I'm looking for a new technical pack and am not real familiar with Osprey. Does anyone have experience with the Mutant 38 pack? What is the difference between the Mutant and the Variant models? Thanks in advance.

http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/MutantSeries/Mutant38/

I have the Mutant and I love it. I am not sure about the exact differences with the Variant, except that the latter is designed more for winter climbing and has ski attachments (though I have put skis on the sides of my Mutant for a short distance).

It's a great pack, distributes the weight in a lovely fashion, has a good waist loop. Very good mountaineering pack.

The Variant is very near perfect. I have an ATMOS, but my partner carries a Variant 52 and I wish I they made a 65ish L version for my bulky sleeping bag.

Tool holders are great.
Hip belt has tool loops and ice clipper slots
It carries heavy, dense loads like rope and gear well
Pockets and compression straps are designed to hold wands and pickets better
Front pocket is reinforced for holding crampons
The bottom is angled to make glissading and slipping over edges easier
The top won't hit your helmet.

Koy wrote:I'm looking for a new technical pack and am not real familiar with Osprey. Does anyone have experience with the Mutant 38 pack? What is the difference between the Mutant and the Variant models? Thanks in advance.

http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/MutantSeries/Mutant38/

Hi, I just got the Mutant 38 and its awesome. Dont know about the variant but the suspension on the Mutant is not rigid. It does not have aluminum rods or anything so when I forst got the pack I was a bit concerned since the pack flexes but when I loaded it up it just works and transfers the load perfectly. The belt and straps are very comfortable. The pack has a very clean simple design but it has enough features that I really did not find myself missing anything. The fabric is super tough and looks quite nice!

It also expands to hold a BUNCH of stuff, id say close to 45-50L (mine is size L) but also works well when used with little cargo.

The pack is on the narrow side but just wide enough for my synth. 30deg bag to fit sideways uncompressed.

The plus side is that its super nice to hike / climb with the pack on even in tight places.

The Mutant 38 is a no nonsense, tough, toploader that is much more versatile than one would think!