Long approach pack

Eric Danner wrote: This is super helpful thanks. 
What about jacket(down or rain shell), food and water. Have you expirienced 40 liters being enough? 
The pack I use now is 48L and it feels like I am always trying to cram something. 
But i would preffer not getting something to large. 
We usually will split the load. Sometime that load consist of another rope usually a twin rope and another rack.

My typical load in the BD speed 40 consists of  double rack, 7 alpine draws, 5-10 longish quickdraws, harness, shoes, 2 or 3 liters of water, a few bars or gels, small first aid kit.   If coldish weather, I stuff a jacket (nanopuff), beanie, gloves, thin long underwear in the top compartment.  I wear my helmet with a DaBrim on the approach as a hat.  I can put a 70 meter 8.7 mm rope in the pack too but it the top is extended a little land the pack would become a little ungainly to carry.

Today's load in the BD speed 40 is double rack, 7 alpine draws, 5 longish quickdraws, harness, shoes, 2 liters of water, a few bars or gels, small first aid kit, nanopuff, and beanie, dewalt 18v drill, bolts, hammer.  The pack is getting heavy and will not be as pleasant to carry but it will get there.  I could carry a rope on, not in, the pack but do not have to today.

Recently I went on a longer approach (2.5 hour)  as party of 3.  I carried a 8 mm 60 meter rope, harness, shoes, 3 liters water, food in a BD nitro 22.  It was a pretty tight fit but that pack is so much easier to climb in it was worth the tight stuffing.  Another climber carried another 8 mm 60 meter rope, and the third carried the rack.

Thin ropes help make the smaller packs work.  In parties of two I think long and hard about the need for the 2nd rope.  Also big cams can be compressed while in the pack.  The newest BD camalots have a new feature for this.  You can put sticks in the lobs to keep older cams compressed.  If I take the 5 or 6 I often compress them.

Jared Chrysostom wrote: Osprey Mutant. The 28 holds a single rack, extra clothing, shoes, food and water, with helmet and rope strapped securely on the outside. 

Seriously, how are people fitting everything in such tiny packs?? I take a 45 liter bag to the crag and the thing is damn full with a rack, rope, shoes harness, water.... am I a horrible packer?

+1 cragsmith 45

Jaren Watson wrote: Gregory Alpinisto 35

I have an older Alpinisto or Baltoro 32, and I'd second the suggestion in that pack family .  Easily fits first aid kit, single-double rack, warden harness, puffy, often 2 pair of shoes, helmet, 3L water bladder inside or 48oz Nalgene in the crampon pocket, snacks, and rope goes on the outside.  The lack of a floating lid is my only complaint when it's at max capacity.

Anything from Cold Cold World.  Pick your size - http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/index.htm
I prefer the Chaos.

Danny Poceta wrote:

Seriously, how are people fitting everything in such tiny packs?? I take a 45 liter bag to the crag and the thing is damn full with a rack, rope, shoes harness, water.... am I a horrible packer?

...with helmet and rope strapped securely on the outside.

My climbing kit:

• 70 Meter 8.7 mm Mammut Serenity
• Harness with Alpine Up, PAS with 3 lockers, nut tool
• Rack: single .1, .2 and 4 camalots, double .3 - 3 camalot, 1 black 2 pink 2 red 1 brown tricam, set of DMM offset nets (minus yellow which got left behind retreating)
• 1st aid kit and sunscreen
• 5 quick draws
• 9 alpine draws
• climbing shoes
• beanie, coat, ocam gloves
• helmet with da brim
• 2 water bottles
• headlamp
• 2 cliff bars, 2 gels
• BD Speed 40 pack

In the summer there will be 3 or 4 bottles of water but now coat and beanie.  Sometimes the rack will be adjusted for the needs of a route.  Cell phone and knife ride in pant pockets.

Everything except the rope is in the pack.  There is lots of room left. This is the usual configuration when climbing with an experienced climber.


Everything in the pack including the rope.  I always wear the helmet on the approach because I have had so much skin cancer I try to protect myself from sunburn.  The jacket, beanie, first aid kit, food, headlamp are in the top.  The jacket is not even compressed, just stuffed inside the pocket.  This is the usual configuration when climbing with a beginner who does not own a descent pack. :(

This is my 3rd BD speed 40 pack.  I also have had an Osprey Mutant 38 and CiloGear 45L worksack.  I have been satisfied with the BD and Osprey packs.  They last about 3 years. They mostly get destroyed by scrambling off trail and being dragged over rocks.   Putting the rope and other soft goods at the bottom slow down the destruction.   If I walked trails to the climbs they would last 5-10 years.  I buy last year's model on sale for about $125 or so.

