Osprey Atmos 50 Review
(since I don't want to sound like a grumpy cynic, here's a product I actually really liked)
I travel a lot. And cheap. This means flying at innoportune times, staying at out of the way hotels, and using public transportation. I need flexibility and comfort. I need to be able to carry my luggage at least half the day. I need to be able to carry it around wherever I go, and if I need to run the luggage can't slow me down.
Let me throw a few situations at you that I've been in:
You fly in on a red eye, or take an overnight train or bus. You need to depart either that evening, early the next morning, or the next evening.
You can't check into a hotel and leave your stuff, because check in isn't until noon at least, and there's still six hours before then. What if you're leaving the same evening, whats the point of a hotel? What are you gonna do with your luggage?
The museums don't open till 8am or 9am, so you're gonna see some of the city sites. Can you get on the metro easily? Can you walk to the city center?
Will the museum clerks let you in with your bag?
Can you sit at a restaurant or pub and eat/drink?
Can you run up a flight of stairs, dodge people on a moving walkway, and cram in on the last train?
It starts raining. Do you have to open up your bag in the middle of the street and fetch an umbrella?
Do you have to constantly worry about someone stealing your bag?
You get to the airport. Do you have to check your bag? This means standing in a long line at the ticket counter. On your way in, you'll have to stand at the carousel and wait for your bag too.
All these situations scream for either a small rolling bag or a backpack. I tried the small rolling bag for a few trips, but it didn't work out for me. The handles are too short, so the bag always runs over my feet when I move quickly. When it rained, the bag would get filthy with grime from the street. I had to keep my hand on it when standing around.
Sheila let me her backpack/rolling bag, and it got stolen. Why? Because it wasn't a very good backpack. It hurt to wear it for long periods, so I rolled it. I got tired of rolling it, so I left it with my mom at Termini station in Rome. I also flew many short airline trips, and had to check the thing each time. This is an additional hassle, as you have to get to the airport earlier and stay longer. Staying longer means not beating the crowd exiting the airport.
A typical backpack sucks. It's got one or two compartments, it's not weather proof, and it puts all the weight on your shoulders. They usually do not have pockets you can reach without removing the backpack. Hard objects in the backpack poke your spine. They make your back all sweaty.
A backpacking backpack would be ideal. Backpacking backpacks, most importantly, center around a fat belt that you cinch onto your waist. The weight rests on this belt. The backpack maintains its shape via a metal or plastic frame. The shoulder straps just keep the pack upright. The belt usually includes handy pockets and hooks you can attach water bottles, maps, and cameras to. Capacity is measured in cubic liters.
The old school backpack can carry 80 pounds of supplies including a tent and sleeping bag, and has a large, solid metal frame. It's too big to be practical for traveling in civilized areas for a couple of weeks.
I'd met a couple of tourists from New Zealand in Paris who had large internal frame backpacking backpacks. These do without the bulky external metal frame. But they were still too big.
I went to REI and took a look around.
Day packs are backpacks designed to carry enough stuff for a day. They range in size from 12 cubic liters to about 30.
The backpacking backpack I was used to was about 60 to 100 cubic liters.
There are a few backpacks that fall in between these two sizes. REI's house brand has one, and so do Kelty and Osprey. I picked the Osprey Atmos 50 because it has one snazzy feature: the part that rests against your back is a mesh, with about 2 inches of empty space behind it. This keeps air circulating around your back. It works. The only part of me that got sweaty was where the belt was tight around my waist (the belt is perforated too).
This backpack is top loading, meaning the main opening is at the top. The flap that covers the opening has a compartment in it. I shoved towels and wet clothes in here, since it was usually in the sun and dried quickly here. By the way, the main opening has a telescoping fabric ring. So if you want to shove more in, you just undo the chord and the backpack gets taller. This is nice for stuffing more clothes in, but if you put anything heavy up that high, the balance goes off.
The air circulation gap made packing the bag more difficult, but it was worth it. The shape of the space behind your back mimics a human back, and this means there is a hump in the middle of the main compartment, leaving a big empty spot at the bottom that's hard to see when you look inside. I left a pair of black pants in there, and didn't know I had them until I unpacked my bag after 3 weeks.
