UKC

REVIEW: Osprey Archeon 45 Pack

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 UKC/UKH Gear 19 May 2020
It has plenty of volume for gear-hungry snowy hill days

Made to last, and with more than a nod towards sustainability, the Archeon is an easy pack to like. The high weight is a forgivable consequence of its durable and supportive feel, says Dan Bailey, but a more minimalist design might have better suited its old school character.



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 TobyA 19 May 2020
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Did you ever have a 90s vintage Macpac Dan? The ones that use their waxed cotton/nylon blend material? The Osprey material sounds a bit like that? Looks some how very 90s too!

I don't know, but with the big zips on the front might it work quite well as a crag sack? So you can fish out your nut key or rack of RPs from the very bottom without having to dump all the other gear onto the floor? All of crag packs I reviewed 8 years ago are still in regular use - https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/rucksacks/medium/crag_packs_for_trad_climbe... the Arcteryx one is my main cragging pack and my mate Tony still uses the Grivel one constantly - all the zips are still working fine. So although Osprey aren't selling it as such maybe this one could be a nice, if heavy, general mountain rucksack but that doubles as a crag pack for an active rock climber.

In reply to TobyA:

I guess you may be onto something there Toby. That full zipped opening would work well in a crag setting, and also the load carrying comfort would probably be better than most packs that are explicitly designed for cragging. Still, it's quite a lot to pay for a pack if you intend to leave it sat around at the bottom of routes for much of its working life. Except for this one application, I think I'll remain a zipped entry sceptic!

In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Jesus, 2kg for a 45L pack!

Stuart

 TobyA 20 May 2020
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

> I guess you may be onto something there Toby. That full zipped opening would work well in a crag setting, and also the load carrying comfort would probably be better than most packs that are explicitly designed for cragging. Still, it's quite a lot to pay for a pack if you intend to leave it sat around at the bottom of routes for much of its working life.

Very fair and it doesn't seem Osprey is trying to sell it that way. I've got a feeling that with weight and the cost as detractors but the aesthetics and environmental credentials as positives, they might be trying to sell it to the same type of people who buy those cotton Fjallraven smocks and trousers. I know Rob quite liked the fjallraven stuff he tried, and it is very popular in the Nordics, but it never seemed an obvious solution for UK hill conditions. They same might go for this pack - but if you like the "story", then why not? It sounds like it works perfectly well and will probably last forever! 

Perhaps someone who ONLY wants to own one pack and will use it as crag pack at Stanage, weekend hill walking in the Lakes and on annual trip to do some winter Munros, will find it perfect. And it will look pretty cool as they cycle home from Waitrose with the shopping on their fixie.


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