Testing conditions
I tested the Osprey Mutant during a 4 day trip to Riksgränsen Sweden. I used the pack during a splitboarding tour into the backcountry and also during a day of inbound boarding.Review
After having used and tested the Osprey Daylite back pack I was looking forward to being able to use the Mutant. Looking at a day of splitboarding and having to carry crampons, skins and trekking poles besides food water, extra clothing, food and camera equipement, the 38L that the Mutant offers was a welcome upgrade from the Daylite which has only 15L. The Mutant is a backpack specifically developed and designed for alpine territory and especially for climbing. Most notiecable as far as that is concerned, are the integrated ski/climbing helmet storage, integrated gear loops on the hilpbelt to which you can attach carabiners for example, and the Dual ToolLock™ for ice axe attachment. You can also strap your ski’s to the side of the pack when skitouring in terrain that is just to steep to skin up.What I always like about Osprey is the way they enable smart integration of hydration systems. Inside the pack there is a sleeve for the reservoir of the system, and to the side of the pack there is a opening in the pack through which you can fit the tube of the system that guide’s along perfectly to the shoulder straps. In colder conditions the water in the tube, exposed to the cold, will freeze. So it is wiser to actually keep the tune packed away in the pack itself.
These straps themselves are quite comfortable and worked really well. It is part of a shoulder harness set-up which is die-cut and to minimize weight and maximize ventilation. I haven’t used the pack in particularly warm conditions, but I do believe this would really work well. At times mesh back panels can be a problem in snow conditions because it can hold on to snow a bit much, but with the Mutant I didn’t run into that particular problem.
The back pack rides comfortably enough on your back, but what did bother me was that if the chest strap was not buckled, the shoulder strap would slide off quite quickly. Maybe it’s a matter of adjusting all your straps or maybe I should try to bulk up and have broader shoulders, 😉 but, it was something that bothered me. And the same issue I found with the Osprey Daylite I mentioned earlier.
Pro’s
- Versatility
- Feature rich
- Integration of Hydration pack
- Well constructed
- Ability to trim the back pack
Con’s
- Shoulder straps slide without chest strap being buckled
- When back pack is trimmed, straps are quite long
- Mesh helmet cover fragile