Pretty good day pack, but some flaws

By yanstirling2251124 Ranked #171 - Winter Packs February 10, 2009

I've used to pack for skiing for a couple of seasons now and have been quite happy with it. The sleeve for the hydration is bladder is excellent as it is a separate compartment that that unzips (2 zippers) on the side through the entire length of the pack and the shoulder straps to allow you to easily to insert your bladder and tube. It also allows you to zip up the entire tube inside the shoulder strap to prevent the water inside the tube from freezing over. To reach for a drink you can easily unzip part of the shoulder strap to pull the tube out. The pack is large enough for daily ski accessories - goggles, spare gloves, light fleece, food, etc - but retains a low profile, so it's comfortable on the chairlift.

There are a couple of issues however. First, the skis need to be attached diagonally across the back of the pack - at the top, the strap securing the skis can sometimes slip, causing the skis to drop to a more horizontal position .... not great when walking through crowds in the village. Second, the straps are too long - this problem is exacerbated by having different straps for snowboard and skis.

Overall, I would recommend this pack, but it is more suited to a snowboarder than a skier due to the first issue mentioned above.

View Details: The North Face Chugach 14 Backpack - 850cu in

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