Osprey Eja Pro 55 Backpack Review

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 Backpack is a girls’s-specific light-weight backpack that has an adjustable torso size and a ventilated, tensioned again panel.  New for 2023, it’s a cut-down model of the favored Osprey Eja 58 that’s 12 oz lighter in weight with a couple of minor design adjustments.  While it carries hundreds as much as 30 lbs very nicely, the usage of thinner materials means it is going to be much less abrasion resistant than the Eja 58.

Specs at a Glance

• Weight: 1lb 14.8 oz, Size XS/S
• Strippable Top Lid Weight: 2.6 oz
• Volume: 52 Liters (XS/S) Note – the scale M/L is 55 liters
• Closure: Top lid
• Adjustable Torso Length: Yes
• Ventilated: Yes
• Hydration suitable: See under
• Pockets: 6 plus the principle compartment
• Frame: Internal aluminum perimeter body
• Torso: XS/S 13-17”, S/M 16-20”
• Waist: XS/S 26-45”, S/M 28-50”
• Bear Canister Compatibility: BV500 or Garcia Backpacker’s Cache match horizontally or vertically in the principle compartment. They may also be held in place below the floating high lid pocket.
• Materials: 100D Nylon x 200D UHMWPE ripstop w/ DWR therapies made with out PFAS
• Maximum load: 30 lbs

Who is the Eja Pro 55 For?

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 is a good pack for anybody on the lookout for a multi-day ventilated backpack with a girls’s match with a ventilated suspended mesh body. Instead of the rolltop closure widespread on most ultralight backpacks, it has a high lid pocket (very helpful) and lots of the exterior attachment options discovered on typical multi-day backpacks. There actually aren’t many ultralight backpack choices with a girls’s-specific match, so if that’s what you might be on the lookout for, this pack is value testing.

While you possibly can swap to a extra minimalist roll-top backpack just like the ventilated Women’s Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60, doing so can require a fairly large change in the way you pack and work together along with your backpack in the course of the day. Whichever method you select to go, Osprey and Zpacks are nonetheless the one pack producers to supply ultralight, ventilated, and adjustable torso-length backpacks designed for ladies. What’s up with that guys?

How is the Eja Pro 55 completely different than the Eja 58?

The Eja Pro 55 is a lighter-weight model of the unique Eja 58, and is completely different within the following methods.

1. It is 12 oz lighter weight than the Eja 58 (might differ relying on sizing).
2. Does not have a second pocket below the highest lid.
3. Does not have separate sleeping pad straps on the entrance of the pack.
4. The entrance stretch pocket has cloth loops alongside the edges that can be utilized to hold gear.
5. The entrance stretch pocket has much less mesh and extra stable cloth for higher sturdiness.
6. The left-hand hip belt pocket is open and never zippered.
7. The adjustable torso size is secured utilizing small dowels as an alternative of bigger plastic discs.
8. There is a silicone print on the base of the suspended mesh to stop slippage.
9. The sternum strap solely has three positions as an alternative of a sliding rail adjustment.
10. The shoulder straps are much less padded.
11. The shoulder straps have insufficient hydration hose keepers (see under).
12. There’s no stow-on-the-go trekking pole holder.
13. Uses thinner (200d) cloth in high-wear areas.

Backpack Storage and Organization

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 could be very completely different from most ultralight backpacks as a result of it’s configured with a floating high lid as an alternative of a dry-bag fashion roll high. With a single giant high zippered pocket (with key fob), the floating lid helps you to sandwich additional gear between the lid and the highest of the pack’s primary compartment so you possibly can carry additional gear like bear canisters, foam pads, or tent our bodies that received’t match inside your pack. The high pocket additionally gives helpful entry to hats, gloves, snacks, and navigation gear and is indispensable for cold-weather use.

If you don’t want the highest lid on the Eja Pro 55, you possibly can take away it to save lots of gear weight. This reduces the load of a small/medium Eja Pro 55 by 2.6 ounces bringing it right down to a decent 28.4 oz (1 lb 12.4 oz).

