Gear Review
Arc'teryx Altra Backpack 65 - Men's - 3967-4577cu in
Lovin' It
By Sean Chism
Ranked #35 - Weekend Packs (3000-4500 cu in)
July 12, 2010
This pack is a load hauling monster. I just carried it for four days in the Colorado backcountry, and it swallowed all of my climbing/camping gear, even the bear canister, whole. The only gear I had on the ouside of the pack was my ice axe and camp shoes, and there was loads more room inside the pack. The pack weight was somewhere between 35-40 pounds, so it wasn't the heaviest out there, but I had no discomfert what so ever throughout the trip. I have carried a Gregory Baltero 70, Osprey Argon 70, and this Arcteryx is by far the cream of the crop. I cannot think of one bad thing to say about this pack, and look forward to using for years to come.
View Details: Arc'teryx Altra Backpack 65 - Men's - 3967-4577cu in
Helpful Votes: 2 Yes
Tech Specs:
- Material:
- Invista HT Mini Ripstop (100D nylon, PU coating), 420ACT, Invista HT Plain Weave
- Support/Suspension:
- AC2 system, removable 6061 aluminum tubular stays
- Shoulder Straps:
- GridLock adjustable harness system
- Waist-Belt:
- yes, thermo-molded
- Access:
- top, front
- Pockets:
- 2 top lid zippered, 1 map, 1 hook-and-loop, 1 front kangaroo, 2 hip-belt mesh, 2 stretch mesh
- Sleeping Bag Compartment:
- no
- Hydration Compatible:
- yes
- Reservoir Included:
- no
- Detachable Daypack:
- no
- Detachable Lid:
- yes
- Ski Carry:
- no
- Gear Loops:
- yes, mini daisy chains
- Trekking Pole Loops:
- no
- Weight:
- (reg) 2200 g, (tall) 2300 g
- Volume:
- (reg) 65 72 L, (tall) 68 75 L
- Recommended Use:
- multi-day backpacking, trekking
- Manufacturer Warranty:
- lifetime
Change me.
3 Comments Last Reply: April 5, 2011 By: leaveword1676537
Sean, as much as I like my Altra 62, and as easy as it is to attach an ice axe using both sets of "daisy chain" loops, low and high, plus the shelf at the bottom, there are a lot of reasons why I would not use this as a mountaineering pack. The top five that come to mind are: (1) no haul loops on the Altra; (2) no wands, skis or pickets can be easily attached to the Altra; (3) no gear loops on the hip belt for clipping in tools; (4) you have no choice with the Altra except to carry your crampons inside a protective pocket, something many people don't want to do because of the weight; and (5) the Altra is just not clean enough (I would not trust the plastic shoulder pegboard system or the load transfer disc etc in an alpine situation--there seem to be no jerry-riggable fixes if these things get smashed on or by a rock). Cutting to the chase, have you thought about getting two packs, one to tour with (built for comfort--the Altra) and one to climb with (lightweight with built-in specialty features)? If you absolutely want one pack to do both jobs, and if like me you aren't willing to put up with the heavier weights of ArcTeryx's climbing packs, then try models made by Black Diamond, Mammut, Osprey, Millet or even Mountain Hardware. You can get a really good one for way under $200, closer to $150. I find that Climbing magazine does a good annual rating. My rock climbing pack is Black Diamond's Sphinx 32, and I guess its modern stepchild would be Osprey's award-winning Mutant. BD's 30-40 liter Sphinx descendants are clean, tough, go anywhere and carry big honkin loads without a lot of suffering. (A leader's rack and rope (or two) plus three liters of water and a decent med kit usually tip my pack weight well over 40 lbs.) I have two mountaineering packs that both work very well. When I can get away with regular volumes (winter temps above freezing) I carry a red Osprey Variant 52 (with the floating shovel pocket) that is one of the best packs I've ever owned. Pulling sleds with this thing is almost a pleasure! No harness needed! When volumes get out of control and the loads get worse, I just stuff it all into the most lightweight alpine bag I can think of, made as you might already know by Mont Bell. These famous packs do not work unless they are fully stuffed, and all the reviews that contain complaints about bad/uneven/out of control load transfers with the pack compressed--sadly, I've proven them to be correct. Have fun! Hope to see you up there.
Helpful Votes: 2 Yes
I used Ice Axe Keepers from Arc'teryx. On their website they only show one with the doggle as they call it. It is used for the bottom of the pack to hold the axe head. Somewhere on line I found one without the doggel for the upper strap. They easily attached to the daisey chains on the pack. I also found that you can use just the bottom keeper with the doggel, and use the upper compression strap/wing to hold the axe shaft.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
The one qualm I have with this pack is that there are no ice axe loops. I go backpacking about as frequently as I go mountaineering and want my pack to be able to handle an ice axe. How did you rig it up to hold yours, and was it secure? Anyone know how to go about doing this? Thanks.
Helpful Votes: 2 Yes