Weight: 1294g, 48l (m) / 1209g, 48l (w)

Best for: Fastpacking and thru-hiking with bigger loads or in hot weather.

Overview

The lightweight, mid-sized Exos shaves grams without sacrificing the comfort typical of heavier designs. The Airspeed Suspension and Exoform harness combine a trampoline-style mesh back panel with ventilating shoulder straps and waistbelt. The harness comes in two sizes and has 10cm of adjustability to fine-tune the fit. The single compartment combines light 100D and 400D ripstop nylon and has two lid and hip belt pockets as well as stretchy overflow pockets, two of which are accessible on the go.

Performance

At first glance the webbing on this pack may seem excessive, but once it’s loaded the straps make sense and provide fine-tunable compression. It’s slightly less efficient to use than straps with buckles, but holds items like tent poles securely. 

The breathability of the harness makes it ideal for hot weather, and it lives up to its comfort claims, rivalling more heavily built packs, even with a heavy load. The rigid perimeter frame also contributes to load support, but I found it slightly too stiff on awkward terrain that required full-body agility. The Exos has a great feature set including a removable lid, ice axe and hiking pole attachments and ample overflow straps or tabs. The stretchy side pockets are ideal for stashing clothing on the go, but although all three are reinforced, overall this pack’s light fabrics limit its durability.

It’s also available in a women’s model, the Eja (48l, 1209g). 

What we like

Very good airflow, comfort and capacity for weight, precise compression, fine-tuneable back length.

Limitations

Overly stiff on technical terrain, durability.

Why buy the Exos?

This well-featured, reasonably priced pack is most at home on a long-distance hike, but anyone who favours hot-weather comfort and gram-saving will appreciate it for weekend tramps too. It’s best on tracks where its zig-zag webbing and stash pockets can’t catch on scrub.