There’s a nylon flap below the highest lid that’s completely hooked up to the pack, what Osprey calls a FlapJacket, that covers the drawstring opening of the principle compartment. When you take away the highest lid, the FlapJacket is used to guard the principle compartment from the rain in its stead. The rear of the FlapJacket clips into the identical rear straps and buckles utilized by the highest lid so that you’re not left with any additional straps or buckles to get in the way in which. When it’s not wanted you possibly can stuff it into the principle compartment or into the inner hydration pocket. However, the FlapJacket shouldn’t be thought-about a weather-tight cowl.  Since the pack is just not marketed as waterproof, you’d most likely be utilizing a pack liner, so this may not be a difficulty for you.

While the Eja Pro 55 additionally has good open storage within the type of aspect and entrance pockets, the principle compartment is the place the majority of this pack’s capability is. With over 3350 cubic inches of room, you possibly can put a ton of substances and meals inside. Being a mainstream backpack producer, Osprey solely counts coated and zippered storage once they calculate backpack quantity. If you might be evaluating the quantity of the Eja Pro 55 with a pack from a cottage backpack maker, remember that they typically add in open and closed pocket volumes so the Eja Pro 55 will really feel fairly a bit bigger and maintain significantly extra gear.

While the principle compartment curves inward to accommodate the form of the ventilated body close to its base, the principle compartment is so giant that the pack remains to be straightforward to pack. Still, as a result of it’s ventilated, you’ll wish to place the heaviest objects as near your again and hips as attainable. With the exception of a hydration pocket, cling loop, and high compression strap, there’s nothing contained in the Eja Pro 55 primary compartment like a sleeping bag compartment to interrupt up the seemingly cavernous house. Still, it’s straightforward to see inside the principle compartment as a result of evenly coloured cloth panels assist channel gentle to the pack’s inside. I’d nonetheless suggest packing the Eja Pro 55 with a pack liner for moisture/rain safety (See Five Ultralight Pack Liners Compared.)

There is a sleeve contained in the pack to carry a hydration bladder.  However, the mechanism to clip within the hydration bladder appears to be solely designed for Osprey hydration bladders and isn’t common for others.  If it’s not suitable along with your reservoir, you possibly can let it fall to the underside of the sleeve or use a small carabiner to stick with it greater.

Osprey included hipbelt pockets on the Eja Pro 55 however they’re barely completely different than these on the present Eja 58. The left-hand pocket is now open on high and doesn’t have a zipper. I believed I’d hate that, but it surely’s really fairly helpful for stuffing trash into. The right-hand pocket remains to be zippered and huge sufficient to suit an iPhone X into together with some snack bars.

But the pockets are sewn onto the hipbelt in such a method that the again of the pocket has to have the ability to curve when it wraps round your hips…which is an efficient method to break a SmartPhone display. I’d advise towards placing something equally outsized and rigid into them.

The hip belt wings on the Eja Pro 52 are shorter than you may discover on a comparable pack.  This signifies that the pockets are smaller and additional again than you may anticipate.  Regardless, the hip belt is simply as comfy for me as different packs I’ve with longer belt wings.

In addition to the principle compartment, the Eja Pro 55 has two stretch-side mesh pockets that can be utilized to retailer water bottles. Each pocket is strengthened with stable cloth on the underside for higher sturdiness and has a holster-style opening reduce in entrance, which helps you to place bottles sideways so you possibly can pull them out and exchange them when on the transfer.

Though you possibly can put a 1 liter Nalgene within the pocket holster fashion when not carrying the pack, it’s robust to do when the pack is full, and almost inconceivable whereas carrying the complete pack.  The pockets are fairly tall however when you put bottles in vertically, it isn’t attainable to get them into or out whereas carrying the pack.  A smaller diameter 1-liter bottle will match within the holster opening however will stick out of the pocket far sufficient to be in the way in which of your arms.  However, a shorter, small-diameter bottle works high-quality right here.  I additionally discovered the holster opening helpful for my snack bottle and will simply get it into and out of the pocket whereas carrying the pack.

