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Osprey Eja 48 Pack Review
Osprey backpacks have been a longtime favorite of backpackers and thru-hikers alike. They’re well-known for their ergonomic design and exceptional “All Mighty Guarantee.” I gravitated to Osprey early on in my backpacking journey as I’d heard about its legendary comfort and women’s-specific fit.
I was curious to see what modifications Osprey had made to the Eja women’s pack (hipbelt pockets are back!) and decided to opt for the slightly lighter, lower-volume 48L version of the pack.
Osprey Eja 48 At a Glance
MSRP: $240
Sizes: XS/S, M/L
Capacity: 45L (XS/S), 48L (M/L)
Dimensions: 28″ x 14″ x 12″
Weight: 2.7 lbs
Load Range: 25-30 lbs
Outer Material: Recycled 100D high tenacity nylon ripstop, PFC/PFAS-free DWR
Intended Use
The Osprey Eja 48 is a mid-size ultra-light women’s pack designed with thru-hikers in mind. It has a variety of features appreciated by new and experienced backpackers. With Osprey’s industry-leading suspension system, it’s designed to be comfortable enough to put in the miles. The Osprey Eja is also available in 58L and 38L sizes.
The Men’s equivalent of the Eja is the Osprey Exos.
Circumstances of Review
I used the Osprey Eja 48 as my pack to thru-hike the Colorado Trail. It was stuffed pretty full with everything I needed, with a base weight of about 18 pounds. I wore the XS/S version of the pack.
This is my fourth Osprey pack. I got my first Osprey pack, the Ariel 65, in 2010, followed by the Exos 58 in 2017, and then the Eja 58 in 2018.
Osprey Eja 48 Features
Women’s Fit: Compared to the men’s Exos pack, the Eja features slimmer shoulder straps in a more comfortable S-curve shape. The torso width is narrower than the men’s version and widens more at the hips. The hipbelt is curved to better suit the shape of women’s hips.
Trampoline-Style Back Panel: One of the main features of the Osprey Eja packs is the Airspeed suspension, a taut trampoline-style back panel that keeps the pack off your back, allowing for extra ventilation.
Torso adjustability: The Eja 48 now has adjustable torso height. The easy-to-use ladder-style adjustment system provides 4 inches of adjustability.
Removable floating lid: The large and roomy zippered lid is extendable and removable. It features an under-lid zippered pocket. An integrated FlapJacket cover is attached to the main body of the pack for coverage when the lid is removed.
Pockets: The Eja packs have a front stretch mesh pocket, dual access stretch mesh side pockets, and zippered hipbelt pockets. (There was a several-year interval where the Eja and Exos had no hipbelt pockets, but they were reintroduced in 2022.)
Hydration sleeve: For those who prefer carrying their water in a bladder, the Eja 48 has an inner hydration sleeve. While the clip system is designed specifically for Osprey reservoirs, it can still hold most other brands.
Comfort
Overall I found the Osprey Eja 48 to be decently comfortable. The pack is really well designed to contour and conform to the curves of a woman’s body. Even when my pack was at its heaviest, I didn’t have any rubbing or sore spots on my shoulders or back.
I was particularly happy to be able to adjust the torso height as I usually fall between sizes on fixed-height packs. I also really love the back panel ventilation — no more sweaty backs!
My one sore spot with the pack is the hipbelt. It never quite rested properly on my hips, and the padding was a bit flimsy. I was also surprised that I needed to cinch the hipbelt strap down almost to its tightest, even though I’m not the smallest woman out there.
Durability
Osprey made some key changes to the Eja packs to improve their durability over previous models. The most evident areas were on the back panel and the pockets. The back panel has a stronger mesh which reduces flex and sag. The pockets have more fabric coverage along the bottoms and sides with a lot less mesh to snag and tear.
The hipbelt pockets are also all fabric instead of an earlier model that was all mesh (and prone to holes from hungry chipmunks …). The brand also improved some of the seams and attachment points to reduce failure and increase durability.
Osprey Eja 48 Pros
Osprey All Mighty Guarantee: Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge, no matter how new or old the pack is. If they’re unable to repair the pack, they will replace it. I made use of the All Mighty Guarantee with my Exos 58. After a couple of seasons, my pack had some evident wear and tear. I also had a rodent chew through the mesh of a hipbelt pocket. When I sent it in, they deemed it damaged enough to replace the pack, so I got a brand-new one!
Adjustability and Ergonomic Fit: Osprey makes some of the most comfortable women’s packs on the market. The shoulder straps sit just right, the pack doesn’t feel too wide on my back, and now, with the adjustable torso length, I can really dial in the fit.
Osprey Eja 48 Cons
Pockets: The pockets on the Eja 48 are pretty big and deep but have very little elasticity to them. This makes it tough to stuff much into them, especially when the main body of the pack is loaded.
I struggled to put my water bottle into the side pockets and had to stop and take my pack off every time I wanted a drink. I ended up adding a shoulder strap bottle holder from another manufacturer.
The large front pocket wasn’t much better. With minimal stretch, the pocket wasn’t great for holding more than a jacket when the pack was full.
It’s great to have hip belt pockets again, but the curve and shape of them limits their capacity. I could fit up to three granola bars into one, but there was no way my cellphone would fit.
Hipbelt Padding: I was disappointed in the quality of the hipbelt padding on the Eja 48L. The padding is a bit thin and flimsy, with unnecessarily large ventilation holes.
After several weeks of use, I started to get bruises on my hips, making for a very uncomfortable carry. I ended up cutting up a sit pad I found in a hiker box to add padding so I could finish hiking the Colorado Trail with less pain.
I also found it strange that the hipbelt is tensioned by a strap that’s connected to the side pocket compression straps, which connect near the top of the pack.
Weight: Osprey advertises the Eja 48 as an ultralight pack. I find myself disagreeing with this statement. The Eja 48 weighs in at over 2.6 pounds for XS/S version and over 2.75 pounds for the M/L. The Eja 58 pushes really close to 3 pounds, while many comparable ultralight packs weigh in at a much lighter 2 pounds.
The main argument for this extra weight is the added comfort of the suspension system. Try explaining that to my feet when every step I take has an extra half pound (or more!) of weight over it.
Overall Value
With 50 years of design experience, Osprey makes good packs. The Eja 48 is a well-designed and durable pack with lots of features that backpackers enjoy. The Eja is a great option for backpackers looking for an ergonomic women’s fit and extra comfort provided by the Airspeed suspension system and who don’t mind adding a bit of weight for that comfort and durability.
Comparable Packs
MSRP: $275
Weight: 2 lbs
MSRP: $200
Weight: 1.6 lbs
MSRP: $199
Weight: 2.7 lbs
The Osprey Eja 48 was donated for purpose of review
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