Osprey Viva 50 Women's Backpacking Pack

Just what I wanted! Lots of attachment points, main compartment can be accessed at top and from the bottom. Built in rain fly is great, and it’s very adjustable for a comfortable fit.

Easily and comfortably carried 40 pounds down and up a canyon.

The support on this is phenomenal! Very comfortable and supportive

Love it!

I was introduced to the Osprey brand when looking for a child carrier and settled on their Poco Premium, 5-years and two kids later it is still going strong. This Viva 50 pack appears to be the same quality that I have come to expect from Osprey. It is very sturdy and well made, seams are tight, stitching is neat, and zippers operate smoothly. I can see this pack holding up to a lot of abuse while being thrown around during a backpacking trip.I also own the big sister of this pack, the 65 liter and find the 50 liter size to be much more versatile. Some may hesitate to take this pack on a major thru-hike such as the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or Continental Divide Trail (where every ounce counts) due to its weight at around 4 lbs. This is definitely not an ultralight pack but it is ruggedly built and will far outlast the weight saving packs. So, sturdiness or ultralight is really up to you.This bag has many great features. As a woman myself, I appreciate that the Viva 50 is women specific. It keeps the center of gravity on your hips and off of your shoulders, making it very comfortable to carry it fully loaded. The back is both padded and ventilated keeping you cool and comfortable. The brain is fully detachable, if you wish to remove it to save weight. The front pocket is generous and allows for stashing items that you may need to keep more accessible. The zippered compartment at the bottom is a great size for a tent, hammock system, or compact sleeping bag. The hip belt and shoulder straps are very generously padded and won't dig in. The pack comes with a rain cover and is hydration system compatible. This pack's design makes it very easy to customize, with its many straps, clips, and lashings.The color of this pack, Osprey calls it Titan Red, is gorgeous. Its deep color will also keep it from showing stains.This Viva 50 pack from Osprey is an excellent choice and a fine example of Osprey quality.

I bought this product in April in preparation for a backpack trip in July. I just finished my trip and it was the most painful hike I've ever had. The flat frame makes it so the load of the back pulls away from the body causing excessive pressure on the front of the straps. Both my arms and hands were numb for 5 hours after the hike. I even went to REI to have it fitted properly and they agreed with the terrible fit. The bag itself is nice but not if you plan to hike any distance with it. And since I bought it in April and did not use it until July I don't see an option for a return/refund.

This is a great pack for the price, I think. There isn't any one thing about it that makes it stand out, rather it's a lot of little things that add up. I got this for my wife's use; she's never owned a pack before so I'll include her comments in this review.First: features. One of my annoyances when looking for packs is it's hard to find one that has all the features I want; there's always something missing. This Osprey pack has just about everything I look for: side pockets for bottles, hydro-compatible, lots of loops/webbing to hang gear, lightweight buckles, all the proper straps for making adjustments, large pockets on the waist belt, and a wide nylon strap for adjusting the waist.The materials and manufacture appear to be very good. The material is tightly-woven and tough. I haven't noticed any loose stitching or frayed edges. All the zippers have lanyard pulls, and the zippers themselves are sized according to the amount of wear or stress they're going to get: the zipper for the main, lower compartment has a large, tough zipper, while some of the other zippered pockets/compartments have smaller zippers.Like many packs nowadays this one comes with a rain cover. The cover is a bright green, and is stored in a zippered pocket on the packs' underside.This is a 50L pack, so it's something you'd use for a quick overnighter or maybe a few days, depending on how light you like to pack. It's also suitable for a day pack if you need to carry a little more than usual due to possible inclement weather or children.Fitting this to my wife didn't take too long. Once I explained how to adjust it for fit she was able to take care of it herself with no difficulties. Having never worn a pack before she said it felt a little strange at first, but she got used to it. She thought it was perfectly sized for her, and she likes the color ("It's a lady's color", as she put it).I've included two pictures of my wife using the pack during an outing, with a light load. She stands a little over 5' tall.