Osprey  Aura 50 Pack - Women's

Comfortable fit (had it adjusted and fitted to me at REI) Pretty spacious for a 2 day backpacking trip (down sleeping bag, camp pillow, a couple stuff sacks with clothes, food, etc.) Good design with plenty of pockets for organization. Easy top loading access. Good placement of straps to hold my sleep pad. I like the latch and stash pocket on the front... perfect for hat and stuffing fleece through for easy access. (Added note: I have some issues with my right shoulder from an old injury and have had difficulty in the past carrying heavier loads. I have noticed that with this pack, I'm able to carry much more because of the ability to adjust and shift the weight).

I have had this pack for a year and a half now, been to Camp Muir, Mt. St. Helens, Baker and a few other trips. This pack has been nearly perfect. Do buy a rain cover, as it doesn't come with it, and it does not have a separate sleeping bag compartment, but other than that I'm completely satisfied. It holds everything I've needed for weekend-long excursions including bag, tent, stove and water filter (and everything else). As a side note, if you get an ice axe, the green shade on this pack matches the Black Diamond ice axe that also comes in green. You know, so you can be a fashionista after three days of no showering. No crampons that match to my knowledge, however.

I'm planning a maiden backpacking trip with a 5-day AT/Bartram Trail hike in late May. This is the pack I've decided on, and so far, so good. I've completed a couple training hikes using the Aura 50. I'm in between sizes for torso length so went with the medium instead of the small. I was able to adjust it down so it fits nicely. The straps are well padded and very comfy. My daughter is a minimalist hiker and she thinks this pack is too big for any hike I would reasonable be expected to do, but I think it's perfect. (She hiked the back country of Denali National Park for 2 weeks with a 35 liter pack) The only issue I have found is that the side pockets are a bit small/tight and it's hard to get water bottles out on the fly. If I use a hydration bag, that won't be an issue at all. Overall, I love the Aura 50 and it fits my needs exactly.

I used the Aura 50L for 1700 miles on the Appalachian Trail this year, after switching from another ill-fitting pack nearly 500 miles in. I'm in between torso sizes, so having an adjustable back panel was critical for me to get a customized fit. I carried 30-35 lbs with no problems from the suspension, even when I had to go heavier with more water in dry sections. While there are definitely lighter packs out there, for the load I choose to carry this is a great pack for me. Lots of pockets for organization and in particular, I used one of the front pockets for my tent as it was very nice to have a separate area when the tent was wet. I found the fabric to be very durable, I did a lot of scooting across rough rocks in the northeast, and only minor wear is visible. 2 minor design complaints: 1) The elastic on the side pockets is too tight for some water bottles (i.e. 1L gatorade bottle) to be able to take out/put away while wearing the pack. 2) The hipbelt pockets are somewhat small compared to other packs, don't easily fit rectangular items (i.e. phone, camera) due to the shape, and were partially covered where the hipbelt pocket overlapped with the bottom of the frame of the pack. Though, not all women I met who also had the Aura had the same issue, so I think it's dependent on body shape in the hips (fyi, I'm a larger woman and curvy). Overall, I was very happy with the Aura 50L on the AT this year, it's a great pack if you carry >30lbs.

REI specialist helped fit this pack to my body. If I'd bought it without getting it fitted I would have hated it, but it fits great. Very comfortable. I'm 5'5" and 150 lbs and I got the small size. If you have a smaller tent and sleeping bag this will work for you. I have a one man tent and I strapped it to the bottom. Not a good idea. It pulled my shoulders down my back. I took the stakes out and packed them in the front storage area and then put the tent body in the pack. It felt much better. I have a Marmot Nanowave 45 sleeping bag and it takes up a lot of room in the pack. All my other gear is minimalist and lightweight, so everything managed to fit. Regular sized Nalgene bottles fit very tightly in the side stretch pockets, not easy to grab on the fly. Smaller botttles would be okay. I recommend getting the Osprey Hydraulics 3L hydration bladder for this pack. Fits perfectly. I'm happy with this pack for trips of 2-3 days. Any longer and I will be using my Kelty external frame pack.

This was my first backpack. I've had this for almost a year. I've backpacked a few days with it twice and used it abroad. First off, it CAN be used as a carry on- Huzzah! As for hiking, it surely carries the load well. When overpacked or packed incorrectly, you can feel the imbalance. Though, It easily hides 20lbs and makes it easy to carry. The pockets are nice and help with organization for dirth clothes and other things. Pack compressed down really well. Overall, great pack, I highly recommend. I wish I had the newer aura though with the full mesh panel. Cons: if pack was too heavy, it would can dig into my waist - I am overweight and have wide hips/stomach regardless everything else fits nicely. Also, I don't understand the water bottle pockets. They are terrible. So tight and makes getting a bottle hard. Just use a camelback.

I just went overnight on the AT in 95 degree heat with this pack. I had the Osprey 3L hydration onboard. I could not be happier. The pack fit perfect on my 5' frame. It vented well with air between my back and pack. While scrambling, the pack moved with me and was not a burdon at all. Total weight starting out was 23lb. Some thru hikers use rain covers on their packs all the time to protect the bottom from wear. Fit should be set before leaving the store from trained sales staff. Better stores have a Osprey sizing board for proper fit. Storage was plenty as well.

I bought this for my 12 year-old granddaughter. She went on a two week rock climbing trip with her climbing team in South Dakota. She was able to carry enough gear for a two week trip. Granted she wasn't in the wilderness the whole time, but took several 5 mile hikes with full gear. Extremely comfortable and a solid pack. I recommend it highly.

My friend loves hers (and men's Atmos 50) and I really wanted to like these packs. I tried both the Atmos 50 and the Aura 50 and found that the shoulder straps are incredibly narrow at the top where they meet the bag. This meant that not only did it not sit on my shoulders in a comfortable fashion, it also pinched badly when the bag was loaded. No matter how I and the REI specialists adjusted the straps and load it didn't help - the fit was really awkward, pinched, and the load also pulled backwards. I had to return both bags. I also found the lack of bottom access to the bag frustrating. In short, it seems like a decent pack if you don't mind the narrowness of the shoulder straps, weight leaning back, and lack of access to things at the bottom of the pack.

Used the pack for the first time doing a day hike on the AT and it was awesome. Easy to take on and off without too much adjustment, especially since the weather was varying going up and down ridges and I kept having to take off and put on layers. The pack's multiple pockets made snacks and water easy to get to and made layers easy to stash and grab when I needed them.