Bushwalk Australia

hi guys. might upgrade my pack soon.

looking at the blackwolf McKinley 75 which I have seen in person and like the look of, vs an osprey aether which I have seen online but not in person.

Anyone care to comment on the two? for and against?

cheers.

Someone must have had either

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I can't comment on the Blackwolf, but Osprey make fantastic packs. Don't worry about what a pack looks like. Worry about comfort and how it carries a load.

For the price (we have 'em for $174.90 + free delivery) the Blackwolf is a great value pack. I just popped one on my back for the sake of this thread and found the harness to be comfortable - adjustment was easy. And for the price, they're nicely made with stacks of features.

I have been using a Osprey Kestrel 48 for a few years now and must say, I really like the attention to detail Osprey applies to their packs. From a quality point-of-view, they rock.

As others have mentioned, make sure that the pack you buy fits well - adjust it until its just right... if it can't adjust to suit, move on to the next one - and feels comfortable with a load. Pay special attention to how the load is distributed along your body.

Cheers mate I appreciate the feedback.


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I have the aether and it's fine though wish it had more pockets. very light. the front L zip lets you access everything at once. not that much better than my 2nd hand deuter though.

I have the McKinley 85 and it is OK. I can't help feeling there is a lot better around though.
You really need to try one at the shop with a good load in it say 14 or 15kg. then adjust it.
I generally carry around 16 or 17kg in my 85 litre and as I said it is OK.

I don't know the Blackwolf pack.

I did have an Osprey Aether 85 and it is a very good pack. The fit and suspension works well across a broad range of people (probably more so than any other packs) and it has a real refinement in its features. I doubt many people would be disappointed with one of these.

The only reason I wouldn't get the Osprey is to get something with more active suspension e.g. Aarn, Arcteryx, Black Diamond.

I'd go with the osprey, you can move it on if it doesn't fit, and not loose much. If an 85l pack only feels OK with 17 kg, I'd be concerned. (or is that separate from the pack itself?) A lot of the blackwolf packs I've seen are heavier than they need to be.

I've not carried either pack, so I'm only going on guesses. But what I can say is no one I work with carries a blackwolf as their main pack.

Gadgetgeek wrote:............ If an 85l pack only feels OK with 17 kg, I'd be concerned. (or is that separate from the pack itself?) A lot of the blackwolf packs I've seen are heavier than they need to be............

By OK I mean it's OK not the ants pants. I didn't want to give a misleading impression. It causes no pain and carries what I need but I find I need to tweak it from time to time as I go along.
Where as my Macpac 30L Tekapo day pack, mind you at about only 8 to 10kg., seems to just blend into the overall exerience if you know what I mean.