Osprey Europe - Archeon 45 Mens, Stargazer Blue

Product Information

The harness straps are quite wide and have ventilated foam padding. The sternum strap’s height can be adjusted using four different daisy chain loops. This involves unhooking each side and repositioning in an alternative loop, which is less convenient than anchors that slide up and down on rails. The hipbelt is a wide webbing strap with elasticated retainer loops for excess length. The sternum strapon the Archeon doubles as a safety whistle; a convenient feature to have in case of an emergency. The Archeon is a hybrid top-loader. It’s easy to load and compress gear through the top opening, which is especially effective for trad climbing gear.

The twin side compression straps work well in their primary function, squeezing down a part-full load. I like the metal hooks here, and the elastic retainer neatly holding the spare webbing tail, but for attaching bulkier items like a foam rollmat a bit more length in the straps wouldn't have gone amiss.The fabric of the Craghoppers Duffel is robust feeling polyester with a polyurethane coating. It contains recycled materials – the brand says about 14 plastic bottles were reused in its manufacture.

It coped with carrying a substantial load on a wild camping expedition, with good weight bearing and just enough capacity for such an outing. Comfort was good, even though there isn’t a huge amount of foam padding on the harness and hipbelt. This season marks the latest milestone in our sustainability journey. For Archeon 45 have moved towards C0, PFC free DWR coating. The updated chemistry provides a sustainable yet high-performance approach to the hardiness of this series. The fabrics used throughout the Archeon 45 are 100% recycled and durable enough stand the test of time. Tough metal componentry completes the durable design ensuring longevity on the trail. All spring 2020 products are PFC-free. Carryover items are switching from C8 to less hazardous C6 DWRs. Osprey hopes to eventually make all its offerings PFC-free. Side sleeves can often be flimsy or undersized, but the Archeon's are great, with plenty of depth to securely hold a big water bottle, and a useful combination of a stretchy top section for easier access and a nylon bottom part for toughness (think trekking pole tips and the like).For men there’s the choice of the Archeon 25, Archeon 30, Archeon 45 and Archeon 70. While for women there’s an Archeon 25, Archeon 30, Archeon 45 and an Archeon 65. Although the high rigidity of the frame sheet and generously wide hip belt efficiently transferred load, they limited twisting and side bending, something that could be an issue on aggressive approaches. The recycled content, PFC-free treatment and expected longevity give the Archeon 45 good marks for green credentials.