The bag has one main compartment where I stuffed my clothes, with the least used at the bottom. It also has two thin and tall compartments on either side. Here I stuffed my sandals, rolled up socks and underwear, and toiletries. There's a piece of elastic fabric over the back of the bag that clips near the opening to the main compartment. I stuffed less used maps and extra water bottles in here.
The backpack comes with hooks to attach a hydration pack and a tube from the pack all the way over your shoulder and to your mouth, but I didn't use it.
It has straps at the bottom to attach a sleeping bag and small tent. Since I had neither, I carried a small backpack stuffed with a jacket here.
The bag has hooks for an ice pick also, but I didn't have (or need) one.
The belt has two large, perforated pockets with zippers. To these I was able to attach a watch. In the left one I stuffed metro tickets, in the right small maps and other knick knacks. The belt is thick and comfortable. It's not huge like a 90 cubic liter bag might have, but it beat the belts of similar packs.
I wish it had a place for my camera.
I forget how, but I was also able to hang my umbrella off the pack.
It's waterproof, at least the part that's exposed when I wore it. It got rained on and everything was fine. Even that fabric over the back where I jammed maps-- I cinched it tight and the flap at the top kept water out.
Best thing? It's big enough to carry a weeks worth of clothes (go to a laundromat after that!), yet it easily fits into overhead bin on airplanes. When I had to check it in, I stuffed it inside a tent bag so that the airline's conveyer system wouldn't suck up and rip off the straps hanging off the pack.
I believe the pack is rated to carry up to 35lbs. Once you overload a pack, the belt starts to be inadequate to keep your hips comfortable and the frame starts to be unable to deal with the load and flexes, causing strain on the shoulders. I started out slightly below 30lbs, and everything felt fine. By the end of the trip, loaded up with souvenirs, I was pushing 35lbs, and it still felt file. Heavier, but fine. So I think it is quite possible to exceed 35lbs, especially if you are only wearing it half the day. Just a reminder, but as the weight increased I had to readjust the pack. Getting the two shoulder adjustments and the belt tightness right are key to being comfortable.
Oh, it costs less than $200. I think that was money well spent.
I travel a lot. And cheap. This means flying at innoportune times, staying at out of the way hotels, and using public transportation. I need flexibility and comfort. I need to be able to carry my luggage at least half the day. I need to be able to carry it around wherever I go, and if I need to run the luggage can't slow me down.
Let me throw a few situations at you that I've been in:
You fly in on a red eye, or take an overnight train or bus. You need to depart either that evening, early the next morning, or the next evening.
You can't check into a hotel and leave your stuff, because check in isn't until noon at least, and there's still six hours before then. What if you're leaving the same evening, whats the point of a hotel? What are you gonna do with your luggage?
The museums don't open till 8am or 9am, so you're gonna see some of the city sites. Can you get on the metro easily? Can you walk to the city center?
Will the museum clerks let you in with your bag?
Can you sit at a restaurant or pub and eat/drink?
Can you run up a flight of stairs, dodge people on a moving walkway, and cram in on the last train?
It starts raining. Do you have to open up your bag in the middle of the street and fetch an umbrella?
Do you have to constantly worry about someone stealing your bag?
You get to the airport. Do you have to check your bag? This means standing in a long line at the ticket counter. On your way in, you'll have to stand at the carousel and wait for your bag too.
All these situations scream for either a small rolling bag or a backpack. I tried the small rolling bag for a few trips, but it didn't work out for me. The handles are too short, so the bag always runs over my feet when I move quickly. When it rained, the bag would get filthy with grime from the street. I had to keep my hand on it when standing around.
Sheila let me her backpack/rolling bag, and it got stolen. Why? Because it wasn't a very good backpack. It hurt to wear it for long periods, so I rolled it. I got tired of rolling it, so I left it with my mom at Termini station in Rome. I also flew many short airline trips, and had to check the thing each time. This is an additional hassle, as you have to get to the airport earlier and stay longer. Staying longer means not beating the crowd exiting the airport.
A typical backpack sucks. It's got one or two compartments, it's not weather proof, and it puts all the weight on your shoulders. They usually do not have pockets you can reach without removing the backpack. Hard objects in the backpack poke your spine. They make your back all sweaty.
