Your Everyday Touring Pack

[ey_allen]

I'm pretty happy with my Targhee FT 35. Its a longer pack rather than wide, so it might fit you well. It expands to seemingly much larger than any other "35L" packs I have had, and also compresses down easy. The lid is removable as well if you want to keep it smaller.

[singlesline]

Does it shrink down pretty well? I don’t need 40L


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Check out the Mountain Hardwear Powabunga 32

I'm pretty happy with mine and I'm around 6'2, 200lb. It comes in a small and a large size so no worries about short torso.

Not ultralight or anything, but comfortable (really like the floating waist band design), organization that works for me, and deals on MH stuff are easy to find if you know where to look.

[North]

What 30ish liter pack would fit well?

Unfortunately not many people are going to have used more than a few of the packs on your list so the answer you're likely to get is "here's what I have, I like it" rather than an actual comparison. If you live in an area with decent gear shops I bet you could try on most of those packs with minimal searching. A big order with plans to return to an online retailer would work too.

6'1" and thin. Medium/broad shoulders. I have a TNF Snowmad 34. I like it. I have no reason to replace it until one of the boutique mfgrs make a better high zoot version.

[plugboots]

Ortovox has a bunch of packs in the 28-35L range.

[PeachesNCream]

Ortovox has a bunch of packs in the 28-35L range.

Do you know if they do well for long torso folk? I see their packs are one size fits all which makes me hesitant but I’ve also seen them recommended a couple places


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[PeachesNCream]

BCA, black diamond, and dakine are out

New leaders are Gregory targhee 32, mystery ranch scepter 35, and maybe orthodox haute route 32 or peak 35 (not sure the difference between these two models and weird they have 2 packs so closely in size). Leaning towards targhee as they have sizes and I know their backpacking packs fit me well


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[plugboots]

They usually have two packs that are really close to each other like the tour rider comes in a 30 (I think), and then the 28S, which is like a short torso. They are basically the identical pack and the S the short version, the slightly larger version is the regular long torso

[sb]

Soelden42 by Osprey

$105 on S&C now

Old pack for many years was Black Diamond 40 with the avalung built in. Also off S&C

[ey_allen]

FWIW I am usually a fan of Osprey but I hate their snow packs.

For some reason they tend to put buckles across pretty much every access zipper on the pack, making it a huge pain to get anything out. My older Osprey with a back panel also had a tendency to squeeze everything out on the snow when I set it down. They also tend to add a lot of pockets that greatly reduce the interior volume.

YMMV, but my disdain for my Osprey pack is what drove me to this thread.

[Huskier]

FWIW I am usually a fan of Osprey but I hate their snow packs.

For some reason they tend to put buckles across pretty much every access zipper on the pack, making it a huge pain to get anything out. My older Osprey with a back panel also had a tendency to squeeze everything out on the snow when I set it down. They also tend to add a lot of pockets that greatly reduce the interior volume.

YMMV, but my disdain for my Osprey pack is what drove me to this thread.

Same. Fabric also isn't up to snuff rubbing on edges, etc. My Airbag Soelden has a few tours under its belt, already has way more fraying and edge-related damage than my Targhee that I've beat on for years and am super happy with. Heavier than others in its class but pretty feature-rich.

Come to think of it, why don't pack makers tack on a small strip of cordura onto the carry wear areas?

[PeachesNCream]

They usually have two packs that are really close to each other like the tour rider comes in a 30 (I think), and then the 28S, which is like a short torso. They are basically the identical pack and the S the short version, the slightly larger version is the regular long torso

I think you’re right for most of their packs. But did a little digging and the Peak is for short back lengths, per their website, no “S”. Confusing. You’d think they’d make it straightforward


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[ezgzy]

I just picked up a mammut aenergy 20-25 from sierra (70 bucks) and my first impression is very positive. It’s well laid out and feels comfortable in my living room with some weight in it, should be nice for shorter days and resort skinning. Will report back once i get a few days in it


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[sb]

Couple of trips out with the osprey and so far so good.

