Just finished a shakedown trip with this pack up Barr Trail on Pikes Peak this weekend. Included a couloir climb. 23 miles in total with lots of vertical. I had my full glacier kit in this pack with a total weight of 44 pounds (minus my harness, rope, and rock/ice pro). The weight was carried well, which is saying something for “ultralight” packs. I really love the floating lid and side pockets for O2. Very rarely will be carrying O2 but these pockets are pretty versatile and can carry a lot of other stuff. Daisy chains to attach other gear are nice for versatility. Finally a lighter pack on the market for mountaineering that doesn’t weigh 6 pounds.
Here are the improves:
1. The attachments for the floating lid— the open plastic pieces that attach the back of the lid to the shoulder straps. I understand the concept but I hate them. They feel cheap and pop off very easily, which is annoying. There has to be a better way… I would be willing to sacrifice a few grams for a better mechanism.
2. For the love of ***, ultralight pack companies, please figure out a way to add load lifters. On long slogs with your heavy gear, the shoulders get wrecked. It would be a godsend to have something to take a bit of the weight off and redistribute the load.
3. The large holes in the bottoms on the O2 pockets: these could be a bit smaller so that skinnier items like wands/pickets/snow anchors can’t just slip through. Not the biggest deal as I can tape or otherwise stuff something in the…
