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09/15/21
The Mutant is a Beast
Likes
I just used the Mutant on a 7 day/6 night trip (did a backpacking loop with some scrambling, no climbing) and it's by far my favorite pack so far, compared to the Osprey Aether, Gregory Zulu, and Granite Gear Blaze, all very good packs. My starting pack weight was 43 lbs and it was extremely stable, balanced, and comfortable, even on steep sidehilling, bushwacking, and boulder hopping. It will fit a Backpacker's Cache bear can (the black one) but I did not use a can on this trip, so I can't comment on how well it fits with the rest of my gear. Impeccable attention to detail was put into the design of this pack. Everything is in the right place and works the way it should. It's very easy to remove the floating lid and hip belt, which I did for a couple of dayhikes, and the side compression straps allow this pack to be cinched down very nicely when not carrying your full load. I also really appreciate how the hip straps are not obnoxiously long, thank you Osprey! I'm 5'-6", 165 lbs, had my torso measured at 17", and got a size Small/Medium which is 50L and it fit my body frame as well as all of my gear perfectly. I can't comment on durability after only one trip, but my initial impression is that it's made extremely well and should hold up to years of use and abuse.
Dislikes
This is a nitpick, but I really wish there was a little mesh pocket on the bottom side of the rainflap that's under the floating lid. I understand howthe flap is designed to be tucked away when the lid is attached, and a mesh pocket might not work in reality. But if I had to find one thing that was missing from this pack, that's it. Not a deal breaker in any way.