Let me guess, you haven’t bought a new pack because it’s impossible to know which one is best. Let me help you out. Ideally you want different packs for different occasions. For example: if you’re climbing K2 you want the lightest, most durable pack ever made, if you’re trekking the Sierra Nevada’s for a couple weeks you want the most ergonomically comfortable pack, and if you’re jumping out of a plane, you want a pack that features a harness and parachute. Ok, now that we’ve dispensed with the obvious, if you need one pack for all you’re adventures you need the Osprey Aether 85. This multi-day backcountry pack combines lightweight materials with dual peripheral aluminum rods that stabilize your load and transfers the weight close to the body for ultra-comfortable pack-to-body contact.

For extra weight reduction the Aether 85 features a HDPE framesheet stay with cutouts. The adjustable torso length padded AirScape with nubbed foam backpanel and grip mesh covering provides superior breathability, while the IsoForm thermoplastic hip belt can be custom molded to your body to maximize comfort under heavy loads. Best of all the molding technology allows the hip belt to be reheated and reformed several times so that your pack will always fit perfect even after a long winter of eating cheesy poofs in front of the TV. If you do venture out in the winter you can bring along the Aether 85, it comes with two ice axe loops, 6 “D” loops for attaching accessories, and straightjacket compression technology which stabilizes your contents and compresses them to a smaller overall size when needed. If the temp is under 32, you may want to make sure the bladder sleeve on the back wall of the pack is either empty or filled with alcohol.

We could keep listing the endless features that the Osprey Aether has, but you should have already realized this pack is freakin’ awesome. It’s no wonder it was named the “Best All-Around Weeklong” backpack by Backpacker Magazine and was awarded the “Gear of the Year Award” by Outside Magazine. Just take our word for it and buy the thing.