[sf]

Picked up a Ortovox Peak 35 to replace my aging Osprey Kode 42.
Been on it a few short tours the last couple of weeks.

First impressions is; feel light and compact, feels solid, enough space for big shovel, seems roomy enough to be comparable to the Kode (can stuff helmet in main compartment for quick laps), not a lot of room in the lid - but that keeps me from dragging to much shit around, a couple of smooth solutions - especially the "collapsible" side pocket.

Jury still out on how it carries with more weight, and how much room there really is when loading up with crampons, ski crampons, lots of water etc for longer spring tours.

[Danno]

Seems like a decent place to cross-post this: If anyone wants a Targhee 32 Size L, a mag hooked me up with a smoking deal but I ended up getting one of those Raide packs so am offering the Targhee, new with tags.

[SILENCER]

Past packs:

Millet 30L something-or-other. Wore nicely, modestly sized. Non float.
Mammut RAS 40L. This thing packed wonderfully, loved the layout. Heavier (canister). But I lashed skis to it easily (even big boys), climbed all sorts of stuff in it. But, weight, and it really was only 35L usable because of the mechanism and bag. And I couldn't fly with it.

Now packs:

Scott E1 40L, entering 3rd season on it. This thing skis like a dream, and is lighter than my old Mammut. Sits flat and flush against my back. I don't love its layout, but it works. There's kind of only one way I can arrange everything to fit and it's awkward at times. In the main compartment the float mechanism is lower-right on the side, so you end up dog-legging stuff around it...as it does have some crucial space under it too toward the bottom of the pack. The avy tool compartment is good enough though. Also, there's no hydration passthrough so I have to route my radio cable through the main compartment zipper. No problems yet with moisture ingress, but mildly annoying.

Ortovox Peak 45L (spring missions). This pack is laid out incredibly. Can fit all the spring pointy things so well in addition to everything else standard. It does sit a bit farther off my back though than the Scott. But it's light too (no float). Oh yeah, also you can clamshell open it, or drawstring from the top for the main compartment with a cool green pull (open) or red pull (draw it close). Sweet pack.

[bennymac]

I agree that the placement of the inflator in the Scott is perplexing - couldnt they have tucked it up higher under the bag or dropped it all the way to the bottom of the pack? I’m guessing they must have a reason for putting it in the middle - but it makes packing around it a pain. Also the shovel handle and probe stick out of their pocket in a way that makes accessing the bigger pocket area annoying.

I had the Mammut 35 Pro airbag before this - also found it annoying to use in the field. And the fabric was overkill in durability ie heavy (it being a “pro” bag I guess it makes sense)

Waiting to fondle the Arcteryx bag next month to see if it’s more pleasing to pack and use. In an activity where you have to unpack/pack things into your bag every 30min I really value a well designed and useable product - but maybe I get annoyed easily at the compromises that come with an airbag pack.

[ptavv]

I have the same Scott E1 40. I think the inflator is where it is because there's minimal flexibility from Alpride in how much the bag manufacturers can change around certain components and the inflator has to be within a certain distance of the reservoir and that has to be at the top and so on. I find a Nalgene fits nicely below the inflator so that's how I deal with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, not my real point, but I just saw a few days ago when I couldn't remember what the different LED flashes on the E1 mean… there's a software update for both E1 and E2 on the Alpride site that (they say) make it much less likely to interfere with beacon searches. Also changes the blink frequencies for various things.

Was pretty painless to update mine.

E1: https://www.alpride.com/software-update-e1
E2: https://www.alpride.com/e2-software-update

[bennymac]

The new blinking light patterns make more sense. I need to print that image and tape it to my inflator (I’m not smart enough to remember such things) - thanks for alerting me to this!

[SILENCER]

I agree that the placement of the inflator in the Scott is perplexing - couldnt they have tucked it up higher under the bag or dropped it all the way to the bottom of the pack? I’m guessing they must have a reason for putting it in the middle - but it makes packing around it a pain. Also the shovel handle and probe stick out of their pocket in a way that makes accessing the bigger pocket area annoying.

