That shit is supposed to survive an avalanche, I wouldn't be worried about inflating it too many times.
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Like I said only familiar with my abs pack. With that pack I would not want to be exercising the burst panels and refolding it many tens of time. Maybe the capacitor and battery bags are different and maybe I am being overly cautious.
The zipper probably fails before anything else.
Just checked out the new BCA 45L wit Alpride E2... light and ergonomic very tempting.
One annoyance I’ve heard from others and experienced myself is the airbag zipper working itself open during normal use.
Litric marketing schpeal says they specifically designed to avoid this, but who knows if it’s effective and I hesitate to jump into a first year system…
Anyone with experience with any of the e1 or e2 systems: can you confirm if they do/don’t have issues with the airbag zipper working itself open over the course of a tour (especially with a very full pack, skis attached, multiple in/out and on/off, etc)?
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I used an E2 system last year, roughly 25 day tours, strapped skis to it a couple of times and never had any issues.
likewise (E1 user)
I have had that issue, enough so that if I'm booting up something rocky or not avy-prone, I'll run a voile strap between the handle and a point on the back (over the zippered compartment) to keep it from working its way open. Maybe a better solution is a smallish velcro strap that adds a little more support but should get blown off if deployed - with a fan pack, easy enough to try/test.
I feel that those zippers are always going to be somewhat susceptible to working open if you have weight on the back - especially skis that can rock and lever on it.
Me too, specifically a problem with full packs and/or lifting a heavy pack in a way that stresses the zipper when putting on are likely to open it. I believe this is a function of the sipper design and is found on all the airbag packs, not a fanbag vs compressed air issue.
I too have occasionally had that issue with the Scott E1 pack. Annoying, but really not a big deal to fix in the field
If you could start from scratch and price wasn't really an object, what airbag would you buy now?
I used the Ortovox Litric last year. I didn’t use it for too many tours. But, I did appreciate the Litric system itself. Easy to monitor battery. Clear handle demarcation in ready mode, and pretty light. I’m not the biggest fan of the ortovox pack itself (personal preference).
I bought the Arcteryx 42L Litric this fall. It is incredibly light, spacious enough for all my gear for a day of guiding. And, has enough pockets to stay organized.
To me, this is the best pack on the market. It doesn’t feel as stripped down as the mammut UL packs, yet weighs less.
I’m hoping I like this pack enough to take it out most days - not what I’ve done in the past with my airbag packs.
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It seems like the Ortovox and Arcteryx packs are way ahead of everyone else right now (although I actually haven't seen one of the Arcteryx packs...). The weight on the Arcteryx pack is crazy light. Ortovox is still quite a bit lighter than any other reasonably full featured electric pack. I wish both would be hydration reservoir compatible (the Ortovox has an opening for the tube, but no spot for the reservoir). Skip Dooley, the arcteryx has neither an opening for the hose by the shoulder strap or a spot for a reservoir, right? Probably wouldn't be that hard to make an opening for the hose, but kind of nerve racking to go cutting into a $1600 pack... But then the Arcteryx has a hip belt pocket I think, but the Ortovox doesn't...
@Skip Dooley , that’s the pack that seems most interesting to me. I have a Scott E1 40 right now, and really wish it was a bit larger. And lighter. Hoping the (usable) volume of the Micon 42 is a couple liters bigger.
Have you confirmed the weight?
could you measure the height from the center of the waist belt to the bottom of the shoulder straps?
Any pics of what you can pack in there, and how it is to get shovel or probe in and out when it’s fully stuffed?
Thanks!
I’ll be out of town this week. But will check and report back when I am back home.
I will say, the useable volume seems better than any other airbag pack I’ve owned.
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The Litrics are the lightest, but the feature set is a bit slim. The BCA E2 pack has an amazing functional design, if a bit fugly. It's heavier too.
I have a Scott patrol 30 e2 inbound. Will see how it fits and how my things fit in. Price and ability to return were big factors. My old abs pack sure felt heavy and cumbersome relative to my Gregory Targhee pack.
Litric 42 back in stock (for the moment) on Arcteryx site…
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ABS now has a line with the E2 system, the Voltage is the new line. Similar to Ortovox, it’s a “base” with zip on packs of various sizes.
Quick Q -- Always assumed that locking metal d rings were required for airbag waist belts. But never loved how fiddly they are with gloves on. Seeing many new packs now coming with fastex-style plastic wiast buckles. What is the go/no-go on retrofitting a buckle to my older cansiter airbag and ditching the d-ring setup?
The Arcteryx/Litric packs have a plastic side release on the hip belt, but a separate fixed aluminum carabiner on the one of the hip belt wings that the through the legs strap connects to - I wonder if the separate attachment for the thong strap is what makes the difference?