I initially thought the highest of the entrance stuff stretch pocket could be too free to be safe, however as soon as the pack is absolutely loaded, this doesn’t appear to be an issue.  The cloth on the again of the stretch pocket is an enchancment over pockets with solely stretch mesh and makes the pocket extra sturdy.

Backpack Frame and Suspension

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 is a ventilated suspended mesh-style backpack. Breathable mesh is suspended in entrance of the again panel making a ventilated house behind your again that’s designed to evaporate sweat earlier than it will probably soak your shirt. The mesh is tightly stretched throughout the 360-degree aluminum body which additionally serves to anchor the hip belt and cargo lifters. The aluminum body on the Eja Pro 55 is what “makes” this pack. It’s tremendous light-weight and stiff, offering nice load switch to the hips, so you possibly can load up this pack and nonetheless get a really comfy carry. The carry is definitely fairly wonderful, even with a full load.

This Eja Pro 55 additionally has an adjustable torso size with 4″ of adjustability that could be very light-weight and easy to make use of. This is a big profit for brand new backpackers who’ve much less expertise sizing and becoming a brand new backpack. You can lengthen or shorten the torso size, the space between your hip bones and your C7 vertebra, by shifting the shoulder strap harness up or down for the reason that place of the hip belt is mounted. This is finished utilizing a easy dowel and ladder system which slides up and down alongside the observe on the again of the backpack. I discovered the system straightforward to make use of, maybe much more so than a Velcro system (equivalent to these favored by Gregory).

However, the padded portion of the shoulder straps is just a little too brief.  If you like to put on a sleeveless higher physique garment, you might expertise some chafing from the shoulder strap buckle the place the webbing attaches to the padded strap.  I discovered that by carrying brief sleeves I used to be in a position to keep away from this drawback.  Other than this, I discover the shoulder straps to be comfy.

The shoulder straps and hipbelt are each coated with a stretchy mesh cloth that’s comfortable and helps wick moisture to stop rubbing and chafing. The shoulder straps are evenly padded and have one elastic hydration hose keeper strap on the entrance. However, whereas the shoulder straps are comfy, you’ll be considerably challenged to connect accent pockets to them, one thing that’s more and more widespread with backpackers and day hikers alike. The identical could be mentioned for the evenly padded hip belt.

Unlike the Eja 58, the sternum strap on the Eja Pro 55 can solely be positioned in three areas. To alter, you must push the plastic buckles by means of small wire loops which are barely sufficiently big.  It takes a few minutes of fiddling to get these by means of, however happily, you solely must do to it as soon as.

For hydration reservoir customers, I like to make use of a hydration system and was disenchanted that the inventory methodology for securing the hose to the shoulder straps is insufficient.  There is a really tight elastic on the high of the shoulder strap that could be very laborious to get a hose by means of.  It additionally holds the hose too excessive up on the strap which causes it to flop round whereas climbing.  I put an elastic on the shoulder strap which is a suitable answer to this drawback.  It would have been a easy matter for Osprey to connect a few elastic hose keepers additional down on the shoulder straps and the extra weight could be imperceptible.  Or they may have used the magnetic system they use on a few of their different packs.

Sizing

The Eja Pro 55 is available in two sizes (XS/S 13-17”), S/M (16-20”)  by way of torso size  The hip belt sizes are barely completely different, going 5” bigger within the larger measurement (XS/S 26-45”, S/M 28-50”).

External Attachment and Compression System

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 has two compression straps on all sides of the pack. The high strap is anchored on on the high nook of the entrance stretch pocket and runs to the body just under the entrance load lifter, whereas the underside strap is configured as a Z crisscrossing over the aspect water bottle pocket earlier than attaching to the again of the hip belt pocket  I’m not an enormous fan of the Z-style threading sample as a result of I feel it makes it troublesome to strap cumbersome gear like snowshoes or a folding pad to the aspect of a pack. I discover two horizontal-side compression straps to be optimum as an alternative.