I had the Mammut 35 Pro airbag before this - also found it annoying to use in the field. And the fabric was overkill in durability ie heavy (it being a “pro” bag I guess it makes sense)

Waiting to fondle the Arcteryx bag next month to see if it’s more pleasing to pack and use. In an activity where you have to unpack/pack things into your bag every 30min I really value a well designed and useable product - but maybe I get annoyed easily at the compromises that come with an airbag pack.

That is a good observation of the Mammut fabric. You could open it up from the "back" facing zipper and the whole thing would hold its shape, empty. That was overly stout in retrospect haha. I sold mine to a buddy though, and it basically still looked brand new. That was tough stuff.

[SILENCER]

I have the same Scott E1 40. I think the inflator is where it is because there's minimal flexibility from Alpride in how much the bag manufacturers can change around certain components and the inflator has to be within a certain distance of the reservoir and that has to be at the top and so on. I find a Nalgene fits nicely below the inflator so that's how I deal with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, not my real point, but I just saw a few days ago when I couldn't remember what the different LED flashes on the E1 mean… there's a software update for both E1 and E2 on the Alpride site that (they say) make it much less likely to interfere with beacon searches. Also changes the blink frequencies for various things.

Was pretty painless to update mine.

E1: https://www.alpride.com/software-update-e1
E2: https://www.alpride.com/e2-software-update

Yes seconded, thank you! This is very useful. And I'm gonna jam my Nalgene under the inflator now....

Also, I want to take a brief moment to make note that we are now at a point in ski gear evolution where are doing firmware updates to our BACKPACKS. Ha! Surreal and funny at the same time.

[bennymac]

That is a good observation of the Mammut fabric. You could open it up from the "back" facing zipper and the whole thing would hold its shape, empty. That was overly stout in retrospect haha. I sold mine to a buddy though, and it basically still looked brand new. That was tough stuff.

Agreed - I sold my pack for a great price (for me) because despite years of use it still looked brand new.

I would gladly have the Scott bag weigh a bit more if the main pocket had sidewalls that were firm plastic at the bottom to maintain the shape of that space - I guess I could try and modify it myself but waiting to see if Arcteryx bag is what I want. I already modified the flap that goes over shovel handle and probe so that this flap goes side to side - so sliding skins in and out of the pocket next to safety pocket is easier.

[Eastside]

I went to plug my E1 Patrol pack in to do the update and the micro-usb port broke-disappeared into the unit. I use the pack all the time. Hopefully they will warranty/fix it.

[Stewy30]

Past packs:

Millet 30L something-or-other. Wore nicely, modestly sized. Non float.
Mammut RAS 40L. This thing packed wonderfully, loved the layout. Heavier (canister). But I lashed skis to it easily (even big boys), climbed all sorts of stuff in it. But, weight, and it really was only 35L usable because of the mechanism and bag. And I couldn't fly with it.

Now packs:

Scott E1 40L, entering 3rd season on it. This thing skis like a dream, and is lighter than my old Mammut. Sits flat and flush against my back. I don't love its layout, but it works. There's kind of only one way I can arrange everything to fit and it's awkward at times. In the main compartment the float mechanism is lower-right on the side, so you end up dog-legging stuff around it...as it does have some crucial space under it too toward the bottom of the pack. The avy tool compartment is good enough though. Also, there's no hydration passthrough so I have to route my radio cable through the main compartment zipper. No problems yet with moisture ingress, but mildly annoying.

Agreed. It skis well, and i like the length for my height, but it is awkward to pack and retrieve items. I also don’t love the between the leg strap, I can’t put a carabiner to latch to the waist belt because the strap can’t tighen enough to be adequately tight.

Love the look of the BCA E2 35L, and the side stash for skins and water bottle, that’s a great way of making that lower part of the pack more useable. I’m thinking of getting that one and selling this pack.

[bennymac]

Yeah the stash pocket seems like a great idea

Imagine if the airbag and inflator were to exist in their own sealed off space at the top with a firm floor - then have side access to pocket that would be accessible when pack is down on its side. Just brainstorming- but there has to be a better way.