The Osprey Eja (women’s) and Exos (men’s) 48 litre rucksacks are the latest offerings from Osprey of fully ventilated and feather light backpacks.

The Eja 48 was my backpack of choice for my most recent trip – The Tiso Hike Jordan Expedition – A 200+km, self-supported crossing of the Jordanian desert. The expedition involved 12 days of trekking in average temperatures of 30c, carrying all of our own gear, tents, sleeping bags, mats, food and water. At its heaviest my pack must have weighed well over 20kg. These circumstances alone would have been enough to make any trekker have some resentment, or maybe even hatred, towards their backpack.

So, this is how I know the Osprey Eja is special, from the moment I put it on, to crawling into camp at the end of a 30km day or those hard few hours after we had re-supplied with water, our packs laden with too many extra kilograms, I felt nothing but gratitude to whoever designed this truly epic backpack. The comfort of the Eja, even when fully loaded with all of my gear for a two week expedition and 7 litres of water, is exceptional.

Ventilation – The Jordanian desert was an inhospitable environment, the main struggle being the heat. On days when there was no wind and we were trekking through deep wadis, the heat would feel overwhelming. Ventilation of our clothing and equipment was key to help us thermoregulate. Our clothes were breathable, our boots were breathable, our hats were breathable and so was the Eja 48 backpack. The Osprey Eja and Exos packs feature an Airspeed ventilated trampoline suspended mesh back panel, it sounds complicated, but it is basically a super comfy back system which holds the backpack away from your back. Its mesh covering allows a lot of breathability and gave us the ability to regulate the temperate of our backs! This Airspeed back system was perfect for trekking through the desert but it would also be great for trekking in other environments, who doesn’t suffer from a sweaty back while trekking?

Weight – When planning the Tiso Hike Jordan expedition I spent hours researching and testing kit. Weight was always going to be the issue, therefore every piece of kit had to be as light as possible, saving a few grams on each piece would quickly add up. More often than not the heaviest piece of kit a trekker will carry is their backpack itself, saving weight here while maintaining comfort and ventilation was important. The Osprey Eja backpack weighs in at 1.17kg, the weight of a litre of water. When the Eja was empty, it felt as light as a feather. When the Eja was full to the brim with all of my gear, it was strong and stable enough to cope with these heavy loads with the thanks to its super lightweight peripheral frame.

Comfort – Over the two weeks and 200km with the Osprey Eja backpack, I got to know it very well. I can’t say it was so comfortable that I stopped noticing it, that would be impossible with over 20kg on my back! But very quickly I got used to it, it became part of my expedition, like an extra team mate that always had my back, literally. For comfort, Osprey designed a revolutionary new Exoform harness and hipbelt with a dual mesh construction. The hip belt and shoulders straps always felt comfortable and the load adjuster straps helped shift the weight around to get the perfect balance between my shoulders and hips.

The Eja and Exos 48 litre backpacks are extremely lightweight, well ventilated and very comfortable. I honestly can’t imagine a better backpack to have taken on my Jordan desert crossing expedition. The Eja performed perfectly in the conditions I experienced, the heat of the desert. But I do believe the Eja and Exos are suited to a variety of different trekking environments from high-altitude to jungle, this pack will work exceptionally well.

If you are after a multi-day hiking pack that is super lightweight, keeps your back cool in any conditions and is incredibly comfortable, come and check out the new Eja and Exos range from Osprey, I am sure you will love it as much as I do.