Exposure 50

I have had my Exposure 50 for about 8 months now. I've used it cragging, alpine snow and ice climbing and overnight backpacking. So far it has performed well in all situations. The yellow color is not as hideous in person as I had first thought. The side puch can hold a 1L Nalgene if you put it in before filling the pack. The base of the bag is very narrow, which also makes it better for climbing and a pain to pack sometimes. Seems fairly water repellent. The back pad is surprisingly good at keeping airflow going.

Don't be put off by the capacity. The straight jacket compression makes the bag go down quite small for summmit bids. The extension collar lets the bag fill up for going to base camp. I just take this one pack everywhere and skip on the extra summit bag. I've been up to 3 day trips with only this bag. Last trip I got all my overnight gear, glacier gear, picket, 2 ice axes, 2 10.5mm ropes, crampons, helmet, tent, stove, pot, clothes, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, harness all in/on this bag.

PROS:
-carries a load very well
-extremely comfortable (straps, hipbelt and back)
-holds a lot of gear
-load doesn't move around at all
-large top pocket
-can remove axes while pack is on back
-fairly light
-doesn't seem to chafe on my harness
-sturdy gear loops
CONS:
-I am not sure how secure the tool holders are. I had an axe come off my pack. It might have been incorrectly buckled though as I was quite fatigued.
-The top of the frame stay protrudes quite high and I find it a nuisance when fully loaded with a helmet on.
-The many straps whip about everywhere in strong wind (Inevitable I guess).
-the base of the frame sheet sometimes irritates my back a bit.

UPDATE: Had the pack for a year now. Find that it rubs on my lower back when the pack is not loaded down (under 20 lbs) and chaffs. The pack body material also seems to be not too durable as I ahve a few small holes already. One of the ice axe holders buckles broke, and I contacted Osprey about a new one. They responded quickly but had different buckles on the new Exposures, so I will have to make new holes to attache the new buckles. A bit of a pain. I also heard from some other people that the second set of compression strap buckles can interfere with strapping on skis and potentially damage them. The buckles can be removed though quite easily.

I have had this pack for a few months now. It seems like a solid pack. Comfortable to carry and just the right size to make sure you don't over pack. The feature that sold me on this pack was the reinforced crampon patch which is very durable. After having it for a while the one downside is that it is a pain in the butt to carry nalgenes. Also the simplicity of the design is a double edged sword. It doesn't have a lot of pockets which keeps it light but having a few more would be nice for organizational purposes.

Light, carries weight well and the compression straps allow good adjustment for volume and weight. I like the ergopull buckle setup and moulded hip belt and all the little extras like rope straps under lid, crampon patch and whistle on the chest strap. I use a hydration system so nalgene bottle in side pockets is not an issue.