REASONS TO BUY
Awesome pockets
Excellent ventilation
General comfort
REASONS TO AVOID
Not supportive for loads over 40 pounds
Osprey Atmos 65 AG Review
A classic backpack design with breathable a suspension and many user-friendly features
Testing the Osprey Atmos 65 on a downhill scramble in Colorado.
Credit: Sam Schild
RELATED: Best Backpacking Backpacks of 2023
Our Verdict
The Osprey Atmos AG 65 is notable for its comfortable suspension and a plethora of awesome features. Plush shoulder strap padding maximizes comfort where you need it and reduces weight where it can, and the Anti-Gravity (AG) suspension distributes the load pretty well, creating an even and pressure-point-free feel for most users. It takes the trampoline-style design to a new level, incorporating the entire back panel and the waist belt, enabling this pack to tote loads of 40 pounds with ease while breathing exceptionally well. This pack has an almost cult-like following, unlike any other popular packs in our best backpacking backpack review.
Editor's Note: Our team updated this article on May 4, 2023, to review our comparisons against new packs added to our lineup and ensure we still stand behind our findings.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Osprey Atmos 65 AG | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |  | |
| Price | $339.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $269.48 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $280 List | $199 List $199.00 at REI | $231.87 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This now classic pack offers incredible ventilation, an awesome set of pockets, and a hug-like suspension | This super-light pack caries loads like a pro and has just about every feature you could ever want | This comfortable yet supportive pack has an extremely functional set of features and is one of the lightest in our test | The Flash 55 is a great value, with excellent features and a great weight to volume ratio at an affordable price | This heavier but more comfortable pack provides great support for larger loads |
| Rating Categories | Osprey Atmos 65 AG | Granite Gear Blaze 60 | Ultralight Adventur... | REI Co-op Flash 55 | Osprey Aether 65 |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (25%) | |||||
| Weight (20%) | |||||
| Adjustability (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Osprey Atmos 65 AG | Granite Gear Blaze 60 | Ultralight Adventur... | REI Co-op Flash 55 | Osprey Aether 65 |
| Measured Weight | 4.6 lbs | 3.0 lbs | 2.8 lbs | 2.8 lbs | 5.0 lbs |
| Weight per Liter (oz/L) | 1.13 oz/L | 0.80 oz/L | 0.60 oz/L | 0.81 oz/L | 1.23 oz/L |
| Advertised Volume | 65 L | 60 L | 75 L | 55 L | 65 L |
| Organization Compartments | Lid, front mesh pocket, side water bottle pockets, hip belt pockets | Lid, front mesh pocket, side water bottle pockets, hip belt pockets | Front mesh pocket, side water bottle pockets, hip belt pockets | Lid, front mesh pockets, 2 side pockets per side, hip belt pockets, shoulder strap pocket | Lid, front mesh pocket, side water bottle pockets, hip belt pockets |
| Access | Top, sides, bottom | Top, front | Top | Top | Top, front, bottom |
| Hydration Compatible | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleeping Bag Compartment | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Materials | Main Body: Recycled 210D honey comb nylon Accent: Recycled 210D high tenacity nylon Bottom: Recycled 500D high tenacity nylon |
100D robic nylon w/ DWR coating | 400 Robic fabric | Main Body: 100D ripstop nylon Bottom: 420D nylon |
420HD nylon, DWR treatment |
| Measured Volume (main compartment) | (not measured) | 55L | 55L | 45L | (not measured) |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Osprey Atmos 65 AG is the pack that changed the game forever by popularizing the trampoline back panel. To this day, it remains one of our favorite backpacks. It is the real deal for two to five-day trips. Its overall design is user-friendly, with well-thought-out pockets to stay organized. The Anti-Gravity suspension is extremely comfortable, even after hours on the trail.
Performance Comparison
Testing out the Osprey Atmos AG 65 in Colorado.
Credit: Sam Schild
Comfort
The Atmos AG 65 is an incredibly comfortable pack. The AG or Anti-Gravity suspension uses a suspended trampoline mesh. This feature is fairly common, but the AG takes it one step further. Not only is the entire back panel suspended, but the hip belt is also, adding to that hip-hugging feel.
The results impressed us. Despite some initial skepticism, most of our testers agreed that this design distributed weight across our backs and waist quite well for moderate loads. In turn, this eliminated hot spots, pressure points, and other high-friction areas. The shoulder straps also have effective padding. They are thick around the wearer's shoulders, tapering to a thinner and more perforated design around the mid-chest.
The Osprey Atmos has one of the most comfortable, airy, and supportive back panels we've ever seen.
Credit: Sam Schild
Not only is the padding thicker, but it is also pleasantly cushy. It strikes a delicate balance of being soft enough to conform to the wearer's shape (a good thing) without being too soft. However, the shoulder straps were a bit too cushy when the weight was over forty pounds. We then noticed an obvious lack of weight distribution.
The shoulder straps, back panel, and hip belt combine to make the Atmos 65 one of the most comfortable packs out there.
