Best Pack for Carting My Crap Around

I treated myself to a Patagonia Cragsmith 45L for Christmas and love it. It replaces a generic 40L backpacking/daypack I was using.

It swallows gear (60m rope, 3 harnesses, 3 pair of shoes, cord, anchor building stuff, 12 quickdraws, and lunch - kids carry the helmets), the entire back zips open so you never have to dig around from the top (but you can if you want) and doesn't have too many straps and buckles and adjustments on the outside to snag on stuff and get in the way on the approach.

It's padded all around which is kind of odd, but helps it keep its shape and makes it easy to pack and carry.

I like the side pockets for easy access to a water bottle and guidebook or map. Nice top compartment for lunch. I kind of wish it had a row of daisy chain down the middle (I may sew one one) for a helmet or shoes when moving from location to location.

Tapawingo Markey wrote:

Would you rather be like Conrad Anker or Chris Sharma?

Could I be their love child? Or both of them combined?

I just got an osprey kestrel 38 from REI on sale for $80 (free shipping).  I see someone has one on the sale board for $60 (it doesnt look like exactly same version, i dont know & you would want to make sure size is right).  I am kinda loving the pack, but 38 is a tight fit.  I fit my 70 meter tope, my helmet, shoes, bag of quickdraws/slings. Then i carry my harness strapped outside. I carry 2 big bottles of water/tea in side pockets & i have sundries in cover pocket & 10 essentials-ish under top cover in pocket there. I carry shell jacket & maybe guidebook in stretchy compartment on the back of pack. ( I make my wife carry the rack). I still have a little room in top compartment (cap).  There are a couple small compartments on waistbelt i havent used yet.  My clipstick is strapped to the side.
I almost aways climb with my wife so she usually carries her gear & lunch & the rack.  If i go with other partner they usually carry rack, quickdraw etc bag, & i get my own lunch stuff.  
I have my big 50+ backpacking backpack (60?) But i love this new pack as being easier to scramble & bushwack with.

+1 for the Patagonia cragsmith. Makes the perfect crag bag and I’ve enjoyed using it for travel as well. Not sure it can really be improved. 

Wag bags are the best for crap, IMO.

Señor Arroz wrote: Wag bags are the best for crap, IMO.

(☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)☞

Get an alpaca to carry your gear and a
Keg of beer. You’ll be the king of the crag.

MEC Cragalot gets my vote.

Can anyone explain the aversion to carrying a rope on the outside of the pack? There have been a couple posts about looking for a bag that can carry a rope inside and I’ve never found a reason for that to be better than strapped on top.

My girlfriend found a cragsmith 45 for cheap and gifted it to me when i was in search of a 30-35 liter pack. This was shortly after I’d bought a creek 50. So now i have both. I planned to sell one of the two but both have grown on me. Creek 50 definitely seems to have way more space than 5 extra liters over the cragsmith. Feels like 10-15. However, the cragsmith has a slimmer profile, hydration sleeve, and is more comfortable (unless half your shit is hanging outside the pack). No major complaints for either though. 

Ryan M Moore wrote: Can anyone explain the aversion to carrying a rope on the outside of the pack? There have been a couple posts about looking for a bag that can carry a rope inside and I’ve never found a reason for that to be better than strapped on top.

Because ropes can snag on bushes. I prefer everything to be in the pack, not attached to it (such as chalk bag, shoes, etc.).

Jaren Watson wrote:

I prefer it strapped outside. I don’t want a pack big enough to fit the rope inside because if I’m climbing with it, it sucks balls to have a giant pack.

Yeah. The Osprey rope carry systems are killer, I can't imagine why anyone wants to cram a rope in their pack instead.

Ryan M Moore wrote: Can anyone explain the aversion to carrying a rope on the outside of the pack? There have been a couple posts about looking for a bag that can carry a rope inside and I’ve never found a reason for that to be better than strapped on top.

Depends a lot on the terrain where you are hiking. If you ever walk through chaparral  or dense forest with a rope hanging out you'll understand the urge to put it inside. 

I like my Osprey mutant. Fits more than you'd think, great rope carrying system, and the best part - if you take the brain off, transforms into a backpack half its size.

This works well:

For reference... without having to play a fucked up game of packing Tetris I can usually dump a small tarp, 70m, double rack to #3, draws, helmet, lunch, 2l water, harness, helmet, shoes, guidebook in the  creek 50. With the cragsmith, some of that gear has to ride on the outside. 

Roy Suggett wrote: This works well:

Can I get that on Backcountry?

Brannen Delker wrote: For reference... without having to play a fucked up game of packing Tetris I can usually dump a small tarp, 70m, double rack to #3, draws, helmet, lunch, 2l water, harness, helmet, shoes, guidebook in the  creek 50. With the cragsmith, some of that gear has to ride on the outside. 

I only have a single rack right now, so maybe I will have better luck making sure everything is inside the pack.

Outside does have the disadvantage of snagging during a bushwhack I suppose, but tucking the rope into the compression straps helps. I guess to me the specific advantages of a smaller pack and rope on top normally outweigh the snag factor, I’m sure some day I’ll have a heinous bushwhack where I will wish I had stuffed it.

Thomas Worsham wrote:

I only have a single rack right now, so maybe I will have better luck making sure everything is inside the pack.

Yeah you’re probably fine with the cragsmith or any of the other mentioned 35-45 liter packs. You’re definitely ok to fit everything in a creek 50, probably a creek 35 if you don’t have ton of extra stuff (clothes, food, etc). One thing that for sure helped me was what you mentioned before about ditching the rope bag. For some stupid reason I initially kept the rope in the rope bag, then tossed it in the pack... which creates a giant brick you have to pack around. A small folded tarp (cut from a retired rope bag or purchased from Walmart) has worked better for me. Carrying gear on the outside of the pack hasn’t been major problem though, unless it’s swinging around like I just left some gypsy camp.