Osprey 38 Eja backpack

[dreaming]

Hi. My backpack has been on two caminos Le Puy and CF. It is five years old. It has started to wear near the bottom of the frame where its placed on the ground. It also has developed holes in the mesh at the front and side pockets? The shop where i bought it suggested tape for the bottom. Any suggestions for mending the mesh? It is not covered by Osprey's Almighty guarantee in Australia as considered wear and tear by the Outdoor shop i purchased it from. The first thing he said was it is a light weight pack as if they don't wear well. I like the pack however wouldn't buy again as is too long for cabin luggage on budget airlines like Veuling. Thanks in advance

 

[trecile]

I would write to Osprey to confirm rather than relying on the outdoor shop.

 

[JillGat]

My Osprey sirrus pack had the back mesh torn and I sent it back to them, hoping they would repair it, but they sent me a new pack instead. It's a nice pack, but I kinda wanted my old one back! Osprey has been sold to another company and I'm not sure what their return policy is.. Before, Osprey had an entire warehouse full of all the parts, toggles, belts, everything from every pack for every year since they started. I wonder if the new company does that, too?
Contact Osprey and let us know what they say. Thanks!

 

[Ernie Fraser]

As others have said, write to Osprey. They have a great reputation for customer service related to product quality.

 

[maruska89]

My Osprey sirrus pack had the back mesh torn and I sent it back to them, hoping they would repair it, but they sent me a new pack instead. It's a nice pack, but I kinda wanted my old one back! Osprey has been sold to another company and I'm not sure what their return policy is.. Before, Osprey had an entire warehouse full of all the parts, toggles, belts, everything from every pack for every year since they started. I wonder if the new company does that, too?
Contact Osprey and let us know what they say. Thanks!

What pack did they send you? I just bought the Osprey Viva 45 as I'm doing the camino and the TMB, and the salesperson said that Osprey is getting away from the mesh pockets as they don't last. It doesn't come with a front pocket, which I'm not sure I like, but has 2 large side pockets not made of mesh. Does anyone have the viva, or other pack without the front pocket?

 

[JillGat]

What pack did they send you? I just bought the Osprey Viva 45 as I'm doing the camino and the TMB, and the salesperson said that Osprey is getting away from the mesh pockets as they don't last. It doesn't come with a front pocket, which I'm not sure I like, but has 2 large side pockets not made of mesh. Does anyone have the viva, or other pack without the front pocket?

Osprey sent me the newer Sirrus pack. I think I liked the curved back zipper on the old version better (tho I haven't used this new one yet). I doubt that the mesh pockets don't last. My friend Mike owned Osprey and designed all the packs - and offered the lifetime warranty - until he sold it about two years ago to Helen of Troy. Before he sold it, he gave me a lightweight Eja 38, so now I have two brand new packs I haven't used yet. Hoping to walk the Sanabres with my daughter in April, so we'll flip a coin for who gets which pack. Or maybe we'll take turns to do comparative field testing!

I just looked on their site and it still says this:

[[Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge — whether it was produced in 1974 or yesterday. If we are unable to perform a functional repair on your pack, we will happily replace it. We proudly stand behind this guarantee, so much so that it bears the signature of company founder and head designer, Mike Pfotenhauer..]]

Sounds to me like they still cover wear and tear. I don't know how much shipping is from Australia, but you should deal with Osprey directly and let the salesperson know.

I did notice on the site, too, that they have dropped a lot of the earlier designs.

 

[JillGat]

Update: I just saw this on the Osprey site under International Customer Service:
OUR WARRANTY DIFFERS SLIGHTLY INTERNATIONALLY FROM COUNTRY TO COUNTRY, DEPENDING ON LOCAL LAWS AND CUSTOMS. WHILE WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY WE POSSIBLY CAN, ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO RELY ON OUR LOCAL DISTRIBUTORS TO DETERMINE WHAT MAKES SENSE IN THEIR COUNTRY. IN CASES OF PRODUCTION OR MATERIAL DEFECT, FULL WARRANTY SUPPORT WILL BE OFFERED. NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR WILL BE LEFT UP TO THE DISTRIBUTORS DISCRETION.

 

[dreaming]

I have emailed Osprey and will let you know how i get on. Mesh pockets definitely do wear. Only tough enough for soft clothes etc..

 

[dreaming]

I received an email from Osprey Australia. They do not cover wear and tear in their warranty in Australia only manufacturing defects. I will be looking at all brands when purchasing my new backpack as the warranty doesn't make a scrap of difference.

 

[Apollo9000]

I received an email from Osprey Australia. They do not cover wear and tear in their warranty in Australia only manufacturing defects. I will be looking at all brands when purchasing my new backpack as the warranty doesn't make a scrap of difference.

That's so disappointing since I own a few Osprey bags. I have only used the "almighty guarantee" once and that was for bag wheels that deteriorated due to old age on a trip. I lodged a claim with the aus distributor and I got replacement wheels sent for free.
I checked again on the au Osprey site and they still have the spill on the free repairs regardless of age.

 

[dreaming]

Update
Despite Osprey saying wear and tear wasn't covered, they suggested I send photos of my pack so they could advise me how to fix it. Their reply was that I could send my pack to Coburg in Melbourne and they would fix it free of charge. I only had to pay 1 dollar for the box. Postage both ways was free. I certainly didn't expect this service.

 

[dick bird]

I would write to Osprey to confirm rather than relying on the outdoor shop.

We had an Osprey pack that had seen better days and was too far gone for repair. Outside of the US, the ´life time´ guarantee doesn´t apply so Osprey wouldn´t replace it, but they came back later with the offer of a display model for free (it was too big so we gave it to a friend, but it was a nice gesture). So the message is try Osprey, they may help.

 

[dreaming]

A further update. I still don't have my backpack yet. Apparently they repaired the mesh pockets but couldn't repair the worn area on the bottom of the backpack. The backpack is deemed lightweight so it is made of less durable materials and not expected to last.
Not worth the effort of sending it to Osprey in Australia.

 

[dreaming]

Backpack arrived today albeit looking a bit manhandled probably from Australia Post or the factory.
All they did was place three small heat patches on the mesh. I could have sewn patches on myself.
This seems a lot of expense for Osprey with postage and paying for the repair
Not worth the effort of sending it to Osprey in Australia. Do it yourself.