Before you sart reading, I just want to warn you that this is a very long product description. We didn’t want to exclude any of the amazing features of this pack and wanted to give you an accurate and in-depth account of just how good this Osprey Aether AG 70 really is.
What is the Aether AG 70
The Aether AG 70 is designed for multi-day backpacking and for carrying significant loads off the beaten track. Built around the incredibly efficient and well-ventilated AG Anti-Gravity backsystem, the Aether AG will ensure your comfort and stability wherever your adventure takes you. Packed with innovative and genuinely useful features that make your life that little bit easier on arduous treks or worldwide travel adventures.
What is it made from?
The Osprey Aether AG 70 is definitely built to last and uses tough, durable nylon fabrics to ensure it can soak up the bumps and scrapes of an extreme life. The main bulk of the bag is made from a super tough 210D Nylon Dobby with a durable water-repellent finish to keep your kit dry during light rain (a rain-cover is included for heavy downpours). This fabric is reassuringly thick, yet light enough that you barely realise you're wearing the pack, even when fully laden. 210D High Tenacity Nylon Shadow Box is used on accent sections, equally tough but with a slightly different look and feel. Heavier and more durable 500D Nylon Packcloth fabric is used across the base, which is where most of the abuse happens.
What is the back-system?
The Osprey AG Anti-Gravity backsystem is a work of art and provides uncompromising comfort, ventilation and support. Supporting everything is a LightWire, fully tensioned, peripheral frame that provides masses of support, transfers the load to your hips and flexes and moves with you for maximum comfort.
The main contact area is made from a sprung mesh to create an air gap between you and the pack itself. This mesh seamlessly blends into the hip belt area to extend the ventilation right to the bottom of the lumbar area.
The hip belt itself is a next generation IsoForm version which can be removed and custom moulded to get an exact fit. However, if you haven’t got access to one of Ospreys little red ovens, the hip belt will adapt to your body shape over time. The thing you notice the most about the hipbelt is how it clings to your hips, you have to prise the fins apart to get the pack on, then they spring back to clamp onto your hips. The belt itself is fully padded and has an open mesh outer fabric for increased ventilation and comfort. The structure of the hipbelt ensures superb support and load transfer to the major muscle groups of your hips and legs and away from your shoulders.
The shoulder harness continues the padded and ventilated theme and can be adjusted to suit your torso length by a simple Velcro pad. Structural LoadLifter bars at the top of the straps really help to spread the load and take the weight off your shoulders and a sternum strap (with built in whistle) helps to balance the weight evenly and increases comfort.
All of this amazing technology combines to give the Aether AG 70 a suggested load range of 15-27kg, but you’ll hardly notice you’ve got it on as the backsystem does such a good job of suspending the load and transferring the weight to your hips and away from your shoulders.
Available in two different back lengths:
Medium = 46-53cm
Large = 51-58cm
Please remember that your torso length and not your height will determine the back length. For example, I’m 191cm tall, yet only have a 47cm torso length, so I’d go for a Medium size in this pack. For more advice on pack fitting have a look at our video here.
What are the features?
It isn't just the ventilated comfort and support that we love about the Aether AG 70, we also love the attention to detail and the huge number of clever, useful and unique, features.
So, let’s start up at the top and work our way down. The main entry point is through a traditional double-clip lid opening to give easy access to the pack’s contents. The top lid is extendable to provide extra storage by extending the internal valance, or it can be completely removed if you want to strip the Aether down for lighter use. Once the top lid is removed you can use the “FlapJacket” top cover to create a secure closure. A simple drawcord seals up the top entrance and there’s a compression strap across the opening to keep the load balanced or the pack closed when the lid is removed.
In addition to the classic top loader opening, there’s a “J-Zip” on the front panel so you can access the contents without having to undo the top. This is really useful if you want to get at something at the bottom of your pack.
