Overnight Alpine Pack

I’m deciding between a cilo 45 work sack and a hyper lite 3400 porter. My use case is carry overs and/or 1-4 night alpine climbing. I’m looking for a pack that’ll climb well and give me a bit more room than my 40L pack I use now. Anyone have experience with these two?

I have a Cilo 45l work sack that I keep but never really pull into the rotation.  I love the pack body but the suspension just doesn't work for me.  I replaced it with a Mammut Trion Pro which wore out and was replaced with a Mystery Ranch Patrol 45.  Last summer I took my Cilo out on a climb and realized how much I missed the simple tube and how much I hated the suspension so I picked up a Mystery Ranch Scepter 50.  I haven't had a chance to use the Scepter yet but it looks very comparable and has suspension that I  know works well for me.  I hear good things about the Hyperlite packs and they seem to actually be obtainable which might make a big difference if you want to get a pack before the summer climbing season.

Thanks for the input. I don’t love the lid design of the scepter. What about the suspension on the cilo didn’t you like?

The shoulder straps left bruises from the top of my shoulders to my armpits any time I carried more than ~25lbs.  The waist belt "wings" don't have much structure to them to transfer a load.  The pack was pretty good if I was just carrying extra layers, food, water, and shelter but as soon as I added hardware like a splitboard setup or a climbing rack the suspension was overwhelmed.  I think they have updated their should straps since I bought mine but I don't know if the changes will make a real difference or not.

Again, I loved the modular design of the pack body.  It was simple, flexible in the options, and it worked well once you figure out your favorite configurations.

Jason4Toowrote:

The shoulder straps left bruises from the top of my shoulders to my armpits any time I carried more than ~25lbs.  The waist belt "wings" don't have much structure to them to transfer a load.  The pack was pretty good if I was just carrying extra layers, food, water, and shelter but as soon as I added hardware like a splitboard setup or a climbing rack the suspension was overwhelmed.  I think they have updated their should straps since I bought mine but I don't know if the changes will make a real difference or not.

Again, I loved the modular design of the pack body.  It was simple, flexible in the options, and it worked well once you figure out your favorite configurations.

Do you still have that 45L Worksack that you didn't like? 

Have you thought about the hmg prism or too small? I’m torn between the capacity of the the 3400 and the heavy duty fabric of the the prism. 

I've used both a Cilo 30:30 and the HMG 3400 Ice Pack. Some thoughts:

- Cilo climbs better with the foam framesheet, HMG carries better with aluminum stays and a really nicely built hip belt. Neither is necessarily bad for climbing or carrying things, that's just how rankings work. I've climbed lots with both and done plenty of long approaches with both.

- Cilo will generally start getting holes quicker, but the HMG will start delaminating on the inside after about four years and there's nothing you can do besides cut the delaminating fibers off, heat seal the ends, and cover it all with tape. The ripstop on the Cilo packs doesn't fall apart in the same way as the laminate fabric of an HMG. It's a tradeoff of abrasion resistance and weatherproofing for long-term durability. Jury might be out a bit on the NWD Cilo packs and the new Challenge fabrics haven't been around long enough to really know how they hold up to the delam, but so far the construction on them seems better than older DCF and variants.

- HMG is more weather resistant than the Cilo. Not a huge deal in most places, but maybe a deciding factor if you live in the PNW

- Both made in the USA. Booyah Edit: apparently HMG makes at least some of their packs in Mexico now. Bummer

P Cwrote:

Do you still have that 45L Worksack that you didn't like? 

I do.  I’m either an optimist or I have amnesia so I get the Cilo out for a climb every year or two then stuff it back in the pile of packs in the gear room.

Matt Zwrote:

- Both made in the USA. Booyah

Not anymore, my new 3400 Porter says made in mexico. Not sure if they still make some products in USA but most packs/tents moved last year I believe.

Jason4Toowrote:

I do.  I’m either an optimist or I have amnesia so I get the Cilo out for a climb every year one two then stuff it back in the pile of packs in the gear room.

You don't need that pack. Sell it to ME! 

Have you looked at Cold Cold World?  I have the Ozone (37L), and have been considering getting the Chernobyl (50L).  I've been impressed by the Ozone, I've had it for 5ish years now and it's my favorite pack.  Super durable, no frills, well thought out and designed.  

Eric Roewrote:

Have you looked at Cold Cold World?  I have the Ozone (37L), and have been considering getting the Chernobyl (50L).  I've been impressed by the Ozone, I've had it for 5ish years now and it's my favorite pack.  Super durable, no frills, well thought out and designed.  

I have considered CCW, but it seems like their packs are made of cordura and have way more loops and straps and such than I prefer, which is one reason I like the Porter design.

You can message Randy at CCW and he can design a pack to your specs. I had mine built in 210d gridstop with some other modifications. It takes a while but it was absolutely worth it. 

Isaak Bwrote:

You can message Randy at CCW and he can design a pack to your specs. I had mine built in 210d gridstop with some other modifications. It takes a while but it was absolutely worth it. 

Any pics?

Sorry for the poor picture. 

It's the Valdez, 40L+ ~10L with the sleeve is what it's specced for but it feels a little smaller than that. Other than the material, I asked him to add a rope strap, remove the front crampon buckles, updated ice tool attachments, and a hip belt with gear loops and slot for clippers. I was going to have him chop the daisy chains but I ended up keeping them in case I wanted to strap anything to the sides and the straps weren't long enough (they won't fully go around a non-cut down nemo switchback).

I've never had space issues with it for climbing but if you were planning on overnights, I would probably spring for the Chernobyl unless you and your partner were pretty minimalist. Depending on how you split up the gear it might be fine, ymmv with that. 

I have a couple custom packs from CCW in white 210 gridstop - both a Chaos and a Chernobyl. Fantastic packs

Another vote for CCW - just be aware it there is a lead time which can be pretty long. I took me about 3 months to get my customized Chernobyl ... The only pack from HMG I have is Prism - and that has been my go to pack for all seasons - as long as its big enough .. 

I just got a fairly stock Chernobyl in about a week (slightly longer straps for tall folks but I think he had the fix ready to go).

Barely notice the daisy-chain loops.  They're pretty low profile and don't get in the way.  Best suspension I've ever used and packs down incredibly small/large depending on needs.  

Here's a custom ccw valdez I made earlier this year, roughly based on another blue valdez I spotted while searching on mp. All blue Cordura, custom back length, ice tool holder, no crampon straps or side compression, 3/4" daisy and straps  (that might be the standard width, not sure), replaced side compressions with extra side daisy chains. Then I rigged the shock cord on the face.

Ive used it on mostly day trips and a light overnight climb. It took some back and forth and time to spec and then make it, and also not cheaper than a big brand, but great value for custom work, randy at ccw was easy to work with, and I'm stoked on the result.

Still not sure if I would eliminate the side compression straps if I did it again (I can rig them here but it takes more work), and I only miss that the valdez doesn't have a dedicated rope carry strap, although I can also rig that up.