Credit: Sam Schild
The back panel is exceptionally well-ventilated. It's an excellent choice for warmer adventures or for folks who are just plain sweaty. The AG or Anti-Gravity suspension is used on the back panel and the hip belt, creating exceptional breathability and setting the Atmos AG 65 apart from most other contenders.
The Atmos uses mesh on most contact points to keep you cooler on hot days.
Credit: Sam Schild
The LightWire tensioned peripheral frame is moderately stiff and extremely effective at transferring loads up to forty pounds. We did notice above 50 pounds that it gets a little "mushy" and doesn't feel as comfortable as a handful of other models, nor did it carry the overly heavy load as efficiently. We found that packs with a more traditional suspension perform better with heavier loads.
Ease of Use
The Atmos AG 65 has one of our review teams' favorite all-around designs. It has a rich array of pockets, adequate access, and a handful of other great features. The oversized zippered hip belt pockets were a favorite feature and some of the biggest in our review.
The Atmos has plenty of access to the main compartment, through the top, the bottom sleeping bag compartment, and even through long side zippers. The waist belt pockets easily accommodate items like a smartphone and snacks and feature a design that makes opening and closing them while hiking pretty easy.
The Atmos has zippered hip belt pockets big enough for plenty of snacks or a smartphone.
Credit: Sam Schild
Our reviewers' opinions were mixed on the dual-sided mesh water bottle pockets. On the one hand, they allow you to insert water bottles either vertically or angled forward, making them accessible without having to remove the pack, but on the other hand, tall bottles encroach into our natural elbow path of motion, and they require two hands to load them which was slightly tricky.
We loved the dual access water bottle pockets but did notice our elbows sometimes bumped bigger bottles while we walked.
Credit: Sam Schild
One of our favorite features was the stretchy mesh "stuff it" pocket. During our field test, it proved to be perfect for spare layers, camp sandals, fuel bottles, and other awkwardly-shaped items. Wrapping around the mesh beavertail pocket, you'll find two decent-sized zippered pockets. These pockets add to this pack's ability to keep us organized. It also features a lower zippered sleeping bag compartment with a removable divider. The two compression straps that cover the sleeping bag compartment are big enough to hold a large, closed-cell foam pad.
An outside mesh pocket makes stashing a jacket where you can grab it quickly a breeze.
Credit: Sam Schild
The top lid has two zipper pockets, and its floating design makes it removable, so it can be left behind to save weight. However, if you do this, you won't have anything to cover the cinch-top opening, so we don't recommend this strategy for saving weight with this particular pack.
The Atmos has two exterior pockets on the brain, which helps keep you organized on the trail.
Credit: Sam Schild
Weight
At just over four and a half pounds, the Atmos AG 65 is about the average weight for packs in our review. Compared to its carrying capacity of 65 liters, it still doesn't add up to an impressive weight-to-volume ratio.
While the Atmos AG is hardly "ultralight," it has a respectable weight and gives up virtually nothing in comfort or features. The suspension system is also far superior in many ways when compared to some of its competitors. Still, it isn't the lightest pack by any means, especially considering the amount of gear it carries. If you are looking for the lightest pack that can carry forty-plus pounds, others outperform it.
The Atmos is full of comfortable features that add weight, making this pack just average in terms of weight-to-volume ratio.
Credit: Sam Schild
Adjustability
The Atmos AG 65 is available in three sizes and features Osprey's Fit on the Fly adjustment system. This system offers a good vertical range when adjusting the shoulder straps (around four inches of vertical play), which lets you dial in the perfect torso length for your specific needs.
This pack also features a hip belt with up to six inches of adjustment to fit a wide range of waist sizes. This range maximizes the comfort of the hip belt and ensures appropriate coverage of the wearer's iliac crest to reduce hot spots. However, when loads get above the forty-pound range, the hip belt isn't quite rigid enough to support the added weight.
Several of our testers used the Atmos AG 65 in the field, and we talked to several local outdoor shops about their luck fitting folks with the Atmos. All the shops we spoke to confirmed our initial reaction, in which we found that the Atmos fits most people fantastically, regardless of their body shape. The ability to dial in the fit is one of the reasons so many of our testers found it to be one of the most comfortable packs in our review.
The hip belt on the Atmos is very adjustable and ultra-cushioned.
Credit: Sam Schild
Should You Buy the Osprey Atmos AG 65?
The Osprey Atmos AG 65 is an exceptionally comfortable and well-ventilated pack that has most of the features our testers love. For moderate weights of forty pounds or less, it is one of the more comfortable packs in our review. For warm-weather hikers, this pack also brings an unprecedented amount of ventilation and is worth looking at if you log many days in hot climates.
What Other Backpacking Backpacks Should You Consider?
If you're looking for a lighter, more minimal backpacking backpack, check out the feature-filled Granite Gear Blaze 60 or the simple but useful Ultralight Adventure Equipment Catalyst. If you're looking for a similarly designed pack that can handle more weight, we recommend the burly Osprey Aether 65.
—
Sam Schild & Adam Paashaus
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