Osprey Eja 58 Review

For ultimate backpacking comfort, our professional testers loved the Osprey Eja 58 for its breezy mesh back panel, easy-to-use height adjustability, and the impressive weight-to-volume ratio of just 0.79 ounces per liter. With a semi-flexible, forgiving hip belt, high-tenacity ripstop nylon, removable brain, and easy-to-use external compression system, this relatively affordable pack skyrocketed to our shortlist.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The most notable comfort feature of the Osprey Eja 58 is its trampoline back panel. This feature holds the load of the pack away from your body, creating plenty of space for air to flow freely as you work up a sweat.

In addition to the bouncy back panel, the specifically placed padding on the relatively minimalistic Eja 58 keeps contact points comfortable even on long-distance excursions. The hip belt padding of the Eja is thinner than some, and while our testers found major joy in the movement and flexibility that this offers, some backpackers might prefer more thickness and stability. The connection points of the hip belt do not have any padding, which helps keep the overall weight of the pack light — but can dig in if cinched down tightly. Luckily, the suspension system creates a biomechanically comfortable bounce that slightly forces the bulk of the load backward. The rubberized base of the back panel provides another element of comfort, as it prevents the base of the pack from sliding around on your hips, further adding to the Eja's comfort.

Not only is the suspension system ready to handle whatever you choose to stuff into its 45-liter main compartment capacity (as measured by our infamous ping-pong ball test), but an external compression system helps secure your gear, too. The external straps are a bit goofy to get used to since they need to be loosened before filling the main compartment. But once your gear is loaded, these straps help ensure comfort and balance for even your longest trail days. The slight S-curve of the shoulder straps on the Eja provides a narrower-shouldered, female-focused fit, which our testers found to be incredibly comfortable. Much like the hip belt, the shoulder straps are not overly cushioned, providing a bit of ease and levity to the overall feel of the pack. Because of the way the straps fell on our bodies, we had no trouble with chaffing while backpacking in a tank top, which has been an issue with other packs we have tested.

Ease of Use

The Eja scored among the best of all the women's backpacks we've tested because of a few easy-to-use features that help keep you comfortable on inherently uncomfortable outings.

One key comparative feature that allowed the Osprey Eja 58 to eke out a win is its lid accessibility. Not only does the expansive brain have a spacious horizontal zipper for accessing the upper pocket, but it also has an interior, vertical zipper for accessing a lower-layered pocket. Both brain pockets are cavernous, with the lower one boasting a carabiner perfect for securing your keys. With easy access to the brain, an easy-to-use flap for covering the main compartment when the brain is removed, and a stretchy, easy-to-secure superficial back pocket, the Eja is clearly designed with accessibility in mind.

The spacious main compartment of the Eja is accessible via a standard drawstring. When fully extended, the wide opening and forgiving materials make for a pack that is easy to stuff full of gear. We were able to fit our bear can horizontally and vertically, finding that either configuration is preferable. An additional interior strap can help tamp your gear down and tighten the closure of the main compartment. The thoughtful additional flap can clip over the main opening when the brain is removed for extra protection while slashing overall pack weight. The elastic upper of the hydration sleeve keeps your hydration bladder secured, and the routing system helps ensure that your hose is within mouth's reach without a ton of extra movement.

The exterior pocket has a clip closure and plenty of flexibility for stuffing layers, river shoes, and other items you may want easy access to. The bilateral mesh side pockets are large enough to accommodate large water bottles, easily swallowing up our standard 1-liter Nalgenes, but are not particularly accessible when the external compression system is at work. The zipper pulls on the hip belt pockets are easy to grab and use without a lot of fuss, but we do wish that the hip belt pockets were a bit more robust. The external compression straps adhere to the lateral edges of the hip belt pockets, which creates a bit of additional airflow while also ensuring that the entire pack moves with your body instead of independently.

We keep mentioning the external compression system, so let's talk about it. The external compression straps zigzag up and down both sides of the Eja. They anchor at the top of the back panel and the lateral edges of the hip belt pockets. They need to be loosened as you fill your pack. Otherwise, they create a bit of tension that makes it more difficult to pack. Once they are loosened and your gear is loaded, you simply tighten the straps from either end to compress the bulk of your gear. While the majority of the weight is already balanced and comfortable due to the suspension and design of the pack, this thoughtful feature helps create security and comfort, especially when the trail takes you across streams and rocky outcrops where balance is paramount.

Weight-to-Volume Ratio

While the Eja 58 isn't touted as an ultralight pack, its 2.7-pound weight (XS/S) gives it an appealing volume-to-weight ratio.

The lightweight ripstop materials provide a slight flexibility to the body of the Eja, allowing you to utilize every bit of its capacity. Moreover, the stretchy side and back pockets expand to accommodate more gear than they appear to. The lid is fully removable — though it does not double as a daypack like many others — allowing you to shed even more weight when needed. The Eja is one of the few backpacks with a measured volume that matches the manufacturer's volume claims. Many packs fall short of their supposed volume, making the Eja an even more awesome pack. We measured 45 liters of space in the main compartment during our ping-pong ball test. We then measured approximately about eight liters of additional capacity in the brain, bringing the total capacity to 53 liters, before considering all of the mesh pockets. Osprey states that the women's size XS/S has a 55-liter volume, which we can confidently corroborate. According to Osprey, the M/L Eja has an even larger 58-liter capacity.

Adjustability

Osprey makes some of the easiest packs to adjust, and the Eja is no exception, further cementing its standing as a user-friendly backpacking backpack for women.

The back panel offers five different set points spanning four inches. To adjust the fit of the back panel, you simply pop the clips out and slide the shoulder pad up or down the rail before replacing the clips. Because the mesh paneling secures gear away from the suspension system, it is incredibly easy to adjust the pack's fit while it is stuffed full of gear. The adjustment straps on the shoulder panels' tops and bottoms are standard and easy to use and adjust, even while hiking. While Osprey does make two sizes of the Eja 58 and two alternative volume options — but its hip belt sizing isn't the most inclusive we have seen. Our testers loved the way hip padding, closure, and suspension system work together to create cohesion, but women with curvier lower bodies might not appreciate the lack of adjustability on the hip straps. Because the straps don't have padding where they meet, curvier women might prefer a pack with adjustable hip padding or a wider range of sizes.

Should You Buy the Osprey Eja 58?

We do not hesitate to recommend the Osprey Eja 58 for enthusiastic backpackers. The airy back panel, suspension systems, and ease of use come together to create a female-specific backpacking backpack that feels like an extension of your body. There is nothing worse than feeling oppressed by your load as you traverse technical terrain day in and day out. The Eja eliminates these sensations, securing its standing as our testers' favorite backpacking backpack for women, and well worth its cost.

What Other Women's Backpacks Should You Consider?

If the comfort of the back panel intrigues you but the other elements don't sound quite right, we recommend checking out the slightly less costly Osprey Renn 65. The Renn offers the same comfort profile, adjustability, and suspension systems but is made of heartier materials. This reduces the stretch of the Renn's body but helps balance awkward loads. The Granite Gear Blaze 60 is significantly less comfortable than the Eja, but it is an easy-to-use pack with a very large capacity that can easily accommodate loads of all sizes. In other words, the Blaze doesn't feel like overkill if you change things up and take it on a fast-pack mission with just your hammock, your bear can, and some water. Finally, for a bit more adjustability and a breezy but more traditional back panel, check out the Osprey Aura AG 65. The Aura costs significantly more than the Eja and the Renn, but if you need a larger capacity pack with a fine-tuned fit, this is the pack we recommend.