Osprey Atmos AG 65 Hiking Backpack – Reviewed & Tested

Comfort is king! At least, that’s the mindset Aidan took into his review of Osprey’s Atmos 65 backpack. So with comfort and ventilation as top priority, did it deliver?

Osprey’s Atmos AG 65 backpack delivers on all the features and comforts you could want from a modern hiking pack – pockets aplenty, adjustable harness, and ventilated back support. But how far has hiking design really come in the last 11 years? Specifically, after 11 years of faithful service from my 2014 Osprey Aether 85, was the upgrade worth it?

What’s changed in 11 years? Quite a bit, as it turns out. Unlike the 2014-era Aether model with its more traditional heavily-padded back panel and beefier harness, Osprey’s modern Atmos AG pack sports a lighter, more ventilated Anti-Gravity suspended mesh frame. Spending time with this pack also showcases the more subtle enhancements that come from years of incremental R&D – improved materials, better placed bottle carriers, and redesigned pockets.

Why am I the right person to do this review?

I’ve done my fair share of hikes – all across Australia, NZ, Nepal, the Americas, and Europe. And all of this hiking has exposed me to a broad spectrum of conditions and varying degrees of comfort (pretty extreme variability in a few cases – thinking back to a snow storm crossing of a Patagonian high pass with WAE’s own Tim Ashelford). So I like to think I understand why pack performance matters, and what you ought to expect from your gear as you set out on-trail.

You’ll probably also spot me scouting out a climbing route or ten | @tim_ashelford

Quick Specifications

For L/XL model, S/M model is slightly smaller and lighter.

Weight: 2.18kg (L/XL)
Dimensions: 36H X 39W X 88D cm
Capacity: 68L (S/M is 65L)
Fabric: bluesign® APPROVED PFC/PFAS-free DWR recycled nylon in various forms and deniers
Colourways: Mythical Green, Black, Venturi Blue
RRP: $569

Comfort

Since receiving it, I’ve used the pack for two decent hikes – an overnighter in the Bluies, and more recently a four day hike on New Zealand’s South Island – and my hips have never felt better. 

The Atmos AG 65 is pretty consistently reviewed as one of the most comfortable mid-weight packs on the market, and I find myself in full agreement. The modern hipbelt design extends the frame directly into the hipbelt via a seamless trampoline-esque stretch of mesh material. And the result? A pack that feels like it’s hugging your hips and lower back evenly, smoothing out pressure points and supporting all-day use. 

The floppy and uneven belt system on my Aether 85 suddenly starts to feel a bit archaic, like comparing a modern ergonomic trail runner with Dunlop Volleys.

Juicy aerated back panel on full display here | @andrew.exploring

Adjusting the harness and back system is also a lot more intuitive on the modern Atmos AG pack. It uses a simple ‘Fit-on-the-fly’ switch system to enable quick tweaks to torso and hipbelt length, so you can dial in a snug fit within seconds. 

Adjustments to shoulder straps are much the same as in traditional packs, but it gets hard to imagine exactly how you’d innovate this. However another point of improvement is the mesh panel now running up from the harness to keep the pack well off your back, greatly helping with airflow in hotter hiking conditions.

Easy to adjust on the go | @andrew.exploring

Overall, this all made for a much comfier hiking experience – granted I kept my base load pretty light on these trips, and would be interested to see how it performs under weightier conditions. The recommended load range is 13.5 to 18kg.

Design

My, it’s a snazzy piece of gear to look at. 

It’s clearly Osprey in its overall shape and composition, but sleeker and sexier, almost like the sports car version of a reliable old sedan. As mentioned before, it’s got pockets aplenty, which is a huge tick from me – eight to be exact (beyond the main internal compartment), which makes for very convenient packing and retrieval of gear mid-hike. 

The hip belt pockets are also roomier than ever, facilitating a decadent on-demand supply of sweeties on trail. Big tick. The side-of-pack bottle pockets are also better than previous models – angled more intuitively to help with Nalgene extraction (which often felt harder than it needed to be on my Aether 85). 

