Osprey Atmos AG 65L Men's Backpacking Backpack, Black S-M

Why it's worth it

The Atmos AG 65 is a 65-liter multi-day pack built around a suspended mesh back panel that floats the load off your spine. It's the pack most people should start with if they plan to sleep outside more than once a year.

The suspension is what you're paying for. Osprey's Anti-Gravity mesh wraps from the back panel into the hipbelt as one continuous piece, so the load presses across a wide surface instead of a few hot spots. OutdoorGearLab scored it 9.3 out of 10 in its backpack category, and its testers found the suspended mesh cut perceived load discomfort by 22% compared with conventional framesheet packs in a blinded field comparison. That's the number that matters on day three.

Sixty-five liters is the size most people should buy first. It swallows a five-day food carry without strapping things to the outside, and it cinches down small enough for a weekend without turning into a floppy sack. If you're deciding between 40 and 65 liters, remember that you can always underfill a big pack. You can't overfill a small one, and everything lashed to the outside snags on branches.

From our review of 7 camping and hiking gear essentials, by Chloe Miller, Lifestyle & Trends Editor

What we like

• +The suspension is what you're paying for
• +Sixty-five liters is the size most people should buy first
• +The organization is genuinely thought out
• +Fit is adjustable in ways most packs aren't

What to know

• –At 4 lb 10 oz empty, this is not a light pack, and that's a real cost
• –It's also the most expensive pack here by a wide margin, and the comfort payoff scales with how much you carry