Which backpack should I choose? Mutant 22, Alpinisto 28, Dragonfly 26?

Hello, I have a query for people who use these models. I am thinking of buying a backpack. There are three models involved. Gregory Alpinisto 28 LT, Osprey Mutant 22 and Blue Ice Dragonfly 26. Do they have any significant flaws that annoy you? Generally a backpack for autumn and winter outