Mark McCarthy
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF 2014 2015
Lourdes 2 SdC 2016
Sarria 2 SdC April&Oct 2016 & (April 2018)
Camino Baztan June 2017
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According to Betteridge's Law the answer is "no".Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
Also because there is no one best anything for everyone.According to Betteridge's Law the answer is "no".
For me it is the Osprey Kestrel 38. But as ever with this subject always down to individual choice. Would use for both winter and summer.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
You are definitely bored.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack.
Thanks for that interesting link!According to Betteridge's Law the answer is "no".
5€ X 35 days equals €175. 5€ to have your pack sent forward for 35 days. That's a lot cheaper than doctor visits, MRI, physical therapy, etc, to prove you have the correct pack and the stamina to carry it.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Osprey products … my last few caminos have been longer e.g. DLP starting in Cadiz so I am now using 65 liter version.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
I'm not sure why you need a larger backpack for a longer Camino? I would bring the same gear for 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months.I’ve had nothing but good experiences with Osprey products … my last few caminos have been longer e.g. DLP starting in Cadiz so I am now using 65 liter version.
Size does matter. The bigger your backpack and the more stuff you carry, the less enjoyment you will have. This applies to everything in life - not just caminos.
@C clearly, if not, there should be one. Normally I get rather bored when someone starts to tell me that they have 'the best' of something, and I am normally pretty wary of contributing to 'what is the best ...?' discussions. Why?And there must be another law about any statement about "the best" anything.
You might want to reconsider sizes if you’re still considering a winter Camino. With the larger sleeping bag, jackets, etc. 50L gets used up pretty easilyAt 50L I would have to say No. I use a 34L
You might want to reconsider sizes if you’re still considering a winter Camino. With the larger sleeping bag, jackets, etc. 50L gets used up pretty easily
@C clearly, if not, there should be one. Normally I get rather bored when someone starts to tell me that they have 'the best' of something, and I am normally pretty wary of contributing to 'what is the best ...?' discussions. Why?
First, in general, very few if any of us have the experience to talk about more than one or two products like packs - hardly a sound basis for making bold statements about what might be the best when there is normally such a variety of products in any class on the market. Even if we do have practical experience with a broader range of products, the global nature of this forum brings with it the distinct possibility that my 'best of ...' product is not readily available in the country where it is 'needed'.
Second, we will each evaluate product characteristics differently, weighting our judgements according to our individual preferences. We normally have no idea how others might do that, normally because when a 'best of' question is asked, the person often has only the sketchiest idea of what they want in a product, let alone how they might weight competing characteristics.
Third, I often think that the truism that the best is the enemy of the good holds true here. If I consider price separately from functional characteristics, then I can ask 'am I prepared to pay $xx for this improvement in yy?' You might want to put that comparison into a per-usage framework. @davebugg recommends this in some of his posts, and I agree this can be a better comparison than purchase price alone, but only if you are going to make consistent use of the item, eg over several caminos.
Finally, there is a point where even major product purchases aren't entirely rational. A salesperson will sell the products that he or she has available, even if there are better products available right next door, and they know it. If you find their pitch compelling, you might decide not to make the extra effort to keep going from shop to shop comparing, and make the purchase. Equally, you might walk out of a store selling what might be objectively a better product because of poor quality service. You will never know.
Just as we will never really know if something is the best!
@Zordmot, you make excellent points here. Indeed, if every 'best of ...' thread was discussed in the way you have outlined, we would be having some well balanced discussions on any of a range of matters - packs, footwear, underwear and outerwear - the list is limitless. Clearly I don't think we are there yet, largely because members still ask for advice on what is the 'best of ...'. Or, as is the case with this thread, provide an unsolicited recommendation for a very particular pack devoid of any context that supports this assertion.Yes to most of your points here but.......when you have experience in something and I have none, what you have to say is helpful for me at least as a starting point. I don’t take what you say as infallible but at least you help identify what are the issues that I need to consider. It gives me a starting point, a reference point for weighing further input. If this was my first Camino and you are a veteran, of course I’m going to be very interested in what you say about packs. After 2 Caminos, I would advise a first-timer that a lot of people walking their first Camino that suffer foot problems seem to be carrying too much weight and that people tend to get packs that are large enough to hold all the stuff they think they need RATHER THAN buying a pack to hold a certain amount of weight and then fitting what they bring to that maximum. I’d also say that people with Osprey and Deuter seem to be happy with their packs.
I'm sorry, but 1.65 kg is not all that impressive! I have used three different backpacks on the Camino which range in weight from 0.99 - 1.02 kg.which weighs in at impressive 1.65 Kg.
I am curious, which packs were they and which was your favourite?I'm sorry, but 1.65 kg is not all that impressive! I have used three different backpacks on the Camino which range in weight from 0.99 - 1.02 kg.
I used the Marmot Graviton 36 for my first two Caminos. Great backpack and there is a men's version too.I am curious, which packs were they and which was your favourite?
I do like the larger waistline pockets, tried get my Kestrel 48 pockets made larger to no avail.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
My husband and I have purchased the Aura and the Atmos for an April - May 2022 Camino. I am really appreciative of this thread, because we love the anti gravity feature of these packs but we are concerned with size. Of course, we intend to pack intentionally: light and minimal. Weather considerations mean a a few extra clothing items.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
I have been torn between complete dismay and utter respect for the marketing prowess of Osprey. Marketing something that is clearly impossible to deliver originally seemed to me a fraught endeavour, but seems to have worked remarkably well when so many forum members seem to think that it is effective.because we love the anti gravity feature of these packs
Thanks for sharing your opinion, but they are neither extremely heavy nor even heavy for the purpose they are engineered for, what obviously is not flat Camino walking. Actually legs and feet and the whole body are pretty grateful for those clever features once one starts to climb mountains and carry corresponding loads.Personally I find these packs dangerous. While being extremely heavy themselves in the first place, the size and weight distribution features are an invitation to pack to much and heavy. And that weight and bulk has to be adressed by your legs and feet, who don't care at all about the packs clever features.
I have to admit, the packs were ones of the first i looked at before my first camino. The marketing sounded really good to me. Thankfully i found the right advice before buying anything and ended up with way smaller, frameless pack that weighed in at a fraction.
Of course, thats just my personal opinion and what worked for me might not work for someone else. There seems to be a reason that those packs are so loved...
I have been torn between complete dismay and utter respect for the marketing prowess of Osprey. Marketing something that is clearly impossible to deliver originally seemed to me a fraught endeavour, but seems to have worked remarkably well when so many forum members seem to think that it is effective.
The only working anti-gravity system that I have used in my many years of travel was walking on Mount Kilimanjaro. They were called porters! I suppose mochilla taxi is the camino equivalent.
I'm not sure how much less energy expenditure there might be in reducing the demands of maintaining both static and dynamic stability when walking. I would have thought that the major energy expenditure was actually about moving a mass (walker plus pack, etc) over a distance in a specific time. That isn't going to change because of the pack suspension design.Glad to hear you again
So far I understand the matter it is all about the energy expenditure to keep the balance. Once backpack on the shoulders the body is out of the natural balance and muscles use energy to compensate this. With Osprey AG the energy penalty is less, so one use less energy to carry the same mass for the same distance and you may think about this phenomenum as anti-gravity.
As ever, @dougfitz , spot on!@C clearly, if not, there should be one. Normally I get rather bored when someone starts to tell me that they have 'the best' of something, and I am normally pretty wary of contributing to 'what is the best ...?' discussions. Why?
First, in general, very few if any of us have the experience to talk about more than one or two products like packs - hardly a sound basis for making bold statements about what might be the best when there is normally such a variety of products in any class on the market. Even if we do have practical experience with a broader range of products, the global nature of this forum brings with it the distinct possibility that my 'best of ...' product is not readily available in the country where it is 'needed'.
Second, we will each evaluate product characteristics differently, weighting our judgements according to our individual preferences. We normally have no idea how others might do that, normally because when a 'best of' question is asked, the person often has only the sketchiest idea of what they want in a product, let alone how they might weight competing characteristics.
Third, I often think that the truism that the best is the enemy of the good holds true here. If I consider price separately from functional characteristics, then I can ask 'am I prepared to pay $xx for this improvement in yy?' You might want to put that comparison into a per-usage framework. @davebugg recommends this in some of his posts, and I agree this can be a better comparison than purchase price alone, but only if you are going to make consistent use of the item, eg over several caminos.
Finally, there is a point where even major product purchases aren't entirely rational. A salesperson will sell the products that he or she has available, even if there are better products available right next door, and they know it. If you find their pitch compelling, you might decide not to make the extra effort to keep going from shop to shop comparing, and make the purchase. Equally, you might walk out of a store selling what might be objectively a better product because of poor quality service. You will never know.
Just as we will never really know if something is the best!
i love my Osprey packs and it had nothing to do with marketing as I didn’t know when I tried them on they were OspreysI have been torn between complete dismay and utter respect for the marketing prowess of Osprey. Marketing something that is clearly impossible to deliver originally seemed to me a fraught endeavour, but seems to have worked remarkably well when so many forum members seem to think that it is effective.
Some days any pack will be perfect. On other days it will be too big, too small, comfortable, uncomfortable, strap will dig in, ride too high, ride to low. stupid color. Too many pockets, not enough pockets. Its endless when one is walking all day with it strapped to you back. But when you get to Santiago you will consider it your best friend.Feeling a little bit bored so I thought I would resurect an old debate about which is the best Camino backpack. I know its way too big, too heavy and you can't use it as carry on BUT after a winter Camino I am now convinced that the Osprey Atmos AG is the best Camino backpack ever! It is sooo comfortable! Please feel free to disagree and debate.
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