Osprey Unisex Archeon 25 Backpack

Product Information

This is some of the toughest-feeling material I've seen on a pack, and the stitched seams likewise seem stronger than you'll often find on lighter packs. The Osprey Archeon 25 is a stylish example of a recycled backpack that looks and feels like traditional canvas, which is naturally more durable and heavier than nylon. All models in the Archeon range are available either for men or women, which is useful since the male and female frame tend to be quite different. It's almost 1kg heavier than some fully featured mountain packs of similar capacity that we've looked at in recent reviews, and a lot heavier still than minimalist climbing or ultralight backpacking models. Behind the ' essentialist design aesthetic' (read: nice old-fashioned look) there hides a pack with more to it than you might at first think.

Archeon 25 Women’s Review: Meet Osprey’s New Eco-Friendly Daypack

Rest assured that with the Archeon series, you will be the hippest cat out on the trail and the pack will not look out of place in hip, city streets. Instead of the usual plastic lid buckles you get metal hooks, and it's the same on the two side compression straps. In summary, when used as a hiking pack it is comfortable and breathable but perhaps heavier than you may be used to. Personally, as an unrepentant scenester, fashionability absolutely IS something I look for in backpacks and in all travel gear.The Archeon series is Osprey’s first direct foray into eco-friendly, sustainable, vegan backpacks and reflects the company’s deep love of nature and highlights their keen social awareness. Recycled fabrics, metal componentry and a comfortable backsystem combine to produce a pack built for life in the outdoors. Simon is a part-time travel blogger and vlogger, and always on the hunt for adventures and new experiences!

Osprey Archeon 25 Review Rolltop Pack With Adjustable Torso Osprey Archeon 25 Review Rolltop Pack With Adjustable Torso

The flap measures 20cm high and, it is also the closing mechanism of the Archeon 25 main compartment as there is not zip closure, which is typical with rolltop backpacks. The back panel of theOsprey Archeon 25 has a similar ridged design to the Arcane Duffel, but the ridged padded area on theArcheon 25 is exposed, making it more breathable. When the excess fabric of the rolltop is rolled up, it is secured in place via a long webbing strap, which measures 44cm long, 40mm wide and 1mm thick.

These features make the Archeon 25 a bloody great hiking pack but they are not features you are likely to need in day to day use. 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). I personally prefer the old fashioned water bottle, but for some hikers, not having a hydration reservoir is a deal breaker.