A backpacking backpack would be ideal. Backpacking backpacks, most importantly, center around a fat belt that you cinch onto your waist. The weight rests on this belt. The backpack maintains its shape via a metal or plastic frame. The shoulder straps just keep the pack upright. The belt usually includes handy pockets and hooks you can attach water bottles, maps, and cameras to. Capacity is measured in cubic liters.
The old school backpack can carry 80 pounds of supplies including a tent and sleeping bag, and has a large, solid metal frame. It's too big to be practical for traveling in civilized areas for a couple of weeks.
I'd met a couple of tourists from New Zealand in Paris who had large internal frame backpacking backpacks. These do without the bulky external metal frame. But they were still too big.
I went to REI and took a look around.
Day packs are backpacks designed to carry enough stuff for a day. They range in size from 12 cubic liters to about 30.
The backpacking backpack I was used to was about 60 to 100 cubic liters.
There are a few backpacks that fall in between these two sizes. REI's house brand has one, and so do Kelty and Osprey. I picked the Osprey Atmos 50 because it has one snazzy feature: the part that rests against your back is a mesh, with about 2 inches of empty space behind it. This keeps air circulating around your back. It works. The only part of me that got sweaty was where the belt was tight around my waist (the belt is perforated too).
This backpack is top loading, meaning the main opening is at the top. The flap that covers the opening has a compartment in it. I shoved towels and wet clothes in here, since it was usually in the sun and dried quickly here. By the way, the main opening has a telescoping fabric ring. So if you want to shove more in, you just undo the chord and the backpack gets taller. This is nice for stuffing more clothes in, but if you put anything heavy up that high, the balance goes off.
The air circulation gap made packing the bag more difficult, but it was worth it. The shape of the space behind your back mimics a human back, and this means there is a hump in the middle of the main compartment, leaving a big empty spot at the bottom that's hard to see when you look inside. I left a pair of black pants in there, and didn't know I had them until I unpacked my bag after 3 weeks.
The bag has one main compartment where I stuffed my clothes, with the least used at the bottom. It also has two thin and tall compartments on either side. Here I stuffed my sandals, rolled up socks and underwear, and toiletries. There's a piece of elastic fabric over the back of the bag that clips near the opening to the main compartment. I stuffed less used maps and extra water bottles in here.
The backpack comes with hooks to attach a hydration pack and a tube from the pack all the way over your shoulder and to your mouth, but I didn't use it.
It has straps at the bottom to attach a sleeping bag and small tent. Since I had neither, I carried a small backpack stuffed with a jacket here.
The bag has hooks for an ice pick also, but I didn't have (or need) one.
The belt has two large, perforated pockets with zippers. To these I was able to attach a watch. In the left one I stuffed metro tickets, in the right small maps and other knick knacks. The belt is thick and comfortable. It's not huge like a 90 cubic liter bag might have, but it beat the belts of similar packs.
I wish it had a place for my camera.
I forget how, but I was also able to hang my umbrella off the pack.
It's waterproof, at least the part that's exposed when I wore it. It got rained on and everything was fine. Even that fabric over the back where I jammed maps-- I cinched it tight and the flap at the top kept water out.
Best thing? It's big enough to carry a weeks worth of clothes (go to a laundromat after that!), yet it easily fits into overhead bin on airplanes. When I had to check it in, I stuffed it inside a tent bag so that the airline's conveyer system wouldn't suck up and rip off the straps hanging off the pack.
I believe the pack is rated to carry up to 35lbs. Once you overload a pack, the belt starts to be inadequate to keep your hips comfortable and the frame starts to be unable to deal with the load and flexes, causing strain on the shoulders. I started out slightly below 30lbs, and everything felt fine. By the end of the trip, loaded up with souvenirs, I was pushing 35lbs, and it still felt file. Heavier, but fine. So I think it is quite possible to exceed 35lbs, especially if you are only wearing it half the day. Just a reminder, but as the weight increased I had to readjust the pack. Getting the two shoulder adjustments and the belt tightness right are key to being comfortable.
Oh, it costs less than $200. I think that was money well spent.