Customer Reviews Osprey Viva 65

I am not an experienced backpacker. Until recently I have only done hikes in Florida. I purchased this backpack to take on the Appalachian Trail. I love it! It fit well and there is plenty of room. I do have learn how to adjust the chest and shoulder straps to best fit me but other than that is was very comfortable. On my next trip I am going to attach my daylite pack(which I also love) to the front for exploring and hiking into town.

I was so excited for this pack, but skeptical about the adjustable torso, and unfortunately it did not work out. I have about a 13 inch torso (very small) and have been using the Eja 58 which works well and is comfortable and has the XS measuring at 14 inches. When I loaded up and tried on the Viva (also claimed to go down to 14 inches), I could easily fit my fist in between my shoulder and the shoulder strap, even when adjusted on the smallest settings. This caused the pack to pull backwards, and arch my back in a position that was not even comfortable to stand in. The pack had plenty of room for all of my items, all of the zippers and pockets were great, but I was very disappointed that the torso length was so different than my other Osprey pack (that I purchased in July of 2018). I will be returning this pack, and would not recommend the adjustable torso for folks with small torsos, as it does not go small enough and the upper harness is still situated for taller folks. I am 5'5 130lbs. The purple color is BEAUTIFUL, definitely a lighter lavender than the darker purple showed in the pictures online.

I used this for a trip to Belize and a canoe adventure in the same year and I wish I never bought this backpack. The straps dig into my shoulders and armpits. They are far too thin to handle a full load. I had bruising and constant shoulder pain. During my canoe trip I would wear my life jacket underneath my pack when portaging to add extra padding. I would not buy this backpack.