Backcountry Access Stash Alp55 Backpack - 3356cu in - 2007 BCS

I believe that the negative reviews of this pack are from people who take the pack beyond its design purpose. If you take a light weight pack designed for alpine ascents and back country skiing, how can you expect it to hold up? That is not a fault of the pack.
Carrying loads of 55-60lbs, I have had no problems with the pack fit or comfort. The retention system keeps the pack well balanced and centered without any chaffing or wobbling, even with skis attached. The pack is quite roomy, I have yet to run out of room, even when packed for two nights of snow camping, climbing, and back country skiing. Wonderful for hut trips, long days, or a short alpine climb.
My one drawback of the pack would be the number of bells and whistles. Several hundred grams could easily be lost with a reduction of the daisy chains, zippers, and drawstrings that I have yet to use, even while portaging, and fully loaded with ice gear and skis.

While it is not the cleanest pack out there, it does its job very well and without complaint.

This is my second year with this pack.

The pros have been covered by other reviewers below: it has an external shovel pocket, it has an external probe pocket, it has plenty of straps to attach skis, ice axe and/or poles to, it has an insulated hydration system, it has convenient hip pockets, you can access the main compartment from both the side and the top, there are plenty of straps to clip your gear to, great compression straps and IT IS LIGHT.

The only issue I have had with it so far was that the "Nalgene-compatible" hydration system on mine was not actually Nalgene compatible, so I replaced it with an MSR hydration system (that I still run through the insulated sleeve).

Other than that, this is a sweet light pack that works well for my purposes. I have used it for two- and three-day ski tours and glacier climbs in Washington Cascades. Nothing on it has ripped or fell apart yet. I haven't pounded on it with an ice tool, or jumped on it while wearing crampons, but I have bushwacked with it, glissaded with it, practiced prusiking out of crevasses with it and waded creeks with it. It has been rained on and snowed upon. It's still alive and kicking.

It would never occur to me to bring this pack on a rock climb (let alone to go crag climbing with it) -- this pack excels when you are carrying a shovel, a probe, an ice axe, a pair of crampons, a pair of skis, poles and three layers of clothing that you want to access from the side while having a few pairs of mittens, a facemask and other small things accessible from the top. If you are not carrying any of that, then there are many smaller packs of the same weight with probably a sturdier construction.

Finally, while I have occasionally loaded it with 50lbs or more worth of stuff (including a wet rope), I normally travel with less than that in my pack, even on three-day outings. Ultimately, the reason I bought this pack is that it's light, and so is the rest of my gear.

Previous review got the high points. I have an older version before they added the hip pockets; those are a nice feature! The neoprene ski carier straps are great. This is one of the most stable ski carrying platforms I've used -- the BCA Stash BC is also a great ski carrier. Hydration system is great; I have never had it freeze up in the 3 seasons I have carried this pack. The side zipper to access the nalgen bottle is very nice; overcomes the usual problem inherent with top-loader packs. Great compression straps so that it carries skis well whether loaded or empty.
But -- there are some problems. The material is flimsy. 2 of my friends all got this pack at the same time. All of us have blown-out seams and/or rips in the fabric. Nice to trade off light weight materials for some toughness, but maybe they went too far. Also it does not carry large loads well. The hip and shoulder straps are very thin. 2 of us were carrying this pack last weekend and both felt the pack was OK handling the load until we added boots & skis for the 7-mile approach. The pack does not support the weight of a 3-day base camp plus skis & boots. Prior weekend with just bivy gear and skinning rather than carrying the skis it seemed OK. I guess anything over 50 lbs is just too much for this pack. Carry less than that and it's great.

Pros:
Nice size for an overnight trip; skiing or climbing. Expands to hold a ton of gear. Lots of compartments make organization a breeze. I like the drinking system. I trust a nalgene in my pack way more than any bladder. Separate shovel compartment, dedicated probe/Shovel handle sleeves, and hip pockets are sweet. And the side zipper makes getting at your gear easy.

Cons:
The padding on the waist belt and shoulder straps is too thin. Overall I would like to have more support for hauling all of the gear this pack can hold. The material is way too thin to take any abuse. Two climbing trips and the pack already has several small rips in it. Definately not a cragging pack.

I think this will make a good ski pack but for climbing it's a dud.

At first this pack was great; light, lots of room, good storage, good hydration system, and comfy. Unfortunately after a year it is destroyed. All the cheapo zipper strings have come off (one ripped off the first day of use) and there are numerous holes in the light yet fragile material. Perhaps with a more gentle owner who also does not rock climb it would hold up better, but in my mind it is not a good value for what you pay (which is quite a lot).

This pack is awful. I would not buy this pack. I spent 2 days out in the backcountry in Utah skiing and this pack just does not hold up. If you are looking for an awesome pack check out the Black Diamond Anarchist. It is bomber proof.