Dope.

By paulba Ranked #49 - Winter Packs May 7, 2009

This pack is the shit!! Wow, where do I begin? There are so many good things to say about it. It is clear that this thing is extremely well thought out. The pack's name, "Variant", is quite apt, as it is very capable of a wide variety of excursions.

The ice tool holders are awesome - they keep the pick of your tool or axe mostly covered and secured tightly against the pack so there's no wobbling around, as is typical in almost every other pack. It has nice low profile gear loops on both hipbelts for racking ice screws, quickdraws, or whatever else. The crampon pocket works nicely for this purpose, and I'm sure most people will find it very useful for things other than crampons, such as hat and gloves. For me, the lid size is just right and not too big (I only use the lid for small items and hate when they're all giggling around). It carries skis securely in an A-frame (I have tested this). The waist belt can be either be removed entirely, or tucked around the opposite side and clipped together for when you're climbing and don't want it in your way. It has three-point haul loops. Lastly, I have never seen a pack that is overall so glove-friendly. You can easily adjust literally everything with gloved hands, including the ice tool clips and bungies.

It is also extremely comfortable, and fits soo nicely when you dial in the straps, provided you loaded it properly (with the heavy stuff against the backpanel in the middle-upper area). The weight goes where it belongs on the hips, and it is the most stable carry I've ever felt.

There are small pockets on the bottom/sides for poles or wands, but if you're someone who insists on side water bottle pockets, look elsewhere. But anyone looking for a hardcore climbing pack knows you can't put water bottles on the outside, as that ruins the skinny, streamlined profile which makes it so great for climbing. I'm not quite sure what the point of the spindrift collar is...I've never had snow get into my pack in blowing snow conditions. But you probably wouldn't even notice the thing tucked in if you weren't looking for it.

The bag seems like its volume can definitely expand beyond 37L -- maybe to 42L or so -- because of the floating lid, which I love. I can fit all I need for an overnighter nicely, including a two-person tent.

On top of all of this awesomeness, it still weights only 3.5 lbs! Oh, and if you want to go lighter for the summit push, you can strip it down to a feathery 2 lbs, almost half of the already light weight! How did they do it?

View Details: Osprey Packs Variant 37 Backpack - 2100-2400cu in

Helpful Votes: 4 Yes | 0 No