Mountain Hardwear

Direttissima 50 Backpack - 3051-3356cu in

Even if you're Ueli Steck, you can't carry the wrong pack and expect to reach all your objectives smoothly and easily (actually, Ueli could probably climb K2 in 17 minutes toting a duffel bag, but still.) For serious mountaineers and climbers who aren't quite as nuts as Ueli, Mountain Hardwear made the Direttissima 50 Backpack, which lets you customize the support, weight, and volume so you can use it as an approach pack or a small, light bag for the summit push.

When you've set up base camp, pop out the body-conforming HardWave framesheet, aluminum stay, padded waist belt, and top pocket to shave a serious amount of weight, and attach the thin webbing belt for lightweight support on those tough technical pitches. The Direttissima comes with tons of gear-carrying options, from a zippered back compartment to a crampon stash pocket to lash points and compression straps, so you can always have what you need accessible, and is made of rugged nylon and X-Ply Ripstop, so squeeze chimneys, crampon points, and tree branches won't poke holes in your hopes and dreams.