Ventilated Back Backpacks

Berghaus make a range of smaller rucsacs with their "Freeflow" back system: http://www.berghaus.com/technologies/rucsacs/freeflowIV.aspx

I'm assuming you're in North America; not too sure about availability there.

Not to hijack you thread, i'm thinking about a ventilated back pack myself, and the osprey exos has caught my eye.

I'm thinking that maybe a less sweaty bavk may result in a lower water consumption ?

The Exos is fantastic, but not a panel loader. While the mesh trampoline back is good for ventilation, I think the effect it has on water consumption is next to nil. What will probably cause you to drink more is your total load, temperature, and intensity of the hike.

Was less than impressed with the ventilated back Osprey I had – I just kept sweating anyway. I liked that I could put the bladder down the frame instead of in the pack, but the curvature of the frame to make the space put the load too hard down on my hips and made it tippy – I'm easily put off balance anyway, and that only made me more off balance than usual. So I went back to packs that had a foam back and put the hydration bladder back inside.

While we're all different, I think that the ventilated backs on any pack don't necessarily *reduce* how much we sweat, but simply offers more airflow so that sweat can dry quicker.

But, if a pack doesn't work for a person, well, then it doesn't work for them! :)

I've had the REI Venturi 30 for a year now. I live in Phoenix Arizona, so I know a little bit about sweating ;-) This pack has been great for me. I looked at several of the others on your list and personally this one was just more comfortable for me. I've had zero problems with it over several hundred miles of trails. I love the full suspension cause hiking in the dessert I sometimes carry 7 liters of water just for one day!

One thing to keep an eye out for with the trampoline style packs is that many of them over exaggerate their volume. The trampoline style curve encroaches on the backpack space. I'm pretty sure that my 30L will not fit anywhere near 30 liters. Still a great pack though for day hiking.

Yup, the Osprey packs were known for a deep encroachment on the inside of the pack by the large curve in the design of their trampoline back. However, they've pretty much fixed that with the newer models, especially the Exos. Still, if you can get your hands on a few of the packs you are interested in to try them out, that is your best choice. Pack fit and function is super personal.

The Exos is definitely an improvement over earlier Osprey ventilated designs. And their stated volumes are actually conservative. However I agree that a ventilated frame doesn't really change how much you sweat, nor does it stop you from perspiring. It just allows quicker cooling.

I would think that since your back can cool more effectively that your body would have to produce less sweat to get the same cooling effect.

The Berghaus Freeflow Velocity 35 looks like a really nice pack to try out. I don't want to order it online although without being able to to test it out first or being able to return it.

I've gotten a gregory z30 and an osprey atmos 35 (they didn't have the stratos 34 in a large size :( ). The deuter 28 also doesn't come in sizes unfortunately, so the hip belt was too high and pressed into my kidneys. Heres to testing!

I must be one of the unlucky ones who never felt any cooler then. Perhaps the pain of the frame against my back was distracting me from any cooling sensations I might have felt.

It was also hard that smaller versions of some of these packs did not let you swap belts or straps, and you were stuck with what came on the pack, or a DIY project. I was faced with needing a larger size hip belt with a smaller pack.

I carry an Osprey Exos 34 and have noticed a marked decrease in the amount of sweat on my back when I take the pack off after reaching my destination (usually a summit).

While I can't tell you for sure if my back is dry because the ventilation has allowed air to dry it or because I'm sweating less, I can say unequivocally that there is a big difference when I wear that pack vs. non-ventilated designs. Even my wife noticed it without being prompted….

From left field enter the Swedish army surplus pack!

Ok, so it's on the heavier side but its old school design sure ventilates. Any other external frame is also very airy but this one is the same size as the other packs already mentioned.

Well, if we're gonna consider non-mesh packs, I haven't found a better ventilated pack than the LuxuryLite…

I've had 2 of the packs listed in your group.
The deuter futura 28 was hands down the worse pack I've ever worn. It came only in one size, and that size was more geared towards someone wiith a shorter torso. The hip belt "wings" were useless and annoying. Hipbelt transferred zero weight. The trampoline was wayyy to pronounced, so that it cut into the main package area. Very gimmicky packs, that tried to shove big pack features (think sleeping bag compartment) into a small daypack. I would run and never look back if I saw this pack again. Gotta give them street cred, though, b/c i think they came up with the trampoline vented backpack concept. But still, worse pack ever

The gregory z series are awesome. I owned a z22. They come with great adjustability, and actual sizes. Hipbelt transfers weight very efficiently. Best part are the hip belt pockets! Good durability too!

