Osprey Exos Pro 55

How much the empty rucksack adds to what you carry, as sold. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.

Osprey lists 940 g for the S/M (55 L), under 1,000 g. The L/XL (58 L) is 980 g.

How well it carries a full camping load over a long day: hip belt, shoulder straps, back and how the weight sits. 8: Clearly better than most.

Seven sources carried 10 to 20 kg and six found it comfortable. OutdoorGearLab (comfort 9 of 10, counted as 4 because a half rounds down) went well over 13.6 kg on multi-day trips with little protest. Chris Townsend (The Great Outdoors) found it comfortable at 12 kg in the Cairngorms. Backpacker (on Outside) carried about 16 kg on overnights in the Colorado Rockies without soreness (about 20 kg bruised the hips) and calls it more comfortable for its weight than any other pack it tested in its class (counted as 5). Adventure Quencher walked about 1,050 km of the Pacific Crest Trail, with one stretch at 18 kg or more, and calls the comfort unbeatable (5). Matty Outdoors carried 13.6 kg comfortably. Osprey UK's 22 buyer reviews (4.68 of 5, counted once) report 10 to 18 kg, though one buyer found 16 kg terrible and 12.5 kg fine. Justin Outdoors (sent free) found 13.6 kg really painful, with the pack sagging, and was reasonably comfortable only at about 11 kg. Osprey prints two load ranges that do not match, so we show no maximum load.

Reviewers disagree on this.

How well the fabric, zips, buckles and frame hold up over seasons of use. 6: A bit better than average.

Four wear reports on thin NanoFly fabric (100D nylon with UHMWPE). Backpacker (on Outside) says the material had yet to see a tear after a long season of section-hiking the Colorado Trail and rocky peak-bagging, and calls the pack more durable for its weight than any other it tested in its class (counted as 4, because it reports no tear rather than hard use). Adventure Quencher saw no wear or fading over about 1,050 km, but one strap stitch ripped after a stretch at 18 kg or more, which he says is more than the pack is designed for and not a functional problem (4). Justin Outdoors (sent free) saw abrasion on the base early and expects 50 to 60 days of use (2). One Osprey UK buyer had abrasions on the main body repaired free after a few months; the other buyers report no failures (3). The Great Outdoors, OutdoorGearLab and Section Hiker only expect or warn about wear, and Matty Outdoors says only that it held up better than he feared, so they are not counted. Scores 4, 4, 2 and 3: average 3.3 out of 5, so 6 out of 10.

Reviewers disagree on this.