I have thrown at it so far, and I believe it will continue to not disappoint. HIGHLY recommend this pack!

In 2009 my sons and I backpacked the world visiting 20 countries, 10 in SE Asia, !0 in southern Europe, N. Africa and the Middle East. We each carried the Oprey Aether 70, an excellent pack. Our packs were tested, being thrown onto the tops of buses, into the guts of trains, buses and taxis, ferries, rickshaws and boats. Trust me, few people who work in transportation ever handled our packs carefully, usually manhandling them from the chest and waist clip straps instead. NOTHING EVER BROKE OR TORE. We're planning our next global adventure and the only thing we'll change is to get smaller capacity packs from the Osprey Exos line to economize on pack size and weight. Less is more.