Introducing Raide: Light packs and apparel you’ll actually enjoy using.

[ptavv]

Not sure if anyone else is interested but I've got a dozen and change days out with my Raide pack and decided to use the recent rain to upgrade some things that were bugging me. The pack carries great and its displaced all my other packs for ski missions. Aside from when I'm doing something where a removable wasit belt is a necessity (even then I think the hip pads are flexible enough to just strap around the body) or I need more space (multiday type deal) I don't think I'll use anything else with skis on.

Really my only gripes with the pack are the buckles and transitioning my habits to get used to the back panel. These two swaps I think fix most of my buckle issues (I'm still not wild about the over the top strap (the one on the squiggly webbing) and might replace it with a metal g-hook and just snip the plastic buckle on the v-webbing off, but haven't decided yet as that webbing is much more stitched into the structure so harder to undo if i don't like my swap.

I dig the metal waist buckle for its simplicity and invincibility but on numerous times at super windy transitions with freezing hands or with hands stuffed into thick mittens found myself struggling to get it put back together and cinched up tight, so I swapped it out with a 25mm Fidlock v-buckle. (Also broke one of those buckles in the process of trying to jam the triple folded webbing through it before giving in and opening it up with a seam ripper and then restitching the fold after the new buckle was on the webbing).


The chest buckle was also annoying since, especially during our polar vortex cold snap, it would freeze up and not engage which led to a few runs skiing without being able to engage it or having to suck on it to get it to unfreeze enough to engage. So I swapped that out with a Woojin magic buckles. For that I seam rippered the OEM straps to get them off the piping clips. I used slightly wider grey webbing since the OEM 15mm webbing is smaller than the 3/4" slots on the Magic Buckle.

[waveshello]

Thanks for sharing--I'm only 5 days in to mine, and the waist belt buckle is my only gripe thus far. Great strength to weight and simple connection, but a PITA to operate with gloves on. I'll have to check that one out, as well as the one Marshal put on his.

[camlax]

I've got a few days on mine, and I'll say the pack is 95% of the way to perfection. I've modified my Raider pack to improve its function dramatically. I'll get some pics up in the next few days.
For reference, I'm coming from an older Alpine threadworks pack.

Pros of the Raide pack:
- The frame and shoulder straps do a great job spreading out the load. If you work for a living and have any sort of shoulders or back, I'm sure you're tired of the trend of ski gear being made skinnier for skimo types. This pack rides great.

- The material, UHMWPE is a great fabric. The stitching on the Raide packs is well done and consistent. There are definitely some other companies that use high-end material and keep the price low by using lower-quality stitching.

Cons:
- the small plastic buckles are finicky. I replaced the helmet carry strap with a 1" plastic buckle and the chest buckle with a 3/4" plastic buckle that are much easier to manipulate with gloves

- the cinch cord keeper on the main bag ices up if you go from rain to freezing temps. cut it off and put a traditional plastic cord lock on. you'll be happier

- The main bag would be much better as a roll top that is just a bit taller and to get rid of the interior roll top/ exterior cinch (I've heard it called the foreskin, which is funny). Sure, the existing roll top material lets them call it 55L, but I'd rather a 40-45L pack that is easier to get in and out of.
I cut the roll top down by 50% and re stitched it. Much easier to get in and out of the main compartment from the top but I'd still rather see the pack as a simple roll top.

- I don't see the benefit of the shovel sticking through into the main compartment. I taped it off and have seen no difference in packability or performance. On the topic of the shovel, it doesn't make sense to have the probe and probe handle on the convex side of the shovel blade. I removed and sewed the probe and shovel blade pockets onto the normal side of the avalanche pocket and it makes the stash pocket much easier to use.

- The avalanche compartment zipper needs to be more visible. Black string against a black pack is tough to identify in a hurry

Is the pack worth $400? I think so. It's well made and out of an innovative material. I think they're 95% of the way to the perfect pack (perfect for me at least)

[MakersTeleMark]

I wish someone would make the saddle peak pack with ULA fabrics. Looking at you hyperlight.

I agree on zippers. When there are multiple compartments and 4 zippers I want to know which one I'm grabbing. I swapped the avi compartment to red zipper pulls on my pack and yellow for the main compartment. On a different pack, but the principal applies.

[slowandsteady]

Been interested in these for a bit and was moving towards picking one up with all the reviews starting to come out, but am curious about the sizing. I'm 177/5'9 so according to site would be recommended the larger of the two but have generally gravitated to shorter pack sizes in the past. I've used medium sized packs from HMG before so would be curious what others think who have had some days out using theirs.

[fleaches]

Been interested in these for a bit and was moving towards picking one up with all the reviews starting to come out, but am curious about the sizing. I'm 177/5'9 so according to site would be recommended the larger of the two but have generally gravitated to shorter pack sizes in the past. I've used medium sized packs from HMG before so would be curious what others think who have had some days out using theirs.

