New Osprey Levity

[Joby]

New Osprey Levity lightweight Backpack question.

So I’m entertaining buying the new Levity to lighten my load. At 1.9 pounds and 60 L, sounds like a great idea
Fortunately, it’s not rated for over 30 pounds.
My question is, is it possible to push the limit on these backpacks that shoot to be ultralight? (ULA Ohm- Z Packs).
If I do the stretch from MTR to Whitney I’m going to need to load up between 35 and 40 pounds total.
Do they just become so uncomfortable it’s on bearable? Thanks for any thoughts contributed.

[Eric Osburn]

I wouldn’t want to carry 35lbs+ in my Circuit let alone an Ohm or Levity. I don’t have personal experience with Z-Packs packs.

I’m eyeballing the Seek Outside packs REALLY hard for their comfortable load carrying capability at reasonable weights. There are just some situations where you need to carry a ton of water (desert) and/or gear (winter, family hauling, pack rafting).

For most situations my Circuit works perfectly (10-13lb base weight depending on luxuries) but there are times where I’ve had it overloaded and the comfort level was seriously compromised. I also find it too small for winter trips.

[Jenny A]

You could probably get away with 30 lbs in the Levity for a short stretch, but it isn’t designed to carry that weight for long periods.  The Exos is a slightly more robust suspension for a little more weight and is rated for up to 40 lbs (though 30 is probably a more comfortable max for most people).  My Granite Gear Crown 2 will handle 30 lbs but I count on that weight decreasing over the course of a trip.

I personally wouldn’t push the Levity beyond its rated capacity.  Go try one on if you can, load it up with some weight and see what you think.  Also, this pack either fits or it doesn’t; there are no fit adjustments.  It might be worth a few ounces to get a pack that will comfortably carry the things you need.

[lee kingry]

Hi Joby, I have a ULA CDT frameless I took 10 days food from MTR to Whitney, a full bear canister and then some, and was good down zero temperatures with my gear, a little tough the first two days but then it got back to normal and and by a little tough I do not mean the Bataan Death March, just more weight on my shoulders than I like, but after that it was fine. I train with 40 lb before the trip knowing my average would be around 25 or less on the trip. The training 40 lb was with a small mountaineering pack that could handle the load better, but definitely made it easier to carry the big load with the CDT for those few days.

[Lori P]

To carry 35 pounds in my ULA CIrcuit, I found that I had to rearrange the pack significantly. If I put my quilt in the bottom smashed flat, put the Bearikade Weekender down inside vertically, and put all the rest in around the bear can, it carried better. I also pulled the Platypus out of the sleeve and put it down the side of the pack inside, rather than down the back panel, to force the can closer in.

While it’s possible to carry the Weekender horizontally inside the Circuit, doing so was terribly uncomfortable for me. I’ve never used any other bear can in the Circuit except for the smaller Bare Boxer.

[Joby]

Thank you for all the replies guys. I just decided I’m going to stay with the exos . Again thank you

[steven w]

For those on the fence with trying the Levity- I got bamboozled into ordering a small Levity from REI(sales guy said Osprey did not make a medium, when in fact its REI not offering it for whatever reason). So I’m speaking based on actually carrying one…for my old/skinny/paunchy body its by FAR the most comfortable, best fitting(at the hips) pack I’ve tried. I’m a huge fan of the AIRSPEED suspension so I have a Stratos 50 and 2017 Exos 58 and liking my comfort and gizmos, I carry a good 35lbs. The Levity put the weight on my hips, almost without needing the belt, so the belt did not need to be tight nor does it feel at all under padded or sized if tightened up. I attribute the hip thing to the fact that the (keep in mind its a small, but I wear a medium) frame is 4″ wider(at the bottom) than my Stratos and 3″ wider than my Exos. This seems to allow more wrap around and less pressure with NO pressure points or seams to chafe.

As to the rest of the pack…being a small the strap padding was too high up to be as comfortable as it could be with a proper fit but still with the balance and hip loading the straps were fairly comfortable. It loads wide and low….to the tune of 20″ with double drink bottle on each side. The side pockets are stupid large and have forward facing exits plus top exits, the forward ones can be tied off to the frame to prevent unwanted bottle/gear ejections.The top edges of the side pockets have string loops that could be used for tethers or such.

The lid/brain is a nice size and works better than the Exos lid for oversized loads, but lacks the underside pocket. The lack of pole straps, belt pockets etc really kill my total love of the suspension…and I admit the Stratos totally spoils me by having instant zip open access to 12 areas but at 50L its also just too small(and a bit porky). The Exos is middle ground, a couple useful pockets, external hanging loops, but no improvement in comfort over the now ancient Stratos design.

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