Osprey Aether 65 Backpack Review

Bottom Line

If you need the most durable and supportive backpack to haul heavy loads into the backcountry, the Osprey Aether can handle whatever you throw at it. When we loaded this pack up with 60 lb of weight for testing, it didn’t falter. It’s hard to make that type of load feel comfortable, so overall the Aether did a decent job handling it. One of the best things about the pack is its ability to adjust the torso length without taking it off, to dial in that perfect fit. 

Durability also stands out with this model. The burly nylon and a limited use of mesh should keep this pack kicking for many years. The mesh that we do see is limited to protected parts of the stretch back pocket and water bottle pockets. Thankfully, these water bottle pockets are decently easy to access, accommodating smart water and Nalgene bottles with Osprey’s clever vertical pocket design. 

Due to the average comfort at its highest loads, we do prefer other packs for heavy hauling comfort. However, everyone’s body is different, so try on any pack to see how it fits and works for your backpacking style. Otherwise, this is absolutely a backpack ready for years of gear-intensive adventures.

How We Tested

We roamed some local trails in Minnesota during the winter with this pack during our refresh of the entire backpacking guide lineup. We’ll update this review and our guide with more in-depth, three-season findings when we test them.

Comfort

Overall we think the Aether is a comfortable pack, but it approaches comfort a little bit differently. Most backpacks are only rated up to 30 or 40 pounds, so their suspension systems are only designed to be comfortable up to those weights. By contrast, the Aether is rated up to 60 lb, which means Osprey built up its components to accommodate those loads. Importantly then, it will still be comfortable with 30 pounds it it but also feel a bit overbuilt. Since this was one of our two heavy hauling packs, we decided to evaluate it at the maximum of 60 lb to see how it actually handled the weight. And we were left a little bit surprised. 

The experience wasn’t uncomfortable, but it also left us feeling like some of the technology from Osprey’s Atmos line could be implemented here to improve the experience. The Aether has a very standard-feeling hip belt and suspension system with no fancy contoured mesh. It’s just foam and thick nylon. We suspect that the technology that makes the Atmos so comfortable simply doesn’t work at these higher loads. But compared with other backpacking backpacks, the Aether falls behind a little bit in comfort. 

Fortunately we didn’t encounter anything catastrophic. There aren’t any obvious pressure points, the shoulder straps work great, and the back panel does a good job as well. We appreciate the customization options that Osprey gives for comfort here, particularly the ability to adjust the torso length on the fly – which is a unique feature to get the most out of this pack.

Features

As Osprey’s heaviest hauling pack, the Aether is loaded with features that make it a great choice for expeditions or other trips where long heavy carries are necessary. Unlike a lot of other backpacks that simply have external attachment points for optional lashing, the Aether has a full-on webbing strap system on the back design for carrying large items. The beefy nylon support structure around the webbing straps makes it clear this is a system designed for heavier items – not just a tent or sleeping pad like most backpackers use. Beneath this is a back stretch pocket that is made of solid face fabric with mesh on the sides but in a protected area. On that same back panel are some attachment loops for clipping in one of Osprey’s daypacks. This is another unique feature for people who want a peak bagging pack or a town bag.

The two ice axe loops include robust attachment cords on the middle of the pack, and this is one of those packs we’d expect to see frequent use of ice axes. We were also pleasantly surprised by the hip belt pockets. They’re one of the few that we tested that can be closed with just one hand.

Durability

This is a tank, an absolute bomber of a backpack, designed for throwing yourself into nature and not worrying about your gear at all. This is the most durable pack we tested, sporting 210D nylon for its thinnest parts and 420D for everything else. We weren’t able to test the Aether to anywhere near its limits and even if we tried we doubt we could put a dent in this thing without years of hard abuse.

Most backpacks fail with repeated abrasion against the load supporting areas. But the Aether simply doesn’t have those concerns. The thinnest fabric used here is the same as the reinforcement fabric used on other packs. The stitching quality is incredible – no seams showed any give. And the limited use of mesh is confined to smaller areas. The water bottle pockets are perhaps the only area where the mesh could snag and cause problems. However, this is on par with other backpacks. Osprey is a company that has put some efforts towards sustainability for their material choices, and it’s worth commending. The main body fabric is Bluesign approved, and the DWR finish is PFC free. Notably this lags behind their other packs like the Exos and Atmos, since those packs also use recycled materials and are PFAS free as well. We’d like to see these improvements in the Aether lineup, but the effort here is still decent.

Ease of Use

Despite being Osprey’s most built-up pack, the Aether manages to remain decently easy to use. Like its cousin the Atmos, the amount of features can get overwhelming at certain points, but every feature offered works well without frustration. The water bottle pockets are decently easy to access here – like on many Osprey packs – and Smartwater and Nalgene bottles fit without issue.

The hip belt pockets also deserve mention here. This is one of only a few packs where those pockets can be opened and closed with one hand. They’re large and well positioned, and we like that they’re made of solid fabric instead of mesh. 

Like some other Osprey packs, the Aether features a torso adjustment that can be shifted while wearing the pack. This is great for dialing in the perfect fit on trail or switching things up as the load makes the frame of the pack behave differently.

Should You Buy the Osprey Aether 65 Backpack?

If you’re looking for the most durable, heavy-hauling backpack, the Aether is hard to argue against. It’s on the outer edge of backpacking backpacks in the sense that its durability and load-hauling capabilities approach an expedition pack, hunting pack, or mountaineering pack. 

All of this comes at a cost. The Aether is both heavy and pricey for a backpack. Most backpackers do not need this much backpack. If your total pack weight is below 50 pounds, there are other packs that will meet your needs for less money and weight. Additionally, if your pack weight is 50 pounds or higher, it’s worth asking yourself, do you really need everything? It might be worth doing a shakedown to consider if you need that much gear – and really need one of the burliest packs out there. Still, for people who need something sturdy to carry cheaper, heavier, and bulkier backpacking gear – or specialized safety equipment for expeditions, winter hikes, mountaineering, or trail work – the Aether may be worth its weight and price.

What Other Backpacking Packs Should You Consider?

For backpacks of all shapes and sizes, check out our full Backpacking Backpack gear guide.

Osprey Ariel – The women’s version of the Aether has the same feature list but with torso sizes that go down to 13 inches instead of 17 inches on the Aether.

Gregory Baltoro 65 Review – The Baltoro was the other heavy hauler we considered other than the Aether. Not only did we find it more comfortable when loaded with 60 pounds, but also found it slightly easier to use, and it fits a BV500 bear canister horizontally internally. 

Gregory Paragon 58 Review – If your pack weight won’t exceed 50 pounds, we think that the excellent Gregory Paragon is an overall better pick for most people. 

Osprey Atmos 65 Review – If you like the overall style of the Aether but won’t be carrying 60 pounds, the Atmos is a smart alternative that should keep you happy with its outstanding suspended mesh back panel.