Osprey is a one-trick pony. No, not the kind you see in Tijuana; Osprey only makes packs. As a result, they’ve gotten pretty damn good at it. Exhibit A: their flagship Exposure 66 alpine pack.
The Exposure has a lot of nice touches, starting with a beautiful balance of capacity (4,000ci for the medium), light weight (just under 4lb) and sublimely comfortable suspension. The top lid floats and has tie-in points for a rope so you can flip your lid without losing your thread.
The waist belt has gear loops and is removable and heat-moldable, although just wearing it was enough to form it for my comfort. It also adjusts by pulling forward on two waist straps, rather than sideways on one. You have to try it to realize how nice this seemingly minor feature is.
A "shovel wing" stows your snow-thrower, and there are plenty of attachments for skis, ice tools (leashless too) and about anything else you can think of. Osprey’s attention to detail shows with one of the few truly practical three-haul-loop configurations I’ve used on a pack. For the money I’d have to put the Exposure at the top of my list for packs in this capacity range.
One response to “Osprey Exposure pack”
Long-term use report, 10/03/07: GearFlogger just got off the Kautz Glacier route on Rainier, and the Osprey Exposure 66 proved to be the perfect partner. This climber-friendly pack had just the right capacity at 4,000ci and carried extremely well with 45lb of gear and consumables. It wears well too, looking no worse for being thrown around on the rocks and rolled in the dust for a few days. The Exposure is still at the top of our list for this capacity range.