I'm 6'1" with a longer than average torso and have the large. Haven't used it with a big load yet but so far it fits extremely comfortably, better than any other similarly sized pack I have used.

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[Thesystemsplit]

As far as the Avy pocket being easier to identify … this was easy enough.


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[whereiscarlos]

Can someone post up a pic of their pack ready for a single overnight? I’m still trying to figure out how to get a 0-degree bag in mine using a standard stuff sack without it deforming/bulging the zippered back panel.

Maybe it’s the shape of my avy shovel causing some issues but by my measurements, this pack is 8” deep at best and compression sacks with enough volume for a winter bag are a 9” diameter

[waveshello]

Maybe lose the stuff sack? Probably don't need it for a single overnight.

[ptavv]

- I don't see the benefit of the shovel sticking through into the main compartment. I taped it off and have seen no difference in packability or performance. On the topic of the shovel, it doesn't make sense to have the probe and probe handle on the convex side of the shovel blade. I removed and sewed the probe and shovel blade pockets onto the normal side of the avalanche pocket and it makes the stash pocket much easier to use.

agree with these comments. the cutout on the avy tool compartment to accommodate the few (but apparently used by the designer) shovel blades with giant throats is annoying and makes that whole fabric sheet floppy and the hole catches on stuff

I have been annoyed by having the tool sleeves on the wrong side but hadn't thought to just undo them and restitch them, good idea

[tang]

Really digging mine. Use the little glove holder strap on the shoulder strap a lot

[waxloaf]

So far so good with mine too, though I’ve only taken it out about 5 times so far.

Biggest plus for me so far has been how well it carries weight and fits - it “disappears” more so than any pack I’ve owned.


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[deft_funk]

On the whole, I'm very stoked on this pack.

Biggest gripe is the gap in the cinch top on a pow day. I did not find that the helmet carrier effectively covered it. The Alpine Light 50 from MH (and other packs, but that is what I have and more minimal than others I've seen) has a small flap built into the cinch collar that covers the opening when closed. It works super well and would make the zone between roll top and cinch way more weatherproof. Link to pic.

Second gripe - the left side waist clip on my pack was installed backward, so the tab to pull up for release was facing to right/opposite from the cutout meant for easy release. I was able to pull it off and rotate it the correct way without ripping stitches but it required pliers and was a hassle. IDK if that happened to other folks but it was annoying to swap and would be even more annoying to not realize it was installed backward and struggle to open each time.

Last, I'm not totally sure about the mesh pocket on the back panel. This is probably more of a personal preference but I would prefer to have a stash pocket in a more secure interior part of the pack vs something that is mesh and gets pulled out into the elements when opening the back. I think my ideal dangles pouch would be a removable zippered pocket that is a bit larger than the current mesh one, and easily accessible from both the avi pocket pass-through or roll top. The MH pack linked above has this (removable interior pocket at the top of the pack) and it's pretty sweet. Could be sold separately if attachment points were added to the interior.

Again overall I'm very happy and would absolutely recommend it. Looking forward to seeing what happens with Raide in general and v1.1 of this pack in particular (or the 30l version next year). I hope the business succeeds.

[ptavv]

I have an Alpine Light and a Snoskiwoski from MH, they have very similar top designs to one another (except for which direction the flap over the cinch hole is oriented). In lots of storms I've had plenty of snow get past the flap over the cinch on both the Snowski and the Alpine Light, especially when the packs are pretty cinched down bc you're not carrying much the flap's position and security above the cinch-hole is pretty imperfect.

The Alpine Light is a great pack but annoying for skiing since it doesn't have a dedicated avy tool pocket. As you mentioned its top stash pocket is easily removable and is awesome -- in fact it's so great I sewed toggles into the top of my Snoskiwoski and then made a slightly larger stash pocket to hang in the same spot since the Snowskiwoski was my go-to ski pack for the past 3ish seasons.

Sewing toggles into the upper corners would be pretty easy for a hangable stash pocket if you wanted to. I'm not sure how annoying it would be to have the stash pocket hanging down at the top when using the back access since it'd be hard to flip it out of the way.

[kw_cap]

On the whole, I'm very stoked on this pack.

...

Second gripe - the left side waist clip on my pack was installed backward, so the tab to pull up for release was facing to right/opposite from the cutout meant for easy release. I was able to pull it off and rotate it the correct way without ripping stitches but it required pliers and was a hassle. IDK if that happened to other folks but it was annoying to swap and would be even more annoying to not realize it was installed backward and struggle to open each time.

...

Same, left side hip belt clip installed backward. I didn't realize it though and just kept struggling w the clip, until I reached my tipping point and replaced w a plastic buckle. Reading this now I understand why it was so frustrating to use.

Still loving the pack tho and its versatility after using from day tours - overnighters

[concierge]

Same, left side hip belt clip installed backward. I didn't realize it though and just kept struggling w the clip, until I reached my tipping point and replaced w a plastic buckle. Reading this now I understand why it was so frustrating to use.

