Osprey Levity

Just from here

https://gearjunkie.com/roundup/outdoor-friedrichshafen-gold-winners-2017#OspreyLevity

 As the judges noted, “packs of this volume don’t get any lighter.”

Except for this one…    ;^)

Yes, not mass market retail but easy enough to find online these days and the delivery times are much quicker than they used to be!

Wonder if those shoulder straps will stretch. Still rocking a top lid. That will keep dinosaurs like Eric happy.

It looks like the shoulder straps and hipbelt are very thin.  Perhaps that won’t be a problem (I have always liked a light, thin belt for light loads), but in a lot of cases, that is not the place to save weight.

I wonder how much weight they could have saved without the top lid?  Why does anyone still prefer those over a roll top?

Thanks Gunnar for posting. Looking forward to trying on this pack if nothing else to see what they’ve been able to achieve. If anyone has handled it, I’m wondering if the pack has a larger front pocket like the front mesh pocket on the Arc Haul.

I have an unframed Osprey Talon 22 for hiking and biking and a framed Talon 44 with an Air Frame suspension back like that on the Levity. I find the 44 much more comfortable than the Exos series which uncomfortably dug into my back/hips.

Osprey does a nice job with their packs but two gripes: 1) Too many unnecessary features you don’t need that add weight. Hoping many of these were removed on the Levity. 2) With my 21 in. torso I find the largest size of their non-adjustable Talon 44 to be just a tad short in the torso – another inch or so in length would work better – and I’m guessing they also do this on the largest sizes of their other non-adjustable framed packs to save weight.

One big plus: It’s not the Levity $240 MSR you should compare with the higher Zpacks price as it’s easy to buy new packs from Osprey and other manufacturers at 20-30% off retail if you can wait for a sale. So it’s $168-192 for the Osprey Levity with strong warranty and free repair service versus $299 for the Zpacks Arc Haul. However, like most cottage companies, Zpacks got there way before Osprey.

I found a bit more information, including UK pricing, on this pack. This says it will also be available in a 45L version, for a weight savings of about one ounce (30g). UK Pricing is £220-240. For comparison, the Exos 58 is £150. Based on that, US prices could be over $300, based on either the exchange rate or the ratio of Levity to Exos UK pricing.

Strike that. The link Gunnar posted says $240. I missed that somehow.

I was expecting bird jokes

Looking at the link Jim C provided, the shoulder straps and hip belt looks like they have taken it directly from Exos and had pockets removed. On Exos they work really well for me up to at least 30 pounds. The stays behind the mesh looks different from Exos. If the back ventilation works and it carries a load associated with 60l well, it is slightly different option and that can only be good? Given how Osprey usually measure volume it is probably the main compartment that is 60l (49l for Arc Haul)

It looks like it is made of similar materials as Exos, comparable size  to Exos 58 but more simplistic design, so it probably has a lower production cost. I would not be surprised if it comes down to a price similar to Exos once the initial hype is over.

Out with the hip belt pockets again.  :-(  The first Exos packs had no hip belt pockets, but they added them to the most recent models.

I’d rather they take away the top lid and keep decently sized hip belt pockets.

Given how Osprey usually measure volume it is probably the main compartment that is 60l (49l for Arc Haul)

I find the Arc Haul main compartment to be huge so this one must be truly gigantic.

Will the frame and suspension support the load that such volume implies?

Seems the 45L makes more sense.

It looks like the shoulder straps and hipbelt are very thin.

Hard to tell from the limited pictures, but the shoulder straps look very similar to the ones on the Exos Packs, which I find to be comfortable enough on my Exos 38.

The hipbelt on the other hand, looks fairly minimal, and I too, would miss the hipbelt pockets.

I wonder how much weight they could have saved without the top lid? Why does anyone still prefer those over a roll top?

The top lid on my Exos weighs 1.9 oz. I imagine the lid on the Levity would be less.  I like the lid for the added organization, and extra volume (mine is a  38L pack afterall.)  The Exos series has flap that allows you remove the top lid if you want to strip the pack, but after trying that configuration, I decided I preferred the lid, so I cut the flap off, saving about .5 oz.. So I figure I’m paying a net 1.4 oz penalty for keeping the lid, which is big enough to fit a rain jacket, FAK, and food for a day.

. Osprey – Levity VIDEO .

I’m not the most familiar with the last few models of exos, but it looks to me that the previous version had a basically pure spacer mesh strap while the new model and the Levity have some added foam. The foam looks a lot like the grippy stuff you would line a drawer in a tool chest with, in that it is a grid with lots of voids and seems to have a fairly low density.

