Osprey packs: Exos or Hornet?

[oyster_07]

I am looking at both the Osprey Exos 46 and the Hornet 46. Essentially, the Exos is 250g heavier, but has a frame, ventilated back, and a sturdier hip belt.

Basically, the gram reducing part of me is saying to save weight, whereas the pragmatist is saying to take the sturdier pack.

Thoughts?

[wayno]

frameless packs arent for everyone, you have to be careful how you pack them, you're more likely to feel something sticking into your back,
plus the more minimalist hip belt on the hornet means it won't support weight as well.
people going for the lighter minimalist backpacks are basically often putting up with less comfort to save weight.
250g isnt that much weight to save in my book to run the risk of being less comfortable..but for ultralighters saving the weight is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to them.
i rmember reading a review of a jacket on an ultralight site and the reviewer was having a major go at the manufacturers for giving him a jacket that was 60g heavier than the advertised weight.. despite the fact it was because the design had actually been improved by adding an elastic hem because there was no way to adjust it. and all the ultralighters were going on the forum also critical about the extra 60g...
so thats the type of person the ultralight packs like the hornet are made for....
so are you willing to run the risk of less comfort to save 250 grams.... have you gone through all your gear and weighed it all to see where you could save weight? you might actually be able to save 250gm somewhere else....
you have to bear in mind people who use these packs have often done just that to save every gram possible so they are carrying the bare minimum and will sacrifice comfort and push safety boundaries a bit to get the weight they are carrying right down to make it more tolerable to use the less supportive ultralight packs like the hornet.. some of these guys are only carrying 2.5 to 3.5 kilos of gear in their packs and they can often only do that outside of the coldest months... how much weight are you going to carry in it in your worst case scenario? if you're buying it from a shop, they should have weights in the shop you can put in the pack so you can see how it feels with the amount of weight you are going to carry. then you'll get an idea of what it will be like if you can imagine carrying the pack with that weight for several hours... but you still have to use your imagination as to what the pack will really feel like after having it on your back for hours at a time for a couple of days or more.... if there's anything you're not that happy with in the shop, then it will become more accentuated with time and may really get on your nerves....
i dont like heavy packs myself , but i don't like ultralight ones either for multi day trips. a few hundred grams extra in pack weight can equate to a lot more comfort and peace of mind on the trail. i go for black diamond packs., their speed packs would be about the only 40 litres down under but those have no external pockets, otherwise the infinity 50 be the closest they have without having to drop down to 30 litres.

fitting a weeks tramping kit into an overnight pack
http://www.backpacker.com/skills-how-to ... eshows/183

lighten your pack
http://www.backpacker.com/master-class- ... ival/16785

[Bluegum Mic]

Ive not owned a hornet but I can tell you the exos is one of the comfiest packs Ive owned. Ive carried up to15kg in it comfortably for multidays. Packs easily and well. A lot of people say that the ventilated backs pull the weight away from your back but Ive never had a sore point from wearing this pack. To be honest I rarely take it off either ie if stopped for a break its so comfy I usually dont bother taking it off. Mind you it might be that the pack suits me and my gear well and we are all different but definitely one to try. Another one to consider which Ive recently added to the collection (slightly more robust fabric and damn comfy too) is the North Face Alteo. Heavier again but a lovely pack so far (mind you I haven't done anywhere near the kms I have with my exos). It comes in a 35l and 50l. Its more wide vs the exos is taller and slender.
http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc- ... eo-35.html

[Mark F]

The Hornet is not a frameless pack - it has a frame pad built in, but not the common suspended mesh system of many Osprey packs. Both are rated to about 12kg. In my opinion, as a fairly avid lightweighter, you should make the decision on what weight you are likely to carry. If your base weight is around 4- 5 kg then the Hornet is likely to work well. If you are regularly going to push the 12kg end I would go with the Hornet. Ultimately take your gear down to a shop and try them both out.