Sidenote, a cobra buckle seems like a good (but expensive) compromise
I have a Scott 40 E1. I'd do that in an E2. But they appear to have gone slightly smaller with a 38 E2?
How much worse is an E1 system than an E2? Looking for a bag for my son for xmas. I can get a nearly new Jetforce Tour 26l E1 for a pretty good price. Maybe around $500.
Another option is a good condition BCA 2.0 canister 32 for like $350.
Or a new cannister BCA for $500 or an E2/Lithic system for like $1000. I'd like to stay cheaper than that.
Advice welcome for sure. This is for daytours.
Ortovox Litric and Float E2 both on black Friday sales ... hmmm.
I wish the Ortovox had hip/belt pockets. The 30L is just over $1k.
FWIW, since this post, I ended up picking up a Scott patrol e2 30L (found a great deal on BobLiesure) and am super happy with it. Used it for two weeks in two huts in Canada and a bunch in the Sierra last year. The design is great as a ski pack, it carries well and I think the zipper has only popped open once since I’ve owned it. Enough space for me for what I carry for single day tours even in really cold temps.
The only annoyance has been the waist belt closure system. I don’t know why they felt compelled to reinvent this. The design they came up with clogs with snow and freezes up such that it can be very tricky to ensure it’s fully buckled (I’ve had it release on me mid run a few times). Just boggles my mind how/why they would choose to take a flyer on such a critical design point that has tried and true options.
I haven’t really checked hydration compatibility because usually if I’m wearing an avy pack it’s too cold to run a hose over my shoulder anyway.
Attachment 506049
It might be not as fancy as capacitor packs, but I picked up two Arc'teryx Voltair packs, 20l and 30l, with non functional batteries for really cheap.
Bought 22.2V LiPo batteries for RC, balance charger, some connectors and now have full control on my gear vs stupid BD/Pieps software updates, $650 for the new battery pack, recalls etc.
Those shitbags took new but non functional Black Diamond Halo pack for warranty and only gave 50% off coupon code while refusing to return the pack.
Arc'teryx packs are bomb proof, but pretty minimalistic when it comes to features.
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E1 vs E2 difference is minimal. E1 takes up another 1L or so of volume and is a few grams heavier. E1 can use AA batteries to keep the capacitors topped off on a hut trip or in your car (or fully recharge off a lithium set). E2 has a built in LiIon rechargeable for that, which is nice, although for air travel its tough because you cannot say "there is literally no battery in this backpack" on the occasion you run into ignorance.
One potential advantage of the E[emoji638] is it does allow you to top off the capacitor with AAs. I think it’s the litrics that are LI only and you will need a charging source.
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Scott 30 liter E1 bag = 2670 grams
Scott 30 liter E2 bag = 2720 grams
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b3798a6d3a.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...5ea43044f4.jpg
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The E2 system is marketed as lighter - but the Scott E2 pack is slightly heavier than their E1 pack of the same reported volume - unsure if that’s from other pack features/changes in the newer version.
The E2 system is smaller though:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ed9ac81ceb.jpg
There is also at least one Airbag thread in the The Slide Zone forum - I’ve posted multiple pics of the Arcteryx Litric bag in there somewhere
I piled up some add on waist pockets from REI a while back. I’m pretty sure the ones I’ll link at the bottom of this post. They seem to be about the same size as the pockets on my osprey or other packs. I had to get creative with wrapping the strap around the waist belt to get it to stay still, but works really well.
https://www.rei.com/product/217463/r...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
So, I got a ton of questions about the Arc’teryx Litric pack. I made a quick prelim review of it here: https://youtu.be/TylbWH3oQ4U
TLDR: It's light. It packs well. It can take a hydration hose. The little crotch strap carabiner thing actually works well.
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Thanks for the review—any comments on how it carries and skis vs. the Ortovox pack?
Good question. The back panel feels stiffer, as do the padded sections of the waist strap. These combined with the (in my opinion) better shape of the pack - wider but less anterior-posterior depth, keep the weight closer to your back, and things move around a little less.
But I’d say it’s probably a 10% difference. The biggest difference is just the way the packs are designed. The Arcteryx feels like a normal top loader that happens to open almost completely if needed. The Ortovox, because it is widest in the middle, was harder to use as a top loader for me. It packed more like a carry on suitcase. 100% personal preference - lots of people love the ortovox design.
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Thanks @Skip Dooley.
That seems like pretty decent (useable) volume.
if you have time some time, I’d love to know the back length (center hip belt - attachment shoulder straps)
[emoji640][emoji637]cm in size regularQuote:
Originally Posted by Tjaardbreeuwer;[emoji[emoji6[emoji640
Sent from my iPhone using [emoji638]][emoji640][emoji640]][emoji640][emoji638][emoji638][emoji638]]TGR Forums
Edit:Damn the emoji thing is killing me. Is there a fix for the emoji attack?