backpack reviews

The Osprey Exos 58 ultralight backpack.

Review: Osprey Exos 58 and Eja 58 Ultralight Backpacks

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Ultralight Backpack
Osprey Exos 58 and Eja 58
$260, 58L/3,539 c.i., 2 lbs. 14 oz./1.3kg (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S/M and L/XL, women’s XS/X and M/L
Exos: backcountry.com
Eja: backcountry.com

Osprey’s men’s Exos and women’s Eja packs would seem like shining examples of gear proven to perform so well for so long that redesigning them risks customer backlash. As a longtime fan of the packs, I was eager to take the Exos 58 on a long cruise—nine days and nearly 130 miles through the High Sierra in August, mostly on the John Muir Trail with some on- and off-trail detours. I came away from that walk convinced that, with what they changed and what they kept in the Exos/Eja, Osprey done made these packs even better.

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The Gregory Focal 58 backpack in the Grand Canyon.

Review: Gregory Focal 58 and Facet 55 Ultralight Backpacks

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Ultralight Backpack
Gregory Focal 58 and Facet 55
$250, 58L/3,539 c.i., 2 lbs. 11 oz./1.22kg (men’s small)
Sizes: men’s S-L, women’s XS-M
gregorypacks.com

Starting my six-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon with more than the recommended max weight in my Gregory Focal 58 and planning some strenuous days of hiking up to 12 miles with over 7,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain and loss—including seven very steep off-trail miles—I knew I’d put this pack to a serious test. Not a problem for the Focal 58, though, which proved not only comfortable but has a nice feature set, too.

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The Mystery Ranch Saddle Peak ski touring pack.

Review: Mystery Ranch saddle Peak Ski Touring Pack

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Ski Touring Pack
Mystery Ranch Saddle Peak
$219, 25L/1,526 c.i., 3 lbs. (S/M)
Sizes: S/M and L/XL
backcountry.com

An all-purpose, quiver-of-one ski touring pack that crosses over from days of lift-served and side-country skiing to full days of ski touring in the backcountry can seem like a Goldilocks quest—many are either too big or too small. After days of resort skiing and ski touring in Utah’s Wasatch Range with the latest iteration of the compact and smartly designed Mystery Ranch, I’ve seen its strengths and minor shortcomings.

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Deuter Freescape 40+ ski touring and freeriding pack.

Review: Deuter Freescape 40+ and Freescape Pro 38+ SL Ski Packs

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Ski Touring-Alpine Pack
Deuter Freescape 40+
$220, 40L/2,441 c.i., 3 lb. 5 oz. (men’s)
One size
backcountry.com

Deuter Freescape Pro 38+ SL
$220, 38L/2,319 c.i., 3 lb. 5 oz. (women’s)
One size
backcountry.com

There are days skiing or riding backcountry snow or on multi-day yurt trips where you need a pack with extra space for gear, layers, food, etc., and a feature set that lets you push your adventures to another level. That’s exactly what you get with the men’s Freescape 40+ and women’s Freescape Pro 38+ SL. On numerous days of backcountry ski touring, including four days at a yurt in Idaho’s Boise Mountains, I found the Freescape offers a degree of versatility for objectives in the mountains that smaller, skiing- and riding-specific packs do not.

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Granite Gear Perimeter 50 backpack

Review: Granite Gear Perimeter 50 Backpack

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Backpack
Granite Gear Perimeter 50
$250, 50L/3,050 c.i., 3 lbs. 3 oz./1.4kg (women’s regular with standard hipbelt)
Sizes: unisex regular and long, women’s short and regular
backcountry.com

I already had close to 35 pounds loaded in the Perimeter 50 on the first day of a four-day, 45-mile, late-September backpacking trip in Yosemite, when I added about 12 pounds of water and carried it over a mile uphill to a waterless campsite—and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortably it hauled weight that exceeded what Granite Gear rates the pack to handle. While we all have a different measure of max weight and comfort, much about the Perimeter 50 will appeal to backpackers who haul light to moderate loads and appreciate a backpack with an adjustable fit and highly functional features.

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