New Osprey Kyte 46 Pack for Women Review

Need a hiking and backpacking pack with all the features needed for the tour? This new Osprey Kyte 46 Pack for Women review is the text for you. Read about the new version of this great pack.

Key features & benefits

Where to buy

This Osprey Kyte 46 women’s pack is available on Amazon. I have seen it on several of their global stores, so please follow the link and you will be redirected to your local store and check shipping conditions.

What this is about

Osprey Kestrel and Kyte series for men and women are among their best known and they include 7 packs in total. In 2019 they have launched a new version of these packs and the text is about this latest one. Both versions are on the market so it is very easy to get confused.

The easiest way to recognize the new 2019 Kyte 46 is perhaps to focus on the logo (the osprey bird); you have it only on the top of the pack in the new version (see the picture above). In the previous version it is also on the bottom part, so you have it twice.

Also, the dual daisy chains on the front are now the same color as the rest of the pack. In the previous version the color is different.

So this Kyte 46 is a top-loading pack with a classic non-movable lid. Note however that you also have a long zippered entrance on the right side. If this is not enough, there is also a bottom compartment with a removable divider, see the picture. So you can access the main compartment from three sides.

The pack is hydration compatible and it comes with a separate compartment for a reservoir that is located between the harness and the main compartment, see the picture below. This is convenient because you can refill the reservoir (if you are using it) without messing with the other equipment.

The pack also comes with a bonus rain cover and it has its own dedicated pocket on the bottom shown below.

The suspension

The suspension is based on a LightWire 3.5 mm aluminum peripheral frame and Atilon frame sheet. Here you have the concept where the pack is close to the body.

You have channels in the foam on the back and they are covered by a nice mesh that gives a bit of ventilation. This is what they call the AirScape back panel. So this is completely different from their other series with trampoline style mesh (see for example their Manta 34 pack).

The idea behind such a design is to provide better stability on rough terrain because the load is close to the body. Note that the reservoir sleeve is directly behind the harness. This means that the heaviest part of the stuff in the pack (the water) is the closest to the body, and this is optimal for stability.

The shoulder harness and hip belt padding is the same SpacerMesh design, a foam covered by pleasant and breathable mesh, you can see it in the picture above.

The torso length is adjustable. You have a hook and loop Velcro connection and several markers to guide you, see the picture below. So just break the Velcro and reposition the harness by moving it up or down. Then press to re-engage the connection and the job is done. This is useful because several family members can use the same pack and still have a perfect torso fit.

Load lifters and sternum strap are all adjustable so you can dial your best fit and stabilize the pack when it is necessary. The sternum strap buckle is with a whistle visible in the picture below.

Other features

Pockets

• One zippered pocket is on the underside of the lid.
• One zippered pocket is on the top of the lid, see the picture below.
• There is a side zippered pocket on the left side, it matches the zipper of the side entrance mentioned above, which is on the right side of the pack.
• There are dual stretch mesh pockets on the side. Here you can carry water bottles or any elongated items. Note that they have dual access, from the top and from the side.
• One large shove-it pocket is on the front.
• Two zippered pockets are on the hip belt, see the picture above.

So this makes it 8 pockets in total, plus the rain cover pocket on the bottom.

Attachment elements and straps

• Upper and lower side compression straps provide added stability when the pack is not full. You can use them also as attachment elements or to fix in place any elongated object stored in the side pockets. But they also offer Reverse Straightjacket Compression, you pass them through the loops of the daisy chains. One side is with a female buckle and the other is with a male buckle, so you can buckle them on the front of the pack for compression or to attach some gear, see the pictures.

• The Kyte 46 comes with the famous Stow-on-the-Go attachment system for trekking poles, see the pictures. This is useful when you want to take a photo, to have some snacks on the go, or when you have a scramble in front of you.

• Dual daisy chains are on the front, see the picture below.
• Removable dual straps are on the bottom. The picture below shows how you can use it to attach a sleeping pad.

• Dual ice tool attachment loops are on the bottom. You can tuck them away if not needed, this is convenient when you walk through the bushes because they are rather long.

Materials

They use strong and durable materials here. You have:

• The main material 210D x 630D Nylon Dobby.
• Accent 420HD Nylon Oxford.
• The bottom is 500D Nylon Packcloth.

Who is it for

Gender-wise, as mentioned above this Kyte 46 is a pack with women-specific features. Osprey is one of a few top brands that build separate packs for men and women. So you have the shoulder straps, hip belt fins, and sternum strap with features that suit women’s body shape.

Size-wise, they build the pack in two sizes, XS/S and S/M (see the numbers in the specifications below). So this is a volume capacity that should be good enough for overnight and weekend tours, and also for hut to hut tours in the Alps.

Features-wise, you have seen this, this is a technical pack that has all necessary features for the trail. I do not see anything crucial missing here. Plenty of options for attachment, many pockets, and several main compartments.

Weight-wise, with 3.38 lb (1.53 kg), this is a very lightweight pack with an excellent volume/weight ratio of 30 liters/kg. You will realize this also from the comparison table below.

Please see a bit more in this short video:

Specifications

• Sizes:
  – XS/S: 2685 in³ (44 l)
  – S/M: 2807 in³ (46 l).
• Weight:
  – XS/S: 3.24 lb (1.47 kg).
  – S/M: 3.38 lb (1.53 kg).
• Weight capacity: 35 lb (16 kg).
• Torso fit:
  – XS/S: 13 – 17 in (33 – 43 cm).
  – S/M: 16 – 20 in (41 – 51 cm).
• Waist/Hips fit:
  – XS/S: 24 – 45 in (61 – 114 cm).
  – S/M: 26 – 45 in (66 – 114 cm).
• Dimensions: 28 x 13 x 12 in (71 x 33 x 30 cm).

Osprey Kyte 46 vs Deuter Futura Vario 45+10 vs Gregory Octal 45 packs

I have mentioned how lightweight this Kyte 46 is, so it may be useful to compare it with some other packs. Here below I give the Deuter Futura Vario 45+10 SL and Gregory Octal 45 packs, both are women-specific backpacks.

Now, the Futura Vario is everything but light pack, but it has plenty of features and its suspension is superior to Kyte 46. It is heavier because of more padding on the hip belt, because of its bigger volume, and because of its divider which is with a zipper as compared with the toggles in the other two packs.

On the other hand, Octal 45 is an ultralight backpack, but as usual, this implies fewer features, and you can see this in the table. As you see, the Kyte 46 weight is right in between the other two packs. But these are all top-notch packs so please follow the links for more.

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

I have a set of rating criteria which I use consistently for all the packs here in the site, so you can easily compare. Have a look:

Osprey Packs Kyte 46 Women's Backpacking Backpack

9.3

Volume/Weight ratio

9.0/10

Features & Bonuses

9.7/10

Comfort

9.2/10

Pros

• Adjustable torso size.
• Rain cover.
• Great organization.
• Durable fabric.
• Osprey’s All Mighty warranty.

Cons

• A bit expensive

Buy from Amazon

Buy from Osprey

Buy from REI

Please check my page with backpacks in the 35-55 liters volume range if you need more options.

Note that I am not paid by the brand and this is not a sponsored text. Please use the comment box below in case of questions or comments. Have a nice day.