I have not used Osprey packs but my partner has one and I really don't like they way they pack. The top seems narrower than the base so it is like packing though the end of a funnel . It also has weird side pockets that are unusable if the main body of the pack is full (they don't seem to be on the models you are looking at). My current favourite for comfort is a Macpac AMP 40 but way too heavy (1.3 kg). If you get a chance to see a Macpac AMP check out the hip belt. It is very light but very comfortable. The thickness of the hip belt does not really equate to its comfort level at the loads you are looking at.

I currently have a Laufbursche Huckepack (a true frameless) being made in XPac VX21 and Dyneema - far more robust than the Osprey fabrics and it will weigh in at around 465g. I will use it for trips where I carry under about 7kg (4-5 days) and save the Macpac for longer trips.

[Strider]

have you gone through all your gear and weighed it all to see where you could save weight? you might actually be able to save 250gm somewhere else....

+1

This was a real eye opener for me!

[wayno]

have you gone through all your gear and weighed it all to see where you could save weight? you might actually be able to save 250gm somewhere else....

+1

This was a real eye opener for me!

what. you mean after you dumped the dozen beer?

[Strider]

have you gone through all your gear and weighed it all to see where you could save weight? you might actually be able to save 250gm somewhere else....

+1

This was a real eye opener for me!

what. you mean after you dumped the dozen beer?

No, they have a permanent spot in my pack

[photonaturally]

250ml of beer? that is inadequate

[forest]

I had an Exos 46 and tried a hornet on. For me the Exos was the better pack, regardless of the weight.... and I'm a ULer and gram counter. I don't agree with Waynos comment about lighter packs being less comfortable. It's all about how you pack them and obviously a 1.1kg pack will not handle 25kgs but it's all relevant to the size of the pack.

I now have a 400g zpacks arc blast and for up to 13kgs is carries just as well as my Exos.
Not sure what your baseweight is but if it's under 6kgs not including the pack take a look at the zpacks arc blast. I love mine.

[Bluegum Mic]

Im loving the fact that Joes now got colour options for the arc blast too. The orange is pretty cool.

[wayno]

I don't agree with Waynos comment about lighter packs being less comfortable. It's all about how you pack

sprung! I'm lazy at packing...

[roysta]

Oyster, I have both the Exos 46 (the large, which is 49) and the Hornet 46.
They're quite different packs.
The Exos range have a very sturdy harness with a mesh back, whereas the Hornets (32 & 46) basically have a padded back.
The Exos weighs around 1.11kg while the Hornet comes in at 680g.
I just use the Hornet as a sort of carry on bag when flying or for day walks, while the Exos gets used for overnighters or 3 dayers.
It's a nice pack for carrying around 10-12kgs but I use the Exos 58 for anything heavier.
The 58 gives you more flexibility because it weighs only 100 grams more than the 46.
I'm not sure what areas you're planning to go to but if you have scrub around your ears I'd try something more bombproof.

[Jason68]

I am looking at both the Osprey Exos 46 and the Hornet 46. Essentially, the Exos is 250g heavier, but has a frame, ventilated back, and a sturdier hip belt.

Basically, the gram reducing part of me is saying to save weight, whereas the pragmatist is saying to take the sturdier pack.

Thoughts?

Hi Oyster_07, I come at this from an ultralight perspective, just faced the same decision myself.
I carry 8kg over 10 days and was until recently rolling with a zpack exo in hybrid cuben fibre but found it not robust enough.
Decided to give up a couple of grams for a more main stream pack and came to either the exos or hornet around 46-48lt.
My experience is if your carry low weights, no/minimal internal frame, skinny belts and shoulder straps are fine hey, of course not every one will agree, but to me 8kgs is hardly noticeable while I'm skipping along the track
When it came down to it for me, I decided on the hornet over the exos purely because the external bladder pocket. I just wanted that internal main space free, simple as that
Hope that helps matey.
Cheers Jason.