UKC

I've just brought home the new Osprey Mutant 38 and had a play with it in the flat, and figured I’d write down my first impressions for anyone who is interested. I’m sure other things will come to light as I get to use it in anger, and would be happy to post updates when that happens (sooner rather than later?) I’m not going to go into all the features since those are available on sellers websites, I’ll just stick to stuff that made an impression on me.

Firstly, my old sack was a Blue Ice 40L which they seem to have stopped making, but it was similar to the Warthog 38 I would say. It did really well for two years of everything: cragging, Scottish winter, alpine summer, hiking, backpacking, skiing, etc. But it was starting to get a few more holes than I would have liked, and then one of the buckles blew up in a way that suggested the others would follow suit soon. It also was fairly poor for ski carry, so I was thinking of buying a new pack anyway.

Apart from size, my first criterion was a floating lid. I don’t understand why all packs don’t have a floating lid, but it creates so much flexibility! Especially in alpine terrain where you need to carry three days of stuff in on day one and then a stripped down rack only on day 2. So the Mutant has a floating lid. Interestingly their take on the usual “stuff the lid into the pack and pull up the drawcord” is to include a flap you can use when you take the lid off. I’m not sure how useful that is, but it does make it all look cleaner and reduces bulk behind your neck. The only problem I have with it is that I don’t really know what to do with the flap when I have the lid on. It seems like a strange oversight for Osprey who clearly design their packs to ridiculous detail, so maybe I’m just missing something. It doesn’t impede use, it’s just odd. If anyone else has an inkling, please let me know. The lid has a fairly normal sized pocket for “lid stuff”, and a helmet holder system which is nifty but removable. It is stored in its own pocket which is quite large itself, so if you take it out you have two large pocket options in the lid (the helmet-net pocket has a smaller opening though, and I suspect if you put stuff in one pocket it’ll take room out of the other).

The back system is surprisingly good for its minimalist appearance. I loaded it up to about 20kg I reckon, and still found it comfortable. Take that with a grain of salt though, I always find my packs comfy when carefully packed in a dry and warm place. The real test of that will be re-packing after topping out in a hoolie. There are multiple sizes, I am an M/L, make sure you get the size correct. The back stiffener is removable but quite lightweight. It is a plastic sheet with a single aluminium (I assume) strut down the middle. The padding which is sewn in is foam with some meshy/netty stuff over it. It looks like it could pick up snow but will have to see. No “emergency bivi pad” which frankly is a good thing. If you’re going to carry an emergency bivi pad you will probably want to choose one yourself rather than taking the random scrap of shitty foam they usually provide.

I think what will divide people the most on this bag is the hip belt. The hip padding is not removable, but the webbing can be rethreaded underneath and the padding pinned back around the sides. I usually climb with a waist belt so not a big deal for me, but it seems odd to only be able to partially remove it. Detaching the padding is a fair bit of faff, safe to say it is a gloves-off operation. There is a gear loop and three ice clipper slots on each side which should help make up for it blocking your harness if you do leave it on. The loops are stiffened a bit with a plastic-y coating which makes them far more useful than on some other bags I’ve tried.

I like the side compression straps. Each side is one strap which crosses from back to front for a total of 4 crosses. The top is a release buckle with a lockable length adjuster and the bottom is just a normal length adjuster. One strange thing, the middle attachment point is a double-ring lock (like a crampon strap lock). I was very dubious of this until I was attaching my skis where it became quite useful. You can easily re-thread the strap so it doesn’t lock in the middle if you want. My only concern with it is that throughout a day of undoing and redoing the compression straps I will end up with loads of strap at the bottom and none at the top. Hard to explain, but that ring lock tightens by pulling on the lower strap, so you will tend (since the top tensioner is fiddly) to continually pull the straps towards the bottom of the pack. No way to know unfortunately without a day in the hills.

There are no straps across the back of the pack (back while on your back, i.e. where the axes go) but there are 4 loops for putting in cord. I wish they had included the cord but I suppose it would ruin the stylish look. Six loops would be more secure for attaching crampons to the outside of the bag, though I tend to put mine inside so no worries.

Axe attachment is a funny thing these days. The traditional loops don’t work well with a lot of modern tools, even my Quark hammer is a pain and seems insecure. The Mutant has the metal bar on elastic which goes through the hole in the axe head. It seems to work fine but I do much prefer the webbing/clip style for the axe head (as seen on Deuter packs). My old Blue Ice has a simplified version of that and it is brilliant. The elastic just seems to allow the axe to flop about more which cannot be ideal. I’m sure it will work fine, people have been using the elastic systems for a few years now, and there is a cinch cord in the bottom of the bag for tightening it if needed.

