The suspension is like a dream, but lets be real 50+ pounds can't ever feal good. This pack will handle that load and you won't be in pain. It has great features like the detachable hydration sleeve, lid pocket/lumbar pack, straight jacket compression system, three access points to the main compartment, two side pockets(one is great for a water bottle, but the other is hard to reach while wearing), a mesh front pocket, and plenty of places to strap on external gear. I can tell you that this pack is well made, has total adjustability with torso length and different sized hip belts, a clever versatile design with usefull features, and the suspension for expedition sized loads. You can't ask for much more.

I just got back from a seven day trip in the Bob Marshall wilderness in NW Montana. I started with a 55 lb load and was TOTALLY IMPRESSED by this pack's performance. The suspension on the Argon has a level of adjustability that eliminated my usual pressure points. After a day of dialing it in, it became an extension of my body: very helpful when walking narrow game trails on scree fields. I also noted that there was no "internal frame sag syndrome" regardless of the terrain. As a professional guide I carried a number of internal frame packs, but nothing on the market IMHO can tough the Argon. My only wish? Just one more external pocket!

Special thanks to Justin and the crew at Backcountry. After an oversight in the order they went way beyond the call to not only get me my gear on time, but to satisfy me. I'm now a life-time BC customer...

The suspension is pretty awesome. It's a very comfortable pack for trips where I'm hauling more than I need to. I haven't tried using the top as a lumbar pack, but I have pulled out the bladder sleeve to use as a basic hydration pack for side hikes. Good design, works well. Lots of access to the main compartment, and it has just enough pockets. Not too many so you rummage all over, but enough that you can compartmentalize efficiently.

Definitely not a light pack, but it's the one for more than a weekend, for winter trips, or trips where I need the volume for a bear canister. I'll probably pick up a lighter pack for weekend trips, though. Got my eye on an Exos.

if you want a pack that will carry all your goodies in ultra comfort, the argon is a tasty choice!
i've hauled this beauty through some tough and sketchy terrain throughout the canadian rockies and i am extremely impressed with the quality, durability and comfort that it offers! it has held up amazingly after being scraped by trees, thrown on sharp rocks and exposed to harsh weather... even after all that, it still looks as if i had just purchased it! a big high 5 to the crew @ osprey for making such a great product!

It took me a full day on the trail with a 60lb load to get it adjusted correctly but after much trial and error I've got it dialed! I went to a brick and morter retailer who didn't carry this pack but the next size up, I think it was 85l. The suspension is the same on both packs so I was able to get fitted before ordering from backcountry.com. I've only done 2 3-day trips since purchasing this pack but I'm very pleased. The option to remove the top of the pack and use it as a fanny pack (I hate fanny packs) turned out to be very convenient for some side-trip scrambling near camp. Ditto with the hydration pack. The pockets are convenient and the whole thing very well made. I would buy this pack again, for sure.

This pack is amazing! I have only taken it out a few times with loads in the 40-55 lb range and it hardly felt like I had any weight in my pack. The way the suspension system works is truly incredible. The usual pressure points that bugged after a few hours of hiking with heavy loads are non-existent! Don't wait, buy this pack today and you will never regret it!!!

I love this pack. I was looking for the best pack I could get for extended trips, and this is it. This feature rich pack has everything one needs in a pack (minus an included rain cover). The pack is somewhat comfortable at first, but after a bit of time with it on it really molds to your back. I do not regret this purchase one bit. I got the Kemp colour and I absolutely love it. Way better then the mustard, that's for sure.bottom line, fully recommended, without a doubt a great purchase.

This is easily one of the best purchases I have ever made. I have had an Osprey Finesse Carbon Ripstop (very similar to the Argon but older and slightly smaller) for about 12 years (!) now. During this time, it has been manhandled by angry baggage handlers from Bangkok to Munich, climbed a total of 6 14ers in Colorado, been hucked around on my back on snowboard trips (while riding mind you), saved me from a tree well in Purgatory Durango I once fell into, carried my laundry up and down a mountain on my mountain bike when I didn't have a car, gone skateboarding through Tokyo, on business trips galore holding everything from suits to really heavy marketing material. Back in college it even carried a puppy for a day when I didn't want to live it alone and hid him inside the pack with some doggie food and my books.
I bought this thing back in 1996 and rest assured, I have absolutely no regrets. It is still as tough as it ever was. I broke one of the plastic snaps on it down in Mexico once but the thing is built with so many backups snaps that you can always find another way to rig it.
Did I mention that it is still the thing I reach for, pretty much anytime I am going anywhere?