Is there anything bad to say about the Exos 58? I know it's not super-light or cuben, but I think it'll meet my needs, my budget, and by two pounds lighter than my current Gregory.

Do you really need that much volume? I have an Exos 58 and found out that I can get away with a Talon 44 for a weeklong packrafting trip. It works in winter as well, even with my bulkier items. However, I'm not sure I could go a week in winter with all the extra food and insulation.

The Exos is a great pack and carries well, but make sure you actually need all that room! That being said, it does compress well with smaller loads.

Edited by T.L. on 12/15/2011 21:37:49 MST.

Truthfully no, but I do two kinds of backpacking--one with my dad, and one with my girlfriend. I carry more gear when I'm with her, but it's the compromise that gets her to come with and feel comfortable. When I'm with my dad, heck no!

Edit: What I'm reading about the hipbelt doesn't exactly excite me. I'm 6'4" 175, and it sounds like the hip belt might not be tight enough for me. Anyone got feedback on that aspect?

Edited by tekhna on 12/15/2011 21:44:59 MST.

I have tried that pack on several times and walked around with the REI sandbags in it, but don't have one myself because it's out of my budget and I'm still not sure if I want to go frameless or not.

As far as I can tell from that limited experience, it's hard to talk someone out of it. You're right, it's not Silnylon or Cuben but for what it is, it is the lightest I've found. My observation is that for a lightweight pack Osprey has done a really great job cutting a lot of weight without sacrificing the level of comfort associated with their heavier packs not to mention a long list of features. Like I said I'm not sure it's what I'd want, but if I was looking for something in the lightweight brand name category I would buy it.]

Edit: I had no issues with the hipbelt size but I'm 5'2" with a 32-35 inch waist so...

Edited by JoslynB on 12/15/2011 21:50:07 MST.

I sold off my Exos 46 because of the hipbelt. It wasn't comfortable after a few miles. The Exos 58 is a large volume pack, it depends on what your carrying, but it may be too much. I love my Talon 44, very comfortable pack and plenty of attachment points, ( unless you hack them off to shave some weight ). The Exos has a lot to really like, but see if you can try one on with weight and see if it works for your frame. It seems that people that it fits really love them.

the 58 is huge, much bigger than 46, and seems like it is about 5-10L bigger than stated volume. I find both extremely comfortable, and hipbelts are fine. my stomach "bones" are probably bigger than yours, at your stated height and weight. You can put a medium waistbelt on a large pack if needed.
C

You should also take a look at the Lowe Zepton 50. Not too many reviews for it out there, but I liked it a lot better than an Exos 46. I found the Exos hard to pack because of the curved back panel. The Zepton is a very similar pack but I found the suspension much more comfortable. It's also made of substantially more durable fabric than the Exos.

Andrew

I've got one but I'm looking to replace it with the upcoming myog thingie. The thing I don't like about it, while also liking it, is the ventilated back mesh. Overall, the pack is a mesh monster. I'm not a extreme cragaholic, just an ordinary guy, involved in scouting. I just don't like how I need to baby it when I put it down, plus the mesh is bad in winter..
So for my part, I wouldn't buy it again, would probably go cottage/myog. On the other hand, I don't have any bad facts about it. It rides very well, I'm 1.74 m tall, 72 kg. I think the volume is very good, especially if you need to easy someone elses burden. Obviously, you can overload it as it's still a lightweight pack construction.
My mixed opinion. :)

interesting option on the Lowe. 122 bucks + 35% of coupon at STP makes that tempting. I've never used a bag that small though, I'm a bit anxious, especially given the size of my Half Dome 2.

Ben, if you haven't done so already, take your entire kit to someplace like REI and pack it into packs. You'll get a good idea of how much space you'll really need. Don't forget any extra clothes, food, and water.

I love the hipbelt on my Exos 58. It's the only hipbelt of any backpack I've ever used that combines any amount of padding with a super-flexible design. This means it conforms to your body rather than placing undue pressue anywhere that isn't perfectly curved (My hipbones jut out). Just disappears.
Great pack in general. I fill it up pretty easily. Food is a high-volume item for me though (I take something a bit closer to 'real food' than most people I guess).

Also, I'm on the slender side as well (145 lbs / 5' 11") and frankly I think the hipbelt works better for people like us than for... rounder folk. Lots of complaints about it from heavier people (and regular people), but it's been the best fit so far for me.

Edited by dasbin on 12/16/2011 01:57:29 MST.

Ditto on the previous post and the way the hipbelt on the Exos wraps around and distributes the load far better than most hipbelts (what Osprey refers to as "Bio-stretch"). As a point of reference I'm 71 inches and 195 lbs. I only had one issue with my 58 and 46...and that was stepping on the hipbelt buckle and breaking it once. Osprey was all over that...sending me a replacement and a couple of more robust options from their parts bin.