But one factor that’s lacking from Eja Pro 55, however is offered on the Eja 58, is a pair of sleeping bag straps for attaching a folding foam pad, like a NEMO Switchback or a Thermarest Zlite pad to the underside of the pack under the entrance stretch pocket. This could be very troublesome to do with the decrease Z-Style aspect compression straps as a result of they’re not lengthy sufficient to simply match over one in all these folding pads. You can do it, but it surely requires a whole lot of elbow grease and makes it very troublesome to place something into the entrance stretch pocket as a result of the pad is tightly compressed towards the pack. I’d suggest rigging up your individual elastic wire loops for attaching a pad to the gear loops working alongside the entrance stretch pocket as an alternative.

But don’t let the Z-style straps (that are detachable by design) deter you from rigging up two horizontal compression straps as an alternative. One of the nice issues concerning the Eja Pro 55 is the distribution of substances loops across the perimeter pockets, the pack bag seams, and even the highest lid, making it straightforward to rig up your individual customized compression system with an additional wire lock and a few guyline or a bit of webbing. If I used the Eja Pro 55 usually, I’d most likely take away the aspect compression straps and exchange them with my very own wire and twine locks.

Likes

• Great weight-to-capacity ratio. Just below 2 lbs for 55 L and hauling as much as 30 lbs.
• Carries nicely and comfortably
• A Bear canister will match contained in the pack or on high, below the floating high lid
• Great load switch and management from the light-weight perimeter body
• Nice colours and styling
• Easy to dial within the match with an adjustable torso and sternum strap
• Abundant exterior attachment factors
• Ventilated again panel helps cut back again sweat

Dislikes

• Does not readily settle for accent pockets to shoulder straps or hip belt
• Can’t entry tall objects within the aspect pockets whereas carrying the pack
• Z-style aspect compression straps aren’t as straightforward to make use of for gear storage as easy compression straps. They additionally make accessing aspect pocket objects tougher when you’ve got them pulled tight.
• No straightforward, present answer for attaching a sleeping pad to the underside or again of the pack.
• Inadequate attachment on the shoulder straps for a hydration hose, regardless that the pack is hydration bladder suitable.
• Possible chafing on arms from the shoulder strap buckles.

Comparable Ventilated (Suspended Mesh) Backpacks

There aren’t a whole lot of choices on the market for ventilated backpacks in girls’s sizing and match that weigh below 2 lbs.  I’ve a Gregory Facet 55 which might be one of many closest rivals at a few half pound extra.  For me, the areas the place Eja Pro 55 shines are the load and the adjustable torso size.  The Facet has larger hip belt pockets, an attachment for the hydration hose, and straps that work higher for exterior pad attachment.  It comes right down to which options are most essential to you.

Recommendation

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 Backpack is a girls’s particular top-loading backpack with an adjustable size torso that makes it straightforward to dial within the match.  Weighing slightly below 2 lbs, it has a strengthened perimeter-style aluminum body and ventilated suspension that carries hundreds as much as 30 lbs simply.  It is a good alternative in case you are on the lookout for a standard, but light-weight multiday backpack.  I discover it handles hundreds with consolation, which is primarily what you need in a backpack.  Coming in simply slightly below 2 lbs, the Eja 55 Pro is a stable alternative for anybody on the lookout for a light-weight pack with a high lid pocket.

My primary criticism with the Eja Pro 55 is the dearth of answer for holding a hydration hose below management.  It would have been straightforward for Osprey to include a greater methodology as they’ve performed on different packs.   I additionally I dislike utilizing the Z-style compression straps for a pad or different cumbersome merchandise.  You could make it work, however then the straps could also be very tight over the aspect pocket, making it tougher to make use of.  However, I’ve but to seek out the proper pack that does every thing I need simply the way in which I prefer it, you have to anticipate to make some compromises.  It was not laborious to regulate the Eja Pro 55 to my liking or change my strategies to work with the pack.  The consolation and weight financial savings are value just a little fiddling.

Disclosure: Osprey donated a backpack for evaluate

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