The Aspen

I don’t want this review to discourage you from trying this pack. I find it awesome there’s a company out there trying to fill the gaps on women’s gear. Even though this pack doesn’t work for me (I seriously hoped it would solve all my problems), I’ll still wear my boob friendly beanie with pride.

I gave this a proper test. I used it on the entire AZT.
Why it didn’t work for me:
1. The torso length is too long. I’m 5’5” and 145lbs born female, but have a 15” torso. The pack rested on my butt and I couldn’t get it higher without cranking on the waist band. The shoulder straps are nearly maxed out, anymore and my back would be too uncomfortably arched.
2. While I am UL, my food and water carries were not. When I had 4 or more days of food, my shoulders were in pretty bad pain and not just the this is heavy pain. More like it’s doing something weird to my nerves pain and radiating down to my elbow and along my back. Along these lines, I could never get the shoulder straps to feel comfortable on the shoulders themselves. Great in the boob area though. I hiked the PCT with a different pack and didn’t have quite this much pain despite having a heavier base weight.
3. The pack itself is pretty heavy for a frameless bag. It’s 10% of the weight it can carry.
4. Overall durable feeling, but I had a snap break off on the top. I’m not a fan of the waist strap buckle. It’s difficult to tighten while wearing and for some reason I had more trouble snapping it than I should have. I usually had to feed the material through and not just pull on the tail.
5. The weight pulls back a lot. I can’t pack the weight any closer to my back so I don’t know how to fix that. Any time the pack is higher than the top of the straps, it’s worse.
6. The elastic on the big pocket is annoyingly tight. Same with the bottom pocket. I found it difficult to use and gave up on it after the first leg.

TLDR: this pack causes me more pain then others I’ve tried, but it’s likely specific to my overly short torso body and still may work for you.

Overall the pack fits better than some others, but sadly it doesn't quite work for me. I have a very short torso and I found when fully loaded I needed to pull the shoulder straps as tight as possible to get the bag high enough on my back to be comfortable. That made it uncomfortably tight. With 10 pounds or less it works great because the straps are comfortable. But 25 pounds is just not doable. Better than some other brands I've tried but I wanted to be comfortable with a heavier load. I find the bag Overall to be too long. And the waist strap was just uncomfortable, wide, and heavy so I just cut it off - would be nice to have a removable strap so you don't have to make the "cut it off" choice. I was also hoping the bag would be a lighter weight material - the thing is bullet proof, but heavy!

I have been using this pack for the past year now. I am 5'9'' and use a C/D cup and love how it fits. No chafe, very comfortable to wear, and very water resistant. This is the pack I take when I am going UL. I have been using it for the past year and just got it out of the gear closet recently because it's time to start getting ready for the first shoulder season trip of the year. I got so excited about my aspen pack, I decided to log in and write this review and share some love for Symbiosis gear. (Also, check out her interview on the BPR podcast episode #290, she seems like good people). I did find that I don't use the hip straps even when I am crossing logs or on a scramble, so I cut those off. That also makes it easier to use with my fanny pack which is a personal preference. If you are on the fence, just get it already, you'll love it!

Fantastic company and premiun quality mayerials. So pleased with this purchase! 👏

I LOVE this backpack! I got this bag recently as a gift and did not know what to expect. I took it with me on a recent trip to Mexico and used it almost every day! It was a great carry-on, and a great backpack for exploring cities and beaches. My partner and I were blown away by all the features and just how much attention to detail there seemed to be. The bag was extremely comfortable, and all the pockets came in handy when we were storing multiple water bottles, snacks, lotions, etc. I would definitely purchase this bag if anything happened to the one I have.

Very comfy!

This is an excellent, well-made, and considerate pack. Grateful options like this exist for my active wife.

Before using the Aspen, I thought that backpacks were destined to not fit me right. As a 5'4" woman, I was used to unisex size small packs resting halfway down my rear and choking me with the sternum strap. It wasn't until using the Aspen that I found a one-size-fits-most pack that felt like it was specifically designed to fit me.

On the Continental Divide Trail, I had several week-long food carries and several 20+-mile water carries, sometimes at the same time. Despite being small, the Aspen was able to accommodate these needs.

I loved that the Aspen was able to bridge comfort and durability. The shoulder straps and back padding made the pack comfortable on my body, even when it was heavy. The mesh outer pocket was able to fit a lot of odds and ends, and it came away from the trail with one tiny hole; every other mesh outer pocket I saw on trail was ripped to shreds by the end of the first state. I felt like I could put the Aspen through the ringer and not worry about it coming out damaged on the other side.

I will never thru-hike or backpack with another pack again! This is, without a doubt, the most comfortable ultralight, frameless pack I've tried. It truthfully even has my old frame pack beat. The female-specific features are so intentional and thought out, and there's no part of the pack that pinches, squeezes or fits uncomfortably. The extra-large water bottle pockets are one of my favorite features and so convenient for grabbing water without taking the pack off, or simply storing extra goodies on the exterior! It's been over a year since I got my Aspen pack, one thru-hike and hundreds of additional miles later, and the pack is still in great condition. The level of comfort and weight is unmatched, plus it's always a bonus to support such a wonderful company/owner.

I have nit been able to backpack yet with my Aspen but I have tried it on with cargo and adjusted it to fit, and I am very pleased and excited to use it. So light and well designed. I love the fit and the pockets and can’t wait to sort out where all my gear will end up. Side pockets for water bottles, etc are a dream. I’ll report back after I take her on a trek!

The pack has been a dream.

I’m so glad I picked up this pack for my trip! It was so comfortable, so lightweight, and so durable.

I love this pack. I was using it within a day of getting it, and telling everyone how much I loved it.

It's light and packs extremely well. The side pockets are huge (it fit snacks for two kids, plus their water, plus the rocks they found). There are ample ways to make the pack tighter/looser depending on what you are packing.

The straps are amazing! I have size H breasts and they sit perfectly after I adjusted it. I didn't have to deal with it cutting into armpits, or having be too loose or tight to prevent that.

I'm seriously contemplating using it for my day pack, night pack, playground pack... All the packs!

I love it! It’s so comfy! I can’t wait to take it out on trail! -Anessa

Sarah sold me a pack at Trail Days, one of the last two packs on display. I took it out for a trial run, just a short hike of 3 or 4 miles, and I loved it! It greatly reduced my chronic back pain. I look forward to using it on my future hikes!

Just returned from a Grand Canyon pack trip. I found it delightful. I’m 76 and this was a great experience. I added a pouch for a water bottle. Very comfortable, thank you for the design.

I have a closet full of backpacks that don’t fit.

It’s perfection!

LOVE IT! So grateful to have full use of my hips on all these blowdowns and snow traverses!

I'm absolutely loving my new Aspen pack! I came from a larger volume pack that relies on a large hip belt so it took some getting used to but once I did I'm convinced.

I love the way it fits!

It fits better than anything else I’ve tried.

The boobs feel good!

I’m impressed!