New Exos:

Levity:

Here’s the first review I’ve seen on the Levity:

https://hikinginfinland.com/2018/01/osprey-levity-45-review.html

Hendrik says the main material is Osprey’s NanoFly fabric: “100D Cordura Nylon x 100D UHMWPE Ripstop”. I’m guessing this means the base fabric is 100D Cordura and the ripstop threads are some 100D UHMWPE. The pack also makes use of 30D Silnylon.

The Osprey video posted by Link says the main pack fabric is 210 denier high density nylon with a polyethylene gridstop. Amidst conflicting reports, I’d lean toward the manufacturer’s rep, for specs anyway. For the pack weight, that is a fairly beefy fabric weight of best quality nylon, and the gridstop will add to it. Would love to get my hands on some of that material.

It is also a nice looking pack, with a few drawbacks. If using the open top side pockets for bottles and other items not affected by water, as one video points out, the pocket material should be more elastic for easy access.

The rep advises that since there will be a light load in a light pack, the light hip belt is not a problem. But it is a 45L pack, for an SUL hiker good for a week with food, and could weigh in the 25-30 lb range in the first day or two. That is too much weight for a daypack hip belt.

There were some shots fired at the top cover – “I wonder how much weight they could have saved without the top lid? Why does anyone still prefer those over a roll top?”
No math needed to see that a lid has less yardage than a roll top. And why would anyone prefer to use a dry bag for a pack? Waste of fabric/weight and not much to offer re: organization and access of/to equipment. Have used dry bags a lot on trips combining kayaking and hiking loops, and with a good water resistant pack, never had a need to bring a dry bag or bag cover on the hiking leg to keep everything dry. Maybe if you enjoy slot canyons and might get swept away. I don’t, and won’t.

To be fair, the addition of a full suspended mesh backband and supporting frame will add significantly to the weight of any pack.

I think that if the hipbelt/suspension were beefed up, the side/shovel pockets made elastic, and if the pack fabric is as durable as claimed, this would be a great light weight pack. But would not buy any pack without first trying it on carrying the expected weight. There are often uncomfortable surprises.

. Osprey Levity/Lumina vs. Exos/Eja: What will you sacrifice for 12 oz? .

Hmmmm, my rei dividend and a 20% coupon would cover most of this….. when is the next coupon due?

It appears some of Hendrik’s specs are wrong. Osprey’s website says the pockets and bottom fabric are “NanoFly 210D Nylon X 200D UHMWPE”. That should be a pretty durable material, and I’m happy to see a major manufacturer use something for side pockets besides stretchy mesh. Since the side pockets cover most of the pack, 30D silnylon might be okay for the main pack body, but I could see a bear can (like the Bearikade) being problematic in the long-term. Elemental Horizons and Katabatic Gear both have packs that use or have used 70D nylon.

REI doesn’t have the Levity for sale yet, but the coupon should be coming later this month (that’s when it appeared last year). I did check out the updated Exos at REI and was overall impressed. The side and back pockets have less mesh and more solid fabric. And the foam in the hipbelt felt really nice. I would wait to try on the Levity, but I think most people would be better off buying an Exos and then trying to lighten it up by removing things.

John,
If your are right about 30D nylon being used on the main pack body, I’d have to withdraw the positive comments in my earlier post. More than 30 denier of anything is needed for a durable pack, IMO. Agree with you about the curse of netting outside pockets, especially side pockets. But please note that stretchy doesn’t have to mean mesh. There are some very light and durable woven materials that are very elastic. Am now working now on a pack where just decided to add bottle pockets on the lower sides to improve balance. Never even considered using netting.

Sam, the nike dura-weave from Quest Outfitters is extremely durable. I sewed a large front pocket for my Seek Outside packs and it has been stretched to its absolute max many times and I have yet to have even a thread pop loose or any deformation of the material

I still can’t find a good shot of the hip belt.

I have an EXOS 58 (about the same volume as the Levity) and like it a lot. I wonder if the Levity hip belt would be as comfortable as my EXOS 58? If not I’ll stick with my EXOS.

Eric the Andrew Skurka blog post in my link above compares the 2 packs and shows the hip belts side by side.

Best part is you can try it on in store. Some people are raving about the new belt.

I’ve tried the new Exos belt and I it seemed like a keeper. Makes me think the levity may be worth a go.