We have lots of relatives back in Europe and one of them is a distance runner in her 20s who has recently taken up with an excellent young fellow who lives in a beautiful Austrian ski town. She has visited the states over the years and stayed with us and I gave her a decent Hyperlight 4000 cu/in pack for overnight trips, but recently she asked for advice on smaller day packs as she's beginning to ski tour. I thought it worth posting what I shared with her here, even if some of it duplicates some of what I've posted before.
Dear N,
Let me know if this helps. If you would like me to bring
you a pack from the US that can be done. There are some wonderful small US
shops making packs, but they are largely climbing packs (Cold Cold World,
Alpine Luddites, Hyperlight Mountaineering, CiloGear). This retail shop below
has a good selection and reviews of many European options I think you can try
on easily if you look for them:
https://skimo.co/compare-backpacks
Also I like:
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/ (unfortunately they do not review ski packs)
Use your own body and good sense to pick a pack that feels good and works for you. The one I gave you will work for everything, and is my strongest ski mountaineering partner’s main pack. It is however a bit large for day trips. I mostly use a very simple old Canadian Arc’teryx pack and T uses an Arva rescue pack with lots of pockets out of Europe. I also have a small Mountain Hardware designed by our friend and guide Andrew McLean. We can share and loan them all if you want to try what is best for you. Let me know if you want to discuss more and again, hope to see you soon.
Backpacks I like
Most of my backpacks are for climbing. Even with my ski backpacks, there is a bias for climbing.
Both climbing and skiing are fluid body movement activities.
The less frame the pack has the more it moves.
If you carry more than 20 KG, you will want some kind of
support. This can be back padding or aluminum stays in the frame. They transfer
weight to the waist belt which needs more padding for more weight. There is also a very old technique called a tumpline worth looking at for heavier loads: tumplines
Any ski pack should have very easy access to the shovel, beacon and probe. If you think that the thought of an avalanche might occur, take them all. Never take only one or two of them, unless you are digging out your grandmother’s driveway.
If you carry less than 10 KG you will need little more than
a simple sack with a section for the avalanche trinity and another section for puffy,
headlamp, food and water. Racing packs are like that. They are light but solid
and have features for:
·
Carrying skis either A-frame or diagonally
·
Storing ski crampons (harscheisser) and/or
crampons
·
Carrying an ice axe
Nice to have (not need to have):
·
Separate sections for wet gear (skins) and dry
gear
·
Attachments for modern ice tools (as opposed to
a traditional piolet) and crampons
·
Soft compartment for ski goggles
·
Clips for keys and small internal pockets for
wallet/passport/flask/chocolate
·
Removable and expandable top lid
Key things to consider:
·
Does the pack fit you well and move with you?
·
Can it carry the gear you need?
·
Does it look dope?
I think that’s all for now. The packs I own and use consist
of these brands/styles:
http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/
I have all of Randy’s packs, and one on order. They are by
far the best packs for climbing, and work well for most simple skiing trips.
They are indestructible and have whatever attachment points an alpinist needs.
I admit I mostly admire them for their ropes, which I use
exclusively. They are the best.
My favorite large ski pack lately is the Mammut Trion from a
few years back. It is good for overnights with full ski mountaineering gear,
and you can strip it down for day travel. It is a very good pack of the
extendible top type (vs rolltop like the Hyperlight I gave you), but has no
dedicated ski shovel, probe, etc slots, just one big pocket.
https://www.mammut.com/us/en/products/2520-00850-00087/trion-50
While I have never owned them I think Ortovox are very
interesting and well featured packs.
https://www.ortovox.com/us-en/shop/c35488-backpacks
Again, it is all about fit and features. Don’t go for what
looks good (although that matters). Get one that feels great and does what you
need it to do.
Dedicated race and fast adventure packs are also really
great. I have a Ultimate Direction and a Millet. I also have a Camp Raptor
which is my favorite in this class (not racing, but light):
https://skimo.co/compare-backpacks
This is a great store in Salt Lake City Utah and I would read their reviews carefully. I think they look the most like your approach. Athlete-drive, high-performance gear which does not get in your way.
