Osprey Archeon 45 Pack for Men and Women (Adjustable Harness)

Osprey Archeon 45 pack for men and women includes two separate gender-specific packs built from incredibly durable fabric, with adjustable torso length, and a rain cover. Keep reading for more.

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Key features & benefits

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What is in the name

This Osprey Archeon 45 backpack for men and women is a mid-size pack for overnight and weekend tours. The number 45 in the name denotes its volume in liters. However, they build the pack for men it in two sizes as S/M and L/XL packs with 43 and 45 liters, respectively. You have the corresponding XS/S and M/L sizes for women.

So effectively, you have 4 packs under the same name. I shall use the word ‘pack’ for this 45-liters version, but the meaning is ‘packs’ as you realize. This is a part of a much larger new series that includes also the Archeon 70 liters pack for men, Archeon 65 for women, and several smaller gender-specific packs.

The pack has two access points, from the top under the fixed lid, and from the front through a large U-shaped zipper, see the picture below. You would not expect the front access on such a relatively small pack, but this compensates for the fact that it comes without the bottom compartment.

The pack is hydration compatible with an inner sleeve that can accommodate a water bladder of up to 3 liters volume, see the picture below. It comes with a bonus of rain cover shown above.

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Overview of features

Suspension

The suspension system here is based on the following important elements:

• An HDPE frame sheet that gives the shape to the back area of the pack.
• 2 Profiled vertical aluminum alloy stays that spread the load across the back panel.
• An adjustable shoulder harness for a custom fit for all-day comfort. The adjustability range is 19 – 23 inches (48 – 58 cm) for the larger pack. You have a Velcro hook and loop connection and some markers, see the picture above. So just break the connection and slide the harness up or down along the mentioned metal stays, and then press it to re-engage the connection.
• A well-padded hip belt. Its adjustability range for the larger pack is 28 – 50 inches (71 – 127 cm).

The picture below shows how this all looks:

You have the usual adjustable sternum strap with a safety whistle, and load lifter straps. The padding is without seams and stitching on the bodyside for increased comfort.

The Osprey Archeon 45 women’s pack has a narrower shoulder harness and differently shaped hip belt fins and padding to follow anatomically women’s body shape.

So this is what they call the AirScape system with a breathable mesh covering the back panel and the pack is close to the body. They have some better ventilated packs for sure, see their Rook 50 pack to realize what I mean. But this is one of the back panel concepts used by Osprey in several of their series. You will see it also in their Kyte 46 pack.

This pack is supposed to carry the weight of up to 35 lb (16 kg) comfortably. Note that there is no massive lumbar padding here, you have a smooth transition to the hip belt.

Pockets

There are 6 pockets in total and they include:

• Dual zippered hip belt pockets, see one below.
• Dual stretch pockets with dual (top and side) access, see the picture below.
• One pocket is on the lid, and one on its underside shown below.

Pity they did not add anything on the front, this is a large and wasted area.

Attachment elements & straps

• There are two ice axe loops on the bottom.
• Dual side compression straps are at the usual places.
• There are 4 attachment loops on the lid.

Observe that there are no bottom straps here, pity.

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Materials

You have a Global Recycle Standard (GRS) certified pack here, they claim this is 100% built from recycled materials. The fabric is incredibly durable nylon treated with a C0 PFC-free durable water repellent (DWR) finish. I already mentioned dual aluminum stays, but there is a lot of other metal here, buckles and componentry are metal as well.

The pack is heavy for its size, the larger weighs 4 lb 12.8 oz (2.18 kg), but the material is strong and all the straps are wide. Compare this with their Kyte 46 pack which weighs 3.38 lb (1.53 kg). Please see a bit more about the whole Archeon series in this short video:

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Specifications – Men’s pack(s)

• Best use: backpacking (as declared), but see the weight.
• Sizes: L/XL & S/M.
• Volume:
  – L/XL: 45 l (2746 in³).
  – S/M: 43 l (2624 in³).
• Weight:
  – L/XL: 4 lb 12.8 oz (2.18 kg).
  – S/M: 4 lb 6.4 oz (2 kg).
• Weight capacity: 35 lb (16 kg).
• Dimensions:
  – L/XL: 28 x 12 x 12 in (a cm).
  – S/M: 26 x 12 x 12 in (a cm).
• Torso fit:
  – L/XL: 19 – 23 in (48 – 58 cm).
  – S/M: 17 – 21 in (43 – 53 cm).
• Waist/Hips ft:
  – L/XL: 28 – 50 in (71 – 127 cm).
  – S/M: 26 – 45 in (66 – 114 cm).
• Metal buckles and componentry.
• Fabric: recycled nylon/mesh.

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Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

Please see how I rate this pack against my standard criteria used for all the packs here in the site for easy comparison:

 

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Buy at Osprey

You might want to compare this pack with my Mammut Lithium 40 pack which is considerably lighter.

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