Osprey Packs

Soelden 42L Backpack

This is my first traditional

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This is my first traditional pack, coming from an ultralight bag that has no extra pockets or straps. It is overwhelming at first how many things this pack has going on. I still feel that there are too many exterior straps and it's not clear where everything needs to attach, but in practice it worked fine to carry my board horizontally up mount hood with a good amount of gear inside. I didn't find a good way of attaching my trekking poles to the outside while riding down, but there's probably a good way that I didn't look into before the hike. Overall it did the job, was comfortable, and seems durable enough after one pretty intense hike.

Excellent winter pursuit pack. Streamlined,

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Excellent winter pursuit pack. Streamlined, good access and adaptability, sizeable, light, well-made, and I love the 1" webbing for front of the hip belt. Worth adding more/different color options than black or beige.

Decent pack but has flaws

Used as a quiver of one for ski day trips, short overnights, and technical summer daytrips for a year of heavy use. In general the pack worked ok, but definitely has some flaws. A 40L pack without a decent internal frame is hard to understand. Fully loaded with skis, boots, skins, crampons, ski crampons, rope, rack, helmet, ice axe, etc. the pack carries very poorly. Other flaws include the flapjack cover being non removable and getting in the way when using the brain, bad diagonal ski carry system, weak buckles prone to breaking, bad ice axe carry system, and lots of confusing and unnecessary straps. The pack has lots of unnecessary features while still missing a few important ones. Compared to similar bags it is also quite heavy. Overall a decent bag that is spacious and durable, but carries load poorly and has a poorly thought out feature set.

Ski Patrol

I’m about two months into using this pack 4 days a week for working ski patrol and as of now I’m blown away. I will say I find myself not using the full valume available but I’m stoked I went for the 42 over the 30 because then I need the extra space it’s so nice to just loosen the straps and fit everything I need for long days out on the snow. I can not recommend this pack enough for any situation where bringing gear out for long days in the snow is needed. If your just looking for a pack to take with you on short trips to the snow the 30 will probably be enough for you but if you want a pack which can do it all I’d stick to the 42. The only thing I’d change is I’d have a second retaining strap for the brain retention strap as It would just make the straps a little nicer for when you don’t have much in the pack

Snow Specific Pack with Surprising Versatility

This is a great snow pack. No doubt about it. The snow shedding back panel, organization, and weather resistant materials make this ideal for skiing, boarding, and snowshoeing! However, we actually frequently use this to carry our photography equipment. The whole back panel can unzip to the base! This gives you great access to larger more fragile equipment. We just place a padded insert in the bag to keep the equipment protected, and love the wide opening. This is obviously meant for getting better access to equipment while putting the snow/water proof material 'face' of the bag on the snow, but it's a versatile function that we love. The straps which allow for A-frame ski carry and snowboard carry is useful for more equipment as long as you are creative! We've carried tripods, snowshoes, poles, and more with them.

Versatile ski touring pack

Got the Soelden 42 for backcountry skiing. I wanted slightly more volume to carry gear for glacier travel, occasional ski mountaineering, or overnight hut trips. The pack is so well organized: snow-tools pocket is just the right size, main pocket is easily accessible, simple outer straps… really really functional.

Want to Love It!

I want to love this pack! It has lots of pros, but there are too many straps and I'm constantly buckling/unbuckling straps to access pockets and gear. I use this pack 3-4 times per month for ski touring, ski mountaineering and snowmachine / ski trips in Alaska ranging from summer trips around 70F to winter trips around -20F Pros - 42L is the perfect size for long ski mountaineering or glacier touring day trips - The back panel zip makes it easy to access and load/unload the main storage area - The two flask pockets in the main storage area are good for stashing stuff sacks or water - The two top lid zip pockets help you keep gear organized - Outer avalanche pocket lets you keep probe / saw / shovel / ECT cord away from the dry main pocket - There are several extra gear loops on the back that help secure extra gear Cons - If you have the side straps buckled, you have to unbuckle them to access the avalanche pocket - If you have skis A-framed on the sides of the pack, you have to undo the side straps to access the avalanche pocket - It's impossible to tighten the top lid to make it snug. Even with the main storage area stuffed, I still can't get the top lid cinched down so that it won't move - There are a plethora of straps on the back of the pack and each has a lot of excess strap. When I ski or sled, I constantly have straps fluttering behind me Overall If I was buying another ski touring pack to use for ski touring, ski mountaineering and glacier travel, I would probably get a different pack

Another solid Osprey product

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

This is my 3rd Osprey pack that serves its own purpose and as usual am impressed by the quality and usability. However, after some thought I have to knock off a star despite being more than capable of getting me through my recent hut trip. 1.) The helmet carry struggles when the pack is not full. This works as expected when the pack is full, but I had a heck of a time getting my helmet to stay on properly after shedding weight in the hut and going out for a few laps. I tried multiple different configurations, but by the end of the trip if I was skinning with a light pack I stopped fiddling with the helmet carry and threw it straight in my pack. Not a major issue, but caused some annoyance. 2.) No straps or ties for the top flap if you are using the brain. This is another annoyance rather than a major design flaw. I didnt think this would bother me, but even when I rolled it or stuffed it inside the main compartment it was just another thing in the way that didnt have anywhere to go, and I couldnt use the loops on the flap for the helmet carry that I thought may have solved my previous issue. Would purchase again as I love the dedicated avy pocket, solid feeling while skiing, and no fear of putting my shovel through the side of an ultra light pack.

Plenty of room for hut to hut trips

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

One Size

Height:

5' 10"

Weight:

170

I bought this pack for some hut trips this winter in Colorado and Canada. My Soelden 32 just didn?t have the capacity. I?m 5?10? and the pack fits me fine. If you are several inches shorter the bottom might hit your butt. What I like: Plenty of capacity. Top and back loading main compartment. Removable lid with two zippered pockets has lots of room for stuff you need to get at quickly. Helmet net attaches to top or back of pack. I like the back of pack option because you don?t have to take the helmet off to get at your gear. Unlike the Soleden 32, the Soleden 42 has avi gear storage in the section of the pack away from your back. There is plenty of room for probe, shovel, and skins in this part of the pack, and there are long sleeves for your probe and shovel handle. Gear storage is close to your back, and has a large toothed zipper around the back pad that allows the pack to open up completely. This is in addition to top loading. While this is convenient, the large zipper lets in snow. So your gear will get wet. Plan accordingly . This is the only design flaw. In my Soleden 32, this area is used for all your avi and wet gear and it doesn?t matter if snow gets in. The big zipper makes sense for quick access. It just doesn?t make sense in the Soleden 42. The ski carry options are flexible and worked just fine. I was carrying 25 lbs and the pack was comfortable, no issues with fit.