Still loving the pack tho and its versatility after using from day tours - overnighters

Sorry about that happening. Something to add to the inspection checklist for next season! I appreciate hearing about it. It should be relatively easy to flip around. Also for anyone who bought a pack that is unhappy with the hip belt buckle I have plastic buckles I am happy to send out for free. Just shoot me a PM with your order number and address.

[waveshello]

I struggled a little bit with the hip belt buckle at first, and was thinking about replacing it. Then I added a little paracord pull through the hole on the male end of the buckle, and that makes it much easier to operate with gloved hands.

Kinda hard to beat the strength to weight ratio of the stock buckle, and now it's mostly fiddle free.

[tang]

Ditto… although I went full janky with a zip tie

[waveshello]

For the other goofballs like me that this wasn't immediately obvious to:

[east or bust]

I’ve got a backwards one too, didn’t even notice until reading the last couple posts.

Stupid question, did you have to cut the stitching at the end of the strap to get the buckle off? It’s seeming that way to me but wanted to clarify before I do that. I can’t sew for shit but the fiancé should have me covered.


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[WaistDeepGroomers]

Borrowing one on loan from a pack-making buddy for a few weeks this season. Some thoughts:

-Overall, very good. Super light and seems to have way more volume than I've managed to fill. Appreciate the different ways you can set up your storage, avy tool pocket access from two sides is great, love a back panel, like the outside stuff pocket for skins/gloves/etc., ski carry is comfortable and pack fits great.

-Would really love the small stuff pocket on the front to run the length of the front panel... buckets of space elsewhere in the pack but not an obvious spot to store sunscreen/tools/sandwich/snacks/headlamp. The mesh back panel pocket I'm not sure about... would either like it mesh-less and much larger or placed elsewhere. Gets hammed with snow as soon as I open the back.

-I had to take the aluminum frame out since it kept bumping the back of my helmet while skiing and was fairly annoying. All good without the frame now.

-I'm less partial to the waist closure... still fiddly to me esp. with mittens on. Would prefer buckles even if less durable

-Do agree that, if you roll up and clip down the white material that allows you to expand the pack vertically quite a bit, snow pretty easily gets into the pack despite the helmet cover thing

-Selfishly would almost love to see a 30L version of this pack for my East Coast ski mountaineering since I've never come close to filling the main compartment yet (rarely are using ropes)

Great first offer though

[WaistDeepGroomers]

Borrowing one on loan from a pack-making buddy for a few weeks this season. Some thoughts:

-Overall, very good. Super light and seems to have way more volume than I've managed to fill. Appreciate the different ways you can set up your storage, avy tool pocket access from two sides is great, love a back panel, like the outside stuff pocket for skins/gloves/etc., ski carry is comfortable and pack fits great.

-Would really love the small stuff pocket on the front to run the length of the front panel... buckets of space elsewhere in the pack but not an obvious spot to store sunscreen/tools/sandwich/snacks/headlamp. The mesh back panel pocket I'm not sure about... would either like it mesh-less and much larger or placed elsewhere. Gets hammed with snow as soon as I open the back.

-I had to take the aluminum frame out since it kept bumping the back of my helmet while skiing and was fairly annoying. All good without the frame now.

-I'm less partial to the waist closure... still fiddly to me esp. with mittens on. Would prefer buckles even if less durable

-Do agree that, if you roll up and clip down the white material that allows you to expand the pack vertically quite a bit, snow pretty easily gets into the pack despite the helmet cover thing

-Selfishly would almost love to see a 30L version of this pack for my East Coast ski mountaineering since I've never come close to filling the main compartment yet (rarely are using ropes)

Great first offer though

[::: :::]

i'm not rad enough to take advantage of the features of this pack, but it looks like a dialed piece of anyone's winter backcountry gear
from the perspective of someone in a design-adjacent field, i'm just posting to say: good job & good luck with your venture, concierge!

[ptavv]

I’ve got a backwards one too, didn’t even notice until reading the last couple posts.

Stupid question, did you have to cut the stitching at the end of the strap to get the buckle off? It’s seeming that way to me but wanted to clarify before I do that. I can’t sew for shit but the fiancé should have me covered.


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Getting the factory triple folded tail of the webbing out of the metal buckle is doable without cutting the stitching and unfolding. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to grip and pull hard. Same for putting it back in.

If you're going to swap it to a different buckle entirely you may have to cut the stitching to get it into some other buckles (esp if they're plastic)

[east or bust]

Getting the factory triple folded tail of the webbing out of the metal buckle is doable without cutting the stitching and unfolding. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to grip and pull hard. Same for putting it back in.

If you're going to swap it to a different buckle entirely you may have to cut the stitching to get it into some other buckles (esp if they're plastic)

Thanks for the tip. There’s no way I was getting the triple fold through there without the pliers. Good as new.