sick multi day winter ski bag

By Brian G. Sweeney Ranked #121 - Weekend Packs (3000-4500 cu in) April 30, 2009

i got this so i could go on winter overnights with my new AT gear. it fits a massive amount of stuff into it! i was able to get a tarp, my bivy, my 15 degree down bag, a fleece sleeping bag liner, some rope, 3 days of food, a down jacket, extra layers, extra gloves, hats, extra goggles, a cookset and ultralight gas stove plus two cans of isopro, climbing skins and two nalgenes into the thing. i strapped my mattress to the compression straps - this was a bit tight but worked.

the list of features is what sold me, after having chosen the size of bag i was looking for. great suspension compared to my old technical day bag. heavy duty, double layered 2 inch webbing toward the bottom serve as a burly ski carrier for A or H frame arrangement. A-framing with the lid on and the pack fully loaded requires some fiddling around to get it right, and H-framing it is prone to loosening up over time. it has a rope stowage strap just under the lid for climbers. the helmet carrier is meant for rock climbing helmets but im able to stuff my ski helmet into it if i fold down the ear flaps. with a race helmet, it might be a tight squeeze. crampon pouch is sweet, as are the pick pockets. i wish it had a shovel pouch of some sort as well as place to stash a probe, but i guess you cant win em all.

this pack does a spectacular job paring down from an overnight back to a technical ascent bag. it comes with an ultralight hipbelt which you can use in place of the molded hipbelt. the lid is easily removable and facilitates A-framing your skis. the compression straps and dual drawstrings at the top allow you to shrink the thing down to the size of a day back for the final push up your ski line.

the sides of the bag have already received a good scuffing from my ski edges, and im afraid that eventually they'll need some patching. luckily my mom and sister are pretty good seamstresses. no other downsides come to mind.

View Details: Black Diamond Predator 50 Backpack - 2929-3052cu in

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes | 0 No