I bought the Ariel 65 after I had ordered an Aura AG 65 which I have had to send back. But this means I can give a good comparison between them. For context, I’m a 5’7” woman, with a 17.5” (44.5cm) back size. I’m probably around 62kg, quite active, with a bit of an hourglass shape and a curve to my lower back. Does it not really frustrate you when people say it doesn’t fit, but fail to give any context about their own size and shape? Anyway, the Aura AG 65 (not this backpack) was great - roomy, loads of pockets, spread the load very well. The reason I had to send it back was because there is a fairly prominent seam joining the mesh on the back system to the fabric of the bag - and it RUBS. Even after wearing the bag loaded up for an hour at home, I was beginning to get red marks and friction on my spine. So, back it goes. This is where the Ariel (this backpack) comes in. I bought it in a rush to replace the Aura for a trip this weekend - and it’s really great. Fully loaded it up, yesterday. It has a much higher weight capacity than the Aura - 27kg limit vs 18kg - and it sits comfortably on the back even stuffed full. The foam padding around the hips and shoulders is firm enough to really provide some cushioning when you load it up. Pros: - the back system is very comfortable and the women’s-specific fit a VERY welcome change. It goes on my body like a glove and the load lifters and stabiliser straps give it a very stable, close-to-the-body carry. - the HUGE front zip into the main compartment is super handy. You can zip out a large portion of the main compartment’s shell to access the inside without opening the top of the pack. I’m still working on the best packing plan for this but it basically eliminates the need to pull things out of your pack to get at stuff below them. - separate bottom compartment, though smaller than the Aura’s, is roomy enough for my OEX Phoxx 1 v2 (toughest budget tent for British weather!) and my Helikon swagman insulated poncho, and a few bits and bobs like an extra groundsheet and peg bag. I like to keep my tent-pitching gear in the bottom compartment, for simplicity and easy access. - the colour! I bought the black model and the colour is fantastic. It has a ‘grey cloaks of Lorien’ look to the fabric - a slight sheen and it looks a different colour in different contexts. It’s basically a chameleon bag with a range of subtle shades from dark khaki green to black or silvery grey. Never thought I’d be feeling like I’ve just visited Galadriel while on a mountain! It looks amazing. - pole stow straps on the back of the bag make convenient storage for walking poles if you don’t need to use them and put them away regularly. - lower-access water bottle pockets make it MUCH easier to pull your water-bottle out - though I will say that the bottle top can butt against your elbow a bit when carrying them like that. - tension / stability straps on the base of the bag pull the pocket zips taut so they’re easy to open and close with one hand. - the fit-on-the-fly shoulder straps are fantastic. Being able to extend the padded part of the strap down along my rib cage eliminates rubbing from taut straps and is soooo comfy. - the bag feels tough and durable Cons: - many fewer pockets. Probably because of the large front access, there are no zipped side pockets on this bag. You get two stow pockets on the lid (one is for the rain cover, which I rolled up and put elastic round to free up some space). Then you get the front expander pocket - but it’s much tighter than the Aura’s. Some may like the more streamlined look, but it’s worth taking into account if you’re a pocket packer. - unlike the Aura, this bag doesn’t have stow-on-the-go pole loops on the shoulder straps. This means you have to take the bag off entirely to access your poles (or stow them). This is probably fine for someone who uses their poles constantly, or barely uses them at all, but probably not for a poles out - poles in sort of hiker. - the waist-belt pockets are smaller than the Aura’s. Though, given that I almost couldn’t get the Aura’s fit-on-the-fly waist belt to be small enough for me, this is an improvement. I’ve quite slim hips and I’ve not needed to make any adjustment to the the Ariel’s hip pads, because they extend a little less far around the body. - no convenient stow for my lifestraw! I may try to make an elastic loop for it. It’s currently in the lid pocket above my head. Though, admittedly, I probably shouldn’t lean over mountain streams with this bag on anyway. :D It could lead to a topple! All in all, I’ve managed to pack my gear into this bag - though it’s tight! Even loaded up, it’s a comfortable carry and a very balanced load. It doesn’t make me feel unstable. There are a good number of cinch straps to make sure that the load stays where it’s put, and moves with my body. I’m planning a hike this weekend - a couple of Welsh mountains and a camp - so I’ll update this with my thoughts after I’ve used it. Edited to add: Well, I’ve done two solo hikes so far and I really love this bag still. On the first, I overdid the mileage a little bit and I did get bruises on my hips and shoulders, and have some difficulty keeping the bag comfortable after about the 10th mile. HOWEVER, I don’t think that’s the bag’s fault. It was a big trip for someone who hadn’t hiked or carried weight (around 17kg) for years. I fiddled with the fit in ways that I now know weren’t helpful. My second trip was much better. I reduced the weight slightly (to 15.3kg) and learned how to get the hip belt to sit properly on my hips (basically, shrug my shoulders and let the bag resettle on the small of my back with the hip belt angled slightly upwards). It’s very comfortable, and balances nicely in that position - allowing me to take most of the pressure off my shoulders. I took this bag through rugged hills, pathless forests and put it down on damp ground, stuffed it in my tiny tent vestibule and opened it multiple times during the day. Let’s just say I’m impressed. Why? - it held up surprisingly well even after squeezing past a hundred uncompromising pine trees. No tears, rips or even scuffs. There’s a slight chance this bag might survive a nuclear blast while still looking brand new. - belt pockets are easy to unzip and zip up while the bag is on. - fit is easy to adjust while wearing the bag - the fit and balance are excellent and, even carrying 15kg, I can pole my way down some of the most difficult terrain and the bag doesn’t hinder me at all. Secure load, well-balanced, lovely to wear. - takes a lot to get this bag damp. I left it all night touching my soggy rain-fly and I could barely tell. - the cinch straps on the back of the bag are really handy to strap wet socks to - or other stuff that needs drying. There are a couple of minor downsides, though: - putting the bag down on muddy ground tends to lead to the padded belt getting muddy in a way that can’t easily be wiped clean. The fluffy fabric and padding, while comfortable, does stain a bit and I’m yet to figure out how to clean it. - I’ve not tried the rain cover yet, but I struggle to imagine how it would be useable if you carry a roller mattress or trekking poles on the back of the bag. - the bag is very tall on the body, which makes it a bit difficult for my poncho-based rain solution. That said, it hasn’t rained on me yet so I don’t know how well it works. I expect the bag won’t be fully covered by the poncho, making the issue with the rain cover more relevant. All in all, excellent bag. I even got a compliment on it, from some other hikers, at the end of my last hike - and that was JUST AFTER the whole issue with the pathless pine forest and aggressively grabby trees. I thought it might be scuffed or torn, or have hundreds of sticks embedded in it. Nope. Still looked brand new, with just one stick that got stuck on my mattress rather than the bag.
