Osprey  Ariel 55 Pack - Women's

The Osprey Ariel 55 will never win in the ultralight category but what's lacking in that area is covered by how comfortable the pack is. It's a good entry level backpack when you are still trying to figure out your gear, or a backpack that you will grab when you don't want to worry about running out of space, OR if you have more than 1 dog and they refuse to carry their own sleeping gear.

I'll start by saying this is my first real backpacking pack but I'm no stranger to thru-hikes. The load lifting straps above the shoulder straps are amazing and do an incredible job taking the load off. We hiked on the Art Loeb for a good few hours just trying to test out the bags with our current gear (just under 30 lbs load for me and ~20lbs for my fiance) and both of us felt almost no strain our back and were ready to keep rolling. We are extremely excited to take some long trips this spring and summer with these packs.

This pack has adequate space. The fitting mechanism is convenient. The side pockets on the belt are almost impossible to access while wearing the pack, have to carry water and small items in another external pouch. I am not using a reservoir. The shoulders could have more padding and perhaps extend wider. Would be nice if vendor offered a 'user's manual's for us beginners to understand the best use of the many straps, buckles, pockets, etc. The how-to video on the Osprey site was rather cursory.

I tried a few packs through rentals and one return (thanks REI!) before settling on this one. This pack is comfortable even under a very heavy load (38 pounds) that I carried doing the Pemi Loop in cold weather. I love the way the padding on the hip belt and shoulder straps extends - this helps a ton if you’re on the curvy side, like me. The Osprey Aura was a poor fit for me because it lacked all the customization options. The pack itself is a bit heavy, but to carry so much weight with no discomfort makes that sacrifice worthwhile to me.

I haven't used this on a long trip but was immediately a bit disappointed in the color. I purchased this online so I didn't get to see it in person. The "black" is more of a green-grey. The backpack itself is a great product but if I'd known how didn't the color would be I'd have made an effort to go in store, or get another color altogether.

Initially, I really liked this pack. It had a lot of storage pockets and easy access to the main compartment. Everything is adjustable on it so one could make it as comfortable as possible. That being said, I personally had a difficult time with the adjustments. Could be a user error and lack of experience, however, when I tried it on, it just didn't fit me right. I'm a big girl, and this pack is just not made for bigger bodies. I was so disappointed to have to send it back because I loved everything about it except for the fit. I returned it and went with a Gregory Plus, which I am totally in love with.

It is the best backpack I have ever had. You can adjust the weight of backpack perfectly on your hip and make your shoulder feel no weight. The side pockets and small bags are so handy great for the long journey. I had it for my hiking trip to Patagonia in Chile.

Just completed a backpacking trip using this backpack. It was great, very comfortable straps and weight distribution. My only complaint is the poorly designed raincover that comes with it. There is one wimpy bungy style thing to tighten the cover on the pack, but my raincover blew away on a ridge when hit with some wind. I wish the raincover had loops or buckles/straps to better attach it to the pack to prevent this from happening. My raincover was not retrievable since we were on a ridge. I would have liked one or two side pockets on the pack to better organize stuff too, but overall this pack worked well for my trip.

Soft padding and comfortable with heavy weight. Not the lightest because of that. The shape is lean and tall . Lots of pockets

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This pack has so many features! Definitely not for the minimalists or those looking to go UL. It’s a little on the heavy side, weighing almost 5lbs but it’s an absolute workhorse. It’s meant to carry heavy weights and it does it very well. I love the straps, they are very padded and comfortable, they don’t kill my collarbone. The clamshell opening for front access is really helpful when reaching items deep in your pack, I appreciate not having to dump everything out. I found the fit on this to be a bit different than the Eja, another bag I have. I got that one in a M/L, where as this I have an XS/S.