The main compartment can also be split in two using the built-in divider; this creates a separate base compartment for wet or dirty kit, or to simply organise your pack more effectively. The base compartment can be accessed via a large zipped entrance at the bottom of the pack. Inside the main compartment is a hydration sleeve with a little clip to stop the bladder from drooping down to the bottom of the sleeve. This is the perfect place to pop your Osprey Hydraulics reservoir.
Osprey equip the Aether AG 70 with a dual ice-axe loops, which can be tucked away to stop them catching on things. You also get the unique “Stow-on-the-go” trekking pole attachment system. This allows you to safely stash your trekking poles away when they are no longer required without having to remove the pack or pester a mate to do it for you.
Four side compression straps pull the weight closer to your back, increasing comfort and carrying efficiency; they also stop gear from rolling about in a half full pack. The two at the bottom of the pack are called “InsideOut” straps as they can either be used inside, or outside the side pockets. Inside the pocket they compress the pack and not the pocket, and outside the pocket they secure the contents of the pocket and compress the pack. Simply thread the straps in the manner that suits your needs.
Two further straps at base of the pack can be used for storing sleep mats or extra clothing; or can be completely removed if you just don’t need them.
There are also two “StraightJacket” compression straps across the front of the pack that work really well to pull the sides of the pack tighter to control the load. If you need even more compression, there are two female buckles on the side of the pack, that you clip the male end of the front straps into, to dramatically reduce the volume of the pack.
All this compression means that even if the Aether is virtually empty, the load will always be secure and balanced.
Located underneath the front StraightJacket flaps are four loops to enable you to attach an Osprey Daylite (or Daylite Plus) day-bag for even more versatile storage options. This is a perfect feature for travelling, you can leave the Aether in your accommodation and use the Daylite to go off exploring for the day.
Pockets
Starting from the top, you get a small zipped top lid pocket, that contains the raincover. This cover is tethered to stop it flying away in the wind, or it can be completely removed to shed a bit of weight in good weather. The cover fits snugly over the front of the pack and is held firm with an elastic drawcord. You get another external zipped lid pocket which is perfect for quick access to kit that you need to get to easily, such as snacks and navigation equipment. Under the lid is a mesh pocket with an internal key clip, the ideal place to store stuff you want to keep separated for safety and security.
Two tough, stretch side pockets will swallow 1 litre water bottles or spare clothing and feature a tougher fabric to stop the mesh from being damaged by abrasion. The really nice thing about these pockets is the dual entry, there’s a forward-facing entrance at the base and a regular opening at the top. This means that you can easily load and unload water bottles whilst wearing the pack without having to dislocate your shoulder.
There are two large 3D zipped pockets on the hip belt that float over the main hip belt so you can still gain access to even when the hip-belt is done up tight. On the front of the pack is a large stash pocket, the perfect place to store soggy waterproof clothing or even a wet flysheet.
Summary
The Aether AG 70 features one of the most technologically advanced backsystems for comfortable, stable and ventilated load lugging and has a features list longer than a BMW dealership! Use it for multi-day wilderness backpacking, world travel, exploration in remote areas or for when you’ve got to move loads of kit off the beaten track.
-
Adjustable AG AntiGravity 3D suspended mesh backsystem
-
Adjustable torso length
-
Base zip entry
-
Compatible with Daylite & Daylite Plus
-
FlapJacket top cover for use without lid
-
Integrated & detachable raincover
-
Internal hydration sleeve
-
Internal key attachment clip
-
J-zip front panel access
-
Light weight peripheral frame
-
Pre-curved IsoForm CM moldable hipbelt
-
Removable sleeping pad straps
-
Removable top lid with dual compartments
-
Side compression straps
-
Sleeping bag base compartment with internal divider
-
Sternum strap with emergency whistle
-
Stow-on-the-Go trekking pole attachment
-
StraightJacket compression
-
Stretch front pocket
-
Stretch mesh side pockets with InsideOut compression
-
Top lid access
-
Twin ice axe loops
-
Twin zippered hip belt pockets