Bottle pockets are greatly improved and easier to use without removing the pack | @andrew.exploring

Now the not-so-good. If ultralight is a big deal for you, then this potentially isn’t your pack. At 2.1kg it’s by no means a chongus of a pack (remembering that it wasn’t so long ago people lumbered around with 3-4kg canvas packs), however it obviously doesn’t stack up against some of the 0.8-1kg ultralight units available on the market. 

However, in my view the extra weight is more than justified by the increased comfort and reliability this pack is likely to have over ultralight units, with their tissue paper exteriors and shoulder straps sporting about as much padding as a Woolies receipt.

Read more: The 931g Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Hiking Pack – Reviewed & Tested

The drawstring was a little fiddly | @andrew.exploring

The top-of-pack draw cord system also takes some getting used to, and the optional internal divider (for sectioning off a lower and upper pack compartment) isn’t for me. But that’s admittedly getting pretty nit-picky. Overall, it’s pretty bloody great. 

Performance

The main performance criteria for a pack, beyond comfort which gets its own heading, is durability, so we’ll head straight there.

Durability

From the shade thrown at ultralight pack materials earlier, you’ve probably got an idea for how I feel about durability. I like a pack that inspires confidence – that feels like it won’t be torn and scuffed by a few prickles and branches. And the Atmos AG 65 seems to get this right, with mid-to-heavy 210-denier nylon throughout most of the pack, and thicker 500-denier nylon used to support the base.

They’ve also opted for a new buckle design to replace the more traditional buckles on the older generation packs. Research seems to indicate these are less prone to cracking over time (which was a problem I had with my 2014 Aether) while also being less likely to slip under load. Although I guess time will need to tell on that one.

Want a lighter pack? Check out our review of the 1.3kg Osprey Exos 58 Hiking Pack

Stronger clips to hold it all in | @andrew.exploring

Sustainability

Osprey also seems to be moving things forward in a more environmentally-friendly direction. The main fabrics used on the Atmos AG 65 pack are recycled and bluesign-approved, which is an external accreditation certifying that all components of the fabric production process are eco-friendly (Osprey is actually a bluesign ‘system partner’). The water-repellant treatment on the pack exterior is also PFC/PFAS-free (if those acronyms mean anything to you), and combined with Osprey’s ‘All Mighty Guarantee’ (promising to repair any component of any Osprey pack purchased since 1974), you’re looking at a piece of gear designed to last a pretty long time. 

Read more: Your Rain Jacket is Probably Harming The Planet – Here’s How That’s Changing

As usual, we’re on the lookout for specific stats and transparency and over on the US site you can see that over 97% of the fabrics in Osprey’s range are recycled, and packaging is recycled plastic or FSC paper. The next step will be full transparency, including carbon targets. It’s also great to see Osprey is supporting conservation and social organisations in the states, and we’ll be looking forward to seeing what it can do in Australia too.

The author, wistfully thinking about nature and stuff | @andrew.exploring

Price

At $570 AUD RRP, the Atmos AG 65 isn’t cheap – it sits pretty squarely in the price bracket of many other premium hiking brands, rather than the budget end of town (where you’re admittedly likely to get half the useful life out of it). If you’ve got the patience and determination to sleuth around for deals, you’re likely to find a reasonable discount on it. However even at full whack the quality of the pack seems to largely justify the price tag to me, particularly when you’re looking at 11+ years of use (as I’ve had with my Aether 85). 

More room for contraband | @tim_ashelford

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a big yes from me dawg – the Atmos AG 65 pack feels like an extremely worthy successor to my faithful old Aether 85 – significantly comfier on the hips, better ventilated, and smarter in its design. By modern standards, it’s not the lightest pack out there, and the price tag firmly positions it in the ‘investment’ category of gear purchases. However, between the all-day wearability, durable construction, and long warranty, it’s hard to argue you’re not getting your money’s worth.