Mountain Hardwear

AMG 55L Backpack

GREAT PACK

No nonsense mountain pack with everything you need to succeed. And I just want to comment on some of the other reviews that gave a lower rating for their complete ignorance about mountain packs. Yes, that's correct, it does not have openings on the sides or front of it to access the main compartment. Because it's a mountain pack, needs to be that way. It's a tube, and you put a waterproof liner in it anyway. There is no access other than the top. It's to keep all your essentials like your parka, sleeping back, food, etc., DRY!! Either you haven't ever really climbed a glacier and just want to look kool with a mountain pack, OK, that's fine, but how about learning something before offering up a review that is completely incorrect for a mountain pack.

Excellent pack. Very happy.

Excellent pack. Very light for all the features. Did a little less than 20 miles the first trip and it worked out great. incredible amount of adjustment available. Shoulders and hips felt great. Really expands out well and sinches up real tight with less in it. Very happy with the purschase.

Mountain Hardwear AMG 55L Backpack

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I bought this backpack one month ago and I am very happy (this is my second Mountain Hardwear 55 L backpack) This backpack is wonderful for the mountains, traveling, backpacking, claimbing, etc… I travel with this around the world… I’m in Uganda, Africa, when I return to Mexico I will send you some photos with this around the world…

Loved it for the structure

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

M/L

Height:

5' 10"

Weight:

210

I collect a lot of purposed gear, over the last 20 years. This is a stellar and comfortable pack, everything following is technical critique. :tldr It’s not heavy but not the lightest pack either. I found it a great trade off with plenty of dense padding & structure without being too much or hot. It has fantastic structure, holding shape flat against my back, where UL packs tend to bulge against my back when tightly compressing a load for max stability. The carry with this pack was phenomenal, padding on shoulder, upper back and waist was all just right and keeps the lower back with some airflow. I took ~30 lbs up Mt. Whitney’s mountaineer’s route (camping at UBSL). The waist belt came around exactly where I wanted it. I’m large enough that padding on some of my lighter packs with one size belts may just make it to my iliac crest. I did miss waist belt pockets for quick access to snacks, especially when wearing a harness that limits pant pocket access. Volume allows plenty of space. Compression system was a bit more complex than it really needed to be with additional buckles and cinches inside the rear pocket that have to be adjusted in addition to side buckles/cinches, but again offers a lot of flexibility. Flexibility also means a lot of extra strap to manage or have hanging. The double drawstring lid is confusing, specifically the second outer on the rain/compression flap. The secondary drawstring runs through this flap, pulling the flap open, tightening the top compression/rope strap then seems to open the secondary draw so I opted to cinch the inner draw then use the compression strap to keep the flap down over the opening with out tightening the outer draw. If using the top cap there’s no need for the outer drawstring. Cap is a bit weird with limited volume divided between 3 zippered pouches (2 top, one underneath) but still had reasonable capacity and provided improved efficiency when hunting for essentials due to ability to organize between pockets.

Great pack - doesn't fit snow safety tools!!

I bought this pack a year ago and immediately fell in love with all the features - easy to use buckles, lots of adjustment, excellent load carry system. All was well and I was very satisfied until this winter. I wanted to take this pack instead of my usual on a longer ski tour and low and behold - the shovel/probe pocket doesn't even come close to fitting a standard size shovel or a probe. They both stick out about five inches or so. Not cool and a game changer for me since I wanted to use this pack for ski mountaineering.

Very good but a few bad misses

I bought this bag because I was looking for a burly bag for mountaineering missions. I love the straps system and possibilities of external attachment. Crampons pouch, ski carry, side pockets are awesome. The material feels very robust and waist and shoulder straps are very comfortable. I don’t doubt that this bag will be great for carrying heavy loads. A few important downsides to be aware of though. The avi pocket barely fits a small size shovel and probe. Works for me but I would have liked it bigger. The ice axe loops also are on the small side. I don’t quite understand how mountain hardware failed on those 2 very important features for a mountaineering pack. And finally I’m a 6’ man with a 18” torso and I had to return the M/L size to go for S/M because even on the lowest setting it wouldn’t fit me. And with a 32” waist, I had to tighten the waist strap to its maximum. So if you’re debating between sizes, don’t make the mistake I made and go for the small one without hesitations. It will save you a return. If you’re okay with those issues like I am, it’s a great bag. Also very good looking. Love the colours

Avy pock way too small

This pack checked every box, in theory... The avalanche pocket is tiny and will not fit average sized tools. I ended up having to return it, as it was not functional. PLEASE UPDATE this and make it available in a 35L as well!

Great pack for 3-5 day trips

Very comfortable, very light, lots of pockets and smart design.

AMG 55 on Mt. Rainier

This was purchased specifically for a climb up the Kautz route on Mount Rainier. The M/L is actually a 59L, which was a lot closer to the recommended size, although still on the small side for that trip, which is what I was aiming for (more bag means I just end up filling it with more gear...). I was able to make it work, and it performed flawlessly. The crampon pouch was a game-changer, and the articulating hip-belt was amazing in every position. This is also one of the few bags I've had with side pouches appropriately sized for bottles.

Only pack since the Teraplane Overkill that stood up to what I dish out!

This pack has been thru mud, dirt, dropped off a canyon wall, ran over by my jeep on safari run! soaked in water as well! it's hard-core and it's been taking a hell of a beating. Any other pack would have been destroyed and I will post a before after photo!