Osprey Kamber 32 Review – Great For Snow Sports

Osprey is a top backpack manufacturer worldwide and made its reputation by creating specialist backpacks for outdoor adventurers. Their mission is to “create innovative, high-performance gear that reflects their love of adventure and devotion to the outdoors”, and this is obvious in their products well thought out design. 

In this article, we take a good look at the Osprey Kamber 32 backpack. This backpack is famous amongst skiers and snowboarders alike and is designed specifically as a snowpack. It’s made to handle the slopes and carry everything you need for your snowy adventures, from an avalanche saftey kit pocket to an insulated hydration sleeve, it has it all. 

Below we get into the details of the Osprey Kamber 32 backpack in regards to materials, durability, carrying comfort, accessibility, organization, and more.

Materials & Durability

A life of carrying mountain gear in the snow is not easy for a backpack. In fact, it’s one of the toughest jobs a backpack can have. Any backpack carrying anything from ice axes, shovels, and probes to skis and snowboards in an icy world is going to get some tough treatment.

In order to survive this, and keep your gear safe, the backpack had better be tough, a bit like the Osprey Kamber 32. The over-all build and material choice that has gone into this snow-pack, make it one of the best around give it a chance to last a lifetime.

Materials

The Kamber 32 is made from 420HD (denier high tenacity) nylon packcloth. This is an amazingly strong, light, and durable material that’ll handle anything you throw at it.

The high D count of 420 means the material is thick and will be able to handle the heavy wear of your snow gear. Osprey has also added reinforced wear points on areas where your heavy gear goes to ensure the longevity of the Kamber 32.

Back Panel

The back panel on the Kamber 32 is no ordinary back panel, it’s a snow-shedding Thermoformed back panel that’s made to keep you warm and ensure no moisture gets into the dry compartment of the backpack. This is an awesome addition to any snow-pack.

Water-Resistance

420HD nylon packcloth is a water-resistant material and the Kamber 32 will provide ample protection for your gear from moisture, snowmelt, and the odd light shower, but it is not fully waterproof. If you do end up in heavy weather, you’ll need to add a rain cover to ensure no water gets inside to your gear.

Frame

The frame is an Osprey LightWire frame which is made of aluminum. It’s solid, durable and will last a long time.

Zippers & Bucklers

The zippers and buckles are tough and will survive some heavy treatment. You can expect them to keep up with you for as long as you keep going.

Carrying Comfort

Carrying comfort is key to enjoying your backpack and is especially important when you’re flying down a mountain. The Kamber 32 is comfy as hell and hugs your body to let you maximize your enjoyment when rushing down through powder.

Fit and Sizing

A backpack is only comfortable if it fits you well, and to make sure of this you need to find one the right size. Luckily the Kamber 32 comes in two sizes, S/M and M/L. These different sizes offer different torso and waist sizes that’ll fit pretty much anyone. Just out the specs section to find out which size fits you.

Once you have the right size, everything else falls into place. The backpack will sit comfortably on your back and all the straps will be in the right place.

The Frame

The Kamber 32 features a light aluminum frame that is excellent at evenly distributing the weight of the pack to the right parts of the backpack, namely all the straps. This ensures your body handles the weight together instead of one part being put under strain.

Back Panel

The snow-shedding Thermoformed back panel is there to keep you dry too. It will resist moisture so you don’t have to deal with a wet pack seeping into your back all day. It’s also padded for extra comfort.

Shoulder & Sternum Straps

The shoulder straps full of quality foam to ensure your shoulders are comfortable. They aren’t adjustable and this means getting the size for you is even more important.

The sternum straps are well made too and remove any extra strain from your shoulders.

Hip Belt

Hip belts are designed to take the strain from your shoulders and move the weight to the rest of your body, so its evenly distributed. The hip belts on the Kamber 32 are padded and comfy.

Organization & Accessibility

Mountain adventures require some serious gear and for it to be organized and accessible at a moment’s notice. The Kamber 32 does an awesome job of providing a little place for everything you might need while skiing down a mountain. There’s dry storage, avalanche storage, goggle storage, and more. Have a read.

Main Compartment

The main compartment of the Kamber 32 is opened through the back panel and is actually designed as a dry storage area. The zipper is long, which allows you awesome accessibility. The compartment is protected by the snow-shedding Thermoformed back panel to ensure no moisture gets in there.

Inside the main compartment, you have an internal mesh zipper pocket, ideal for keeping things like your phone, sunscreen, wallet, and flashlight. You’ll also find the insulated hydration sleeve in there too that ensures your water doesn’t freeze on the way down the mountain.

Avalanche Safety Pocket

The front of the backpack features a dedicated avalanche saftey pocket. It fits a shovel, probe, saw, and skins with ease and has specific slots for both the shovel and probe. There is also a zippered mesh pocket in here which is ideal for wet gear or any snow tools like a screwdriver.

Goggle Pocket

At the top of the backpack is a dedicated, soft-lined goggle pocket. This provides a scratch-free and safe area for your goggles.

Hip Belt Pockets

The hip belt has one pocket on each side for anything you need to access quickly on the move. It’s an awesome place to store energy bars, a small camera, and anything else small.

This does mean you lose out on having room for ski mountaineering gear loops.

Helmet Storage

There is an excellent helmet sling on the Kamber 32. The sling stows into a small pocket at the top and when deployed gives you the choice of 2 different positions. It can be clipped over the top of the bag or over the front of the back reducing the overall height.

Zippers

All the zippers on the bag come with glove-friendly pulls for easy access.

External Attachment Points

External attachment points are very useful and there are only a few on the Osprey Kamber, but they do allow you to carry your skis, snowboard or ice axe, which is pretty much all you need for a day out on the slopes.

Ice Axe

There is one tuckaway ice tool loop with a tuckable bungee on the front of the pack. This lets you store your ice axe securely and safely.

Compression Straps

The two compression straps the run horizontally across the front combine to provide snowboard or ski carry. You can carry your snowboard vertically and your skis as an A-frame or diagonally.

Value For Money

The Osprey Kamber 32 is not cheap and retails for around $170. You may not have expected to pay this much for a 32L backpack but the fact that it’s specifically designed for use on snowy mountains, durable and comes with such awesome and technical features, it’s worth every dollar in our eyes.

Rating

With a rating of 94 out of 100, the Osprey Kamber has smashed it on our rating system. There isn’t a category is doesn’t excel at. If you’re looking for a snowboard/ski backpack, this is an awesome choice.

Verdict

If you live your life on the slopes and want a backpack that’ll be your loved companion through all your snowy adventures, the Osprey Kamber 32 is the one to go for.

Osprey did an amazing job with this backpack and it has all the assets needed for a life in the mountains. Go get one, you won’t regret it.