Recommend a pack to me

Josh Brown wrote: I second this, I still use my CCW valdez as my crag pack that I bought at Rock and Snow my freshman year at New Paltz 14 years ago

"The clean lines uncluttered by ice axe straps or other paraphenalia ensures that you won't be mistaken for an ice-climber, mountaineer or other such deviant."

Ha ha ha. My caving packs are like this, but honestly, I need the ice axe loops for the one time a year I might somehow put a tool in there.

Richard Radcliffe wrote:Look into the Arc'Teryx Miura 50. Heavy, expensive, but very well designed, carries like a dream, and absolutely bombproof. mountainproject.com/v/climb…

+1. Fantastic, had one for a couple years now and it's the best crag bag I've owned by a long ways.

Wild Things Gear.

CCW 4 LIFE

Eric D wrote:Hi all - Can anyone recommend a climbing pack that they have liked? I am looking for * about 40 liters * solid, not flimsy, frame - i am okay with a bit more weight for a solid suspension * to be used for approaches between 15 minutes and 3 hours, I'm usually bringing a rack and rope and personal stuff * mostly rock climbing, but I do need places for axes * streamlined design, not too many bells and whistles I am considering the new BD packs but am not totally sold on the concept of dynamic hipbelts and shoulder straps. It sounds good but I am not sure how that will work in practice.

Arc'teryx RT 45, but I don't think they make it anymore.

another vote for coldcoldworld -- super nice construction and attention to detail. no actual frame, but I've found that a relatively thick sheet of plastic, cut to size, placed in the pocket with the foam pad, really works well for support. I use the base-sheet of plastic found in eagle-creek shirt-folding-travel-cases in my chernobyl. can't go wrong with Randy's stuff.

I've got a few Cilo packs. they're great, but I really like the CCW stuff better. heavier, but better, ultimately.

It doesn't carry the brand name (or the price tag) of a high-dollar pack, but I have been extremely satisfied with my REI Pinnacle 40. It carries well and has lots of external attachment points. The pocket on the top of the pack doesn't compress, making it a perfect place to carry the all-important sandwiches. Load distribution and lifting straps at the waist, shoulders and chest make customizing fit pretty simple as well. The Pinnacle includes a pocket for a water reservoir up to 3 liters.

The only problem I have with the pack is the limited number of exterior storage pockets. The lid pocket is nice and there is a little zipper pocket on the hip belt, but other than that all storage is inside the main pack compartment. There is a quick-access zipper on the side of the pack that allows access to the compartment without unpacking from the top, which is nice when you have a rope strapped across the top.

The pack comes with two Velcro straps for ice axes. They can be moved to any of the daisy chain points on the pack for a customized storage spot. There are also reinforced ski holder loops and compression straps.

I have used this as a cragging and camping tent on approaches up to 2 hours. The frame is rigid without a huge amount of extra weight.

check out mysteryranch out of bozeman mt. they have the snapdragon at 2300 cubic inches and the bigsky at 3000. super bomber. lifetime warranty. this gear is made to last. i own three packs and love them all