The 58 is my winter pack (or long haul pack when I need to carry group gear and extra days of food). The 46 is my 3-season pack. I prefer the 46 to the 58 for one reason...it has a single vertical front pocket instead of being divided into two as in the 58. The single, larger pocket provides a better place to stow a wet shelter.

Ben, I'm guessing you already plan to strap the Halfdome on the top (or bottom) of the pack. I used to pack in a Halfdome before I started going light and you'd need a big pack to be able to get it inside with all the other gear. I always strapped it to the bottom of my then Gregory Baltoro.

Cool pack, but I thought the hip belt was going to cut me in half. I wanted the Exos to work so badly that I bought a 46 and a 58. My skinny buddy loves my 58 now. Sold both to finance a ULA Catalyst and Circuit, and have zero regrets. Gotta love a Made in Utah pack.

I carried the Exos on several trips, and could never quite get it comfortable. I thought the teeny compression straps were quite fiddly as well - always hanging up when I wanted them to slide.

It is a very light pack for its size, and if you're going to be carrying a bulky load (for me it was bear canisters), it has a ton of room.

I went the same direction as Joe, and ended up with a ULA Catalyst, with which I am very happy!

As a 6'1" 168 lbs 32" waist guy, I bought a Exos 58 to try before my A.T thru this year, and used it on 3 eight hour day hikes loaded with 28 lbs of gear. Back mesh panel had two rips in it from the weight pulling apart the seams, and the hipbelt felt like it was digging into my stomach and along the top of my sacrum when climbing. I returned it and carried a MLD Exodus, followed by a MLD Burn for the entire trip and l loved it. ALSO am getting ULA's Circuit pack for my winter / fall camping. I'd avoid the Exos due to fragile nature of materials. Just my two cents worth.

Ben, I agree with Bradley too. The belt on the EXOS 58 is the most comfortable I've used in my 40 years of hiking. I wish it was a tad smaller though. I'm 5'9" and weigh 157 lbs. After a couple weeks on the trail I have the hip belt compressed to its max....and I could use a little more tightening. I've looked at it and I know I can do some cutting and restitching to make it work. The belt does exactly what Bradley say...'it conforms to your hips'. I don't even notice the pack on my back when I'm under 30 lbs of load.

I don't find it too large. I simply compress it down when it's not full. I'd rather have the extra space..just in case../instead of having to strap stuff to the outside.

The other thing I forgot to mention about size is bear canisters. That's part of the rational for the size. I ordered both the Lowe and the Exos, we'll see what I like better. The Lowe was just too good a price on STP to not try.

Ben, I'm also planning on getting an EXOS 58 (or what ever replaces it). The only true complaints I've heard besides hipbelt misfits (which are VERY individual) is that the mesh can wear out prematurely from abrasion where it touches the frame. This is particularly a problem at the bottom corners of the fame. I may just coat these areas with Shoe Goo. Since the EXOS 58 will be only for 3 season backpacking I feel the trampoline mesh back suspension is a big benefit for comfort and coolness.

I totally agree with Osprey that the comfort of a light internal frame is much better than the discomfort of a "frameless" pack. But if you really want to try a frameless pack PM me for a good CCF pad "frame" design.

My current pack is a 2009 REI Cruise UL 60 W/ two side pockets added. It's similar to the durrent REI Flash 65. After trying on a loaded (30 lbs.) EXOS 58 for half an hour at REI I found the EXOS hipbelt definitely better than the thin, stiff REI belt.
The EXOS 58 size large is Just big enough for my torso and Just big enough volume wise.

My Big Two" (not including pack) are:
1. TT Moment tent & thin poly ground cloth
2. WM Megalite bag & Thermarest Prolite reg. pad
With those plus 2 or 3 liters of water in the hydration bladder, 6 to 7 days' food and my clothing I need the size of an EXOS 58.

Side pockets are mainly for conveniance of getting to potty gear, 1st Aid Kit, stove & fuel and H2O treatment (like Steripen, funnel & coffee filters & Katadyn tablets) and toilet kit. If you need to use the EXOS 58 in winter you can also use the side pockets for extra gear. For winter you can store a large CCF sit pad behind the mesh (if it's accessable).

Edited by Danepacker on 12/16/2011 10:20:05 MST.

Ben, in terms of volume, BPL tested the internal volume of the Zepton and the Exos 58. The Zepton was 49L, and the Exos 58 tested at 50L. So they are basically equivalent in terms of size. (Reference: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lw_internal_frame_packs_part_2.html)

I regularly pack a bear can in my Zepton.

Andrew