Osprey Atmos 50, Granite Gear Vapor Trail, or Osprey Talon 44, Help :)

you live near an REI store, you can order all three and have them shipped free to your local store for pickup! There (or at home), try each one out to your heart's delight — keep one and return two — or even return all three if none meets your expectation. Easy as heck, and the only way to find out for sure.

Oh, and since Labor Day is fast approaching, you may want to wait just a few more weeks in case of discounts.

Ah, but isn't the real question whether or not you should buy the Golite Jam, Ula Equipment Conduit, or Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus?

http://www.golite.com/product/productdetail.aspx?p=PA5251&s=1
http://www.ula-equipment.com/conduit.htm
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/Mariposa-Plus.html

Great reviews of many of these on the site, including the Talon 44.

Sorry- didn't mean to complicate your decision further!!!

Best of luck,
Doug

Hi Kurt,

Can't comment on the GG option; stores near me don't seem to carry their packs. Between the Atmos and Talon, at a half pound more the Atmos has better load control and the cool suspended mesh backpanel (really nice in the summer). The Talon has an adjustable back length and seems to have more flexible main compartment space, while a smaller pack overall (the bottom zip helps). Both have gobs of ditty pockets and possibly too many straps.

I just completed a four-day solo trip with the Talon 44 (including bear canister) and was again reminded of how much it holds for a supposedly small pack, and how comfortable it is. Without a canister, a week might be possible.

If you need to carry loads above 35 pounds or oddly shaped items (e.g., large camera gear) the Atmos would be the better choice. With more typical loads the Talon will work well, and is lighter and cheaper. Note: the stretchy pockets on both will probably get chewed up on rocks and brush if you do a lot of offtrail travel.

Note to self: Never ask Doug Johnson for help in narrowing down choices…

Note to self: Doug Johnson is a lot smarter than he looks in his pictures.

Hey! He doesn't look that dumb! :)

nm

Ha! You guys gave me a great laugh this morning!

I talked to my very bright son and he said, "beckup da-da beckup shuuuuuu" which translates roughly to:

"That Talon 44 is sweet if you'll be bushwacking or carry heavy loads but the Jam weighs a pound less and will carry heavier loads than anyone should consider anyway. And it's trim profile means that it's great for scrambling or running. My mom has the Golite Pinnacle which is the Jam's big brother and it's a great pack that handles weight suprisingly well."

And then he said, "ba ma-ma beckup shuuuuu" which means:

"The Mariposa Plus has the best external pockets of anything on the market. If you want easy access to your stuff, this pack is the…goods. And the removable frame means it handles heavier loads with ease."

And he finished by saying, "daaaaaaaaaaa" which of course means:

"That Osprey is sweet too."

Then I said, "Henry, that's about as ambiguous as your dad's ideas!"

He replied, "becup becup becup ma-ma" which means "Dad, apples grow on apple trees."

Ah, brilliant child.

Ya, schmart kid dere. Although his hat is enormous.

I have one of these, and I am waiting to check out the 65 at REI. it has a bottom zip without too much weight added. the only problem I have with the 50 is the packing. Getting a good 15 deg WM bag in there is way too hard. So I am looking forward to the 65 to see if it fits in the bottom.

the previous poster is correct, the fabric on the stretch pocket and side pockets will not hold up long if you are rough on it.

Other than that, it feels _very comfortable_.
and handles weight well, just ath bulky items like low temp bags fills it up.

HTH

Some people like big hats!

I have an REI nearby and I tried both the Atmos and the GG, and I found the GG was more comfortable pretty much straight out of the box. The Atmos required lots of tweaking to get it somewhat comfortable and I never did get it to the comfort level of the GG. However the Atmos offers amazing ventilation. I also liked the simplicity of the GG – I don't like tons of pockets and straps.

Ben, do those hats come with a bug net? Might be useful with my bivy….

Makes me wonder why bivys don't come with detachable netting that can serve as bug hat in the day and bivy netting at night!?!

I have tried this on a homemade bivy–extra long bug netting that velcos to the bivy and can be used as a headnet during the day.

Seems like it will work okay, but I haven't ever needed it as a headnet . . .

With a hat like this, who needs an umbrella? It could be a UL backpacking revolution!!!

Anyone considering making them out of Cuben with a carbon fiber brim and full-length nanoseeum netting for instant-deployment bug bivies?!?

We need the resources of a large manufacturer…maybe Marmot?!?

d

I think the woman on the far right in black could scare off a bear with that look!

hmmmmyessss
I only prefer the Finest of atmospheric and insectual control

If only I could stop the $&#@ condensation