I was terribly disappointed in the CiloGear pack.  It cost more than twice what I pay for the BD packs and only lasted about a year, even at $100 I would have been disappointed.  The Cilogear pack weighs a lot too, 4.1 lbs vs 2.5 lbs for the BD pack. I am done with designer packs; going for value instead.  

I also had some other BD 40ish liter pack with an attached pocket; never again will I buy a pack like this with an attached pocket. The attached top pocket would not allow me to overload the pack even a little bit.  Likewise I am not interested in any zippered pack.  Zippers add complexity and reduce flexibility.  I don't like roll top packs either.   The roll top never allow as much volume expansion as drawstring/skirt closures.

I use my Creek 50 for cragging - love it. Big and burly. It's cragging for cryin' out loud, just throw everything in and go. 

I use my HMG Southwest 3500 for alpine (or approaches over 4+ miles) - love it. Though, I wish I had a more climbing specific pack for alpine, I refuse to pay for another light weight pack. The ice axes just get lashed onto the back. 

Resurrecting this thread to see if there are any new ultralight packs that can handle a load. I’m particularly interested in carrying a double set of cams and paraphernalia into places like the Bugs or Cirque of the Towers that require camping gear and multiple days of food but not hauling a pig up a bigwall.

Leif Mahoneywrote:

Resurrecting this thread to see if there are any new ultralight packs that can handle a load. I’m particularly interested in carrying a double set of cams and paraphernalia into places like the Bugs or Cirque of the Towers that require camping gear and multiple days of food but not hauling a pig up a bigwall.

Also keen to hear about this. 

I got an old BD Speed 30 that weighs 1300g without the brain and that seems ridiculously heavy compared to today's offerings. A Mutant 38 comes in at 1200g. A Blue Ice Stache Ice 50 weighs only 820g. The Arc SL30 comes in at 444g. And the Blue Ice Alpine Hauler 45 clocks in at a ridiculous 575g. But do any of these (besides the Mutant) or any other ultralight packs carry well? I'm particularly curious about Blue Ice's offerings.

A far out option compared to all these standard offerings but i must say, I have been very impressed with my pipedream so far. Incredibly versatile if you have a bit of imagination, if you see it you see it. They're on their way out being discontinued sadly so get one while you can. and as a bonus, still lighter than a creek 50.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/200684102/anyone-use-the-bd-pipe-dream?page=2

Three things: durable, light, cheap. It is and forever shall be that thee may only have two of the three.

Tone Locwrote:

Three things: durable, light, cheap. It is and forever shall be that thee may only have two of the three.

I’m guessing the answer to my query is lightweight and durable.

Leif Mahoneywrote:

Resurrecting this thread to see if there are any new ultralight packs that can handle a load. I’m particularly interested in carrying a double set of cams and paraphernalia into places like the Bugs or Cirque of the Towers that require camping gear and multiple days of food but not hauling a pig up a bigwall.

That's a backpacking backpack and not a "long approach pack" like this thread seemed focused on.

 
Gregory Baltoro or similar. 

I'm very impressed by the Durston Kakwa 55. ~850g with a minimal frame and carries a rope + full rack extremely comfortably. Night and day compared to my 35l cilogear (~800g) and probably more supportive for my body than my 70l mystery ranch trance xxx (~1800g). Not durable and not something I'd try to climb with but a great option for long approaches. These are supposed to have a better frame than the other lightweight options (HMG, but no personal experience). 

WOW. Old thread. For what its worth - been rocking the Mystery Ranch Tower 47 Backpack and it checks everything for me. Actually would put it as best pack I have ever owned. 

Matt N, that seems like a tomato-potato distinction and this site really doesn't need any more threads devoted to backpacks.

Ben Kraft, I was eyeing up the HMG lineup but didn't specifically ask. I assume ultralight backpacks are designed for hikers who are averse to carrying heavy shit so maybe I should reword my question to be: Do HMG and similar packs handle climber level loads for the above stated adventures or is the lightweight benefit offset by inadequate frame support?

I'm using Samaya ULTRA35 for a few years, and its can carry load, even with will winter rack. I did some multiday climbing in it, at that point i could felt my shoulders afterwards, but otherwise very like the backpack, can be cinched down to a sleek 20L bag. My other bag is Parbat EL 55, which is a bit more comfortable with wider and a bit more straps and proper hipbelt, altough its too minimalistic for a lot of use-cases. 

Beeanwrote:

Yah if it's for cragging weight isn't really an issue.

Deuter are stupid comfortable too.

+1 for Deuter Backpack comfort 

I've used a Mammut Trea spine for long approaches for many years and I love it. It uses "active spine" to keep the pack always balanced on your hips as you walk, taking the weight off your back. Definitely not ultralight, but the additional comfort makes it worth the extra weight, imo, because the weight is not on your back as much. This particular model is discontinued, but they have other "active spine" packs that use the same idea.