The interior of the pack seems cavernous. When I was trying to stuff it I was casting about my room trying to find something vaguely sensible to add in, because I’d already put my kit for a 2 day alpine bivvy trip in and had room to spare. There is a funky little mesh pocket at the top with a really random diagonal zip opening (the style people again?) which would be a decent place for phone/keys/wallet type stuff. There is a handle at the top on the inside which is actually something I’ve wished for occasionally so I’m quite happy that I’m obviously not the only one. It is sewn in with the main outside handle so presumably strong. The cinch cord at the top has a silly closure. I don’t know why we can’t settle for a normal squeeze and slide type cinch cord closure but apparently not. This one is a one-handed operation so I suppose it’s a good thing, works fine with gloves, looks like it won’t freeze… I guess I should stop complaining.

One gripe I have with all Osprey packs is that the top-compression strap (rope strap on loads of bags) is inside the bag at the bottom of the extension collar. On a backpacking pack this makes a certain amount of sense because it adds stability to the load when it is loaded high, but on a climbing pack it means you can’t use it to strap a rope or crampons in if the bag is loaded high. I also don’t know why Osprey always makes that strap red. Weird.

The ski carry loops at the bottom of the bag are much bigger than I realised from pictures. They’ll take some seriously phat skis. The compression straps crossed diagonally across the toepiece of my Dynafit bindings which made the skis feel really steady on my back.
The price tag (99 quid retail) was attractive compared to other bags I was interested in (I’m looking at you, Crux and POD).

The bag feels super light, but don’t they all these days…

And of course the lime green is well fetch!

So far it seems as though this pack will fit the bill, I’m looking forward to getting it out into the hills.

If anyone has any questions of comments please let me know. I’m thinking about writing up reviews of some of my other gear too, so please let me know what you think of the review itself.

In reply to Bob_the_Builder:

A nice review - I was thinking about buying the same sack, but went for something different instead. I already have 7 or so rucksacks in range between 30l and 45l, so I won't buy another one soon.

Honestly, if I go for a rucksack over 30 litres, I must have a bottom access to the rucksack. It's not that necessary if most of the stuff inside is actual climbing gear, but I had Lowe Alpine Hyperlite Quark 40 (or something similar - it's really old rucksack) and I hated getting everything out and in every night and morning while bivying.
I like how Lowe Alpine addressed bottom access for winter conditions in Lowe Alpine Mountain Attack 45:55 (they are still only 55 pounds on RockRun.com) - it's on the side of the rucksack, so you the back system of the rucksack does not get wet. Also, it's a shorter zip, so it's lighter as well.

I found Osprey to be over engineered and they sometimes lack overall consistency. Like Exos 48 side straps look so funny! If the rucksack was under 20l, that would be okay, but they look like they are prone to break any time! Still, I am not even sure if they would break. They just look like.

In reply to PPP:

I was looking at the Lowe Alpine Alpine Attack 35:45 but it didn't fit my back as well. The Mountain Attack had features (including the side zip) that I didn't really want.

I think the side straps should be ok, they do look thin but nylon webbing is tough stuff. I think the buckles will almost always be the weak point. The key is to make sure that sharps will not cut the webbing, and that can be done by designing the carrying system rather than tougher webbing I think. Also if the side straps were to get cut it wouldn't be the end of the world.

In reply to Bob_the_Builder:

Oh, I see.

My rucksacks have seen sliding down steep scree (with me attached to the rucksack, obviously!), dragging, etc., so I am quite suspicious about something that looks like a weak point in the system. I managed to break three chest strap buckles on my Berghaus rucksack (and it's hard to find a replacement!) in a year of infrequent use! Compression straps aren't crucial, but it loses stability and I wouldn't be happy to be out in the wild with a sore back because of that. I usually tend to have long, remote and solo adventures, so I need to trust things I've got! I know I might be very clumsy, so I am usually opting for something tough and bombproof. My summer jacket is ME Morpheus, which is definitely an overkill for summer use...

I like that Karrimor SF uses the same buckles in a rucksack, so you can fix it rather easily. I just don't like almost everything else about them, though.

In reply to PPP:

Well my last bag seemed pretty bombproof and I managed to wear it out in two years, so maybe I'm making a mistake going light. =/

Having had a missing compression strap before (wrapped around a friend's ankle) I certainly know that it is uncomfortable. Since then I've carries a couple straps with me that I could wrap around the pack in a pinch. I've never had to use them myself but loaned then to a friend whose bag broke and they worked pretty well.