Personally, I think the exos is the nicer one in your batch, but if durability is an issue, go with the gregory

Something Ive been thinking about lately… when I use my ULA Circuit and put my thermarest pad (folded) in the pack against my back…isnt it made to insulate you from the ground, so wouldnt it also keep the heat trapped there at your back?
Probably the same with the Gossamer Gear packs and others that incorporate the pad as a "frame" against your back.
sandy

This is probably well known at this point but my view is this:

If you don't want a sweaty back, don't exercise.

haha I agree with Chris, but when you're in a high humidity area like SE Asia, or even Georgia for that matter, it seems like sweat happens, no matter what you do. I once did some trail building in Georgia during the summer, for a community service event with the company I was working for at the time. They didn't tell us what we were doing until the day of, so by then, most of us were wearing jeans and what not….i thought i was going to pass out.

A nice ventilated backpad or trampoline mesh helps but wearing a synthetic shirt like CoolMax fabric or one of the textured and ribbed synthetic shirts helps to transport sweat and is the 2nd item that must be "worn".

EVAPORATION of sweat is the key, the faster the evap the cooler you will be. Simple as that. So ya gotta wear the correct clothes in addition to a backpack ventilated back suspension.

BTW, I own an Osprey EXOS 58 and have found it definitely cooler than my former REI Cruise UL 60 which had an open cell foam paced back wrapped in soft mesh. With both packs I wore poly shirts, usually REI Sahara or Cabela's Guidewear shirts.

I have all three sizes of Exos packs and love 'em.

I am a hot hiker and sweat a lot. The Exos keeps me cooler so I don't start as fast, sometimes not at all. I disagree with Lynn in as much as hot foam touching my back has to be hotter than mesh.

The gap that is mentioned so often about this style of pack is pretty much nonexistent now. They do not have as pronounced a separation. Once your pack is loaded the weight settles the suspension and you end up with only a small space.

Now before the haters start with how that throws the center of gravity off, take your foam back-panel pack. Yeah, the cool model with air-channels to transfer heat away. Measure the space in those channels. I bet it is just as deep as the space on my Exos. Now add whatever foam is between the channel and your load and you may have MORE space between you and your load, throwing off the center of gravity even more than the Exos.

That's my take on it. My Brother-in-law just got the new Talon 44 and it looks very nice with the new mesh back, plus adjustable torso which the Exos does not have.

" I disagree with Lynn in as much as hot foam touching my back has to be hotter than mesh."

I don't think we disagree, as I stated that the Exos allows you to cool quicker. However, I am also comparing it to a pack such as the LuxuryLite where there is no fabric of any kind touching your back, and the difference is huge. The Exos is my pick of the bunch, and really comes into it's own on winter hikes where minimising sweat is a key goal for me, but it's not a patch on a true external frame pack in terms of ventilation.

Mind you, there have been times when having that nice warm pack protecting my back against the howling winter gale has been … comforting.

Cheers

"Mind you, there have been times when having that nice warm pack protecting my back against the howling winter gale has been … comforting."

Agreed…until you take the pack off :(

It is both possible and sometimes desirable to stuff some insulation between the mesh panel and the pack on the Exos. Harder to do with the LuxuryLite.

Yeah we are on the same page then Lynn. I actually had problems with the Exos only IN winter as I found the mesh filled up with snow during storms and flat got cold if the wind was blowing.

That is why we should all have 5 packs, right?

;-)

I have a Dueter 42 Pro and a REI Venturi. I live and hike in a hot as you can get climate, but without the humidity of other places.

I use these packs only when carrying heavy loads of water in hot temperatures. And, the heavier the load, the hotter and sweatier you are going to get. The packs help in these situations, but the mesh panels makes packing gear less than comfortable.

If I do not need to carry a lot of water (i.e. 2 or more gallons), I wouldn't even consider using them. Lighter pack, usually means less sweating. And if your total pack weight is truly lightweight, it is easy to carry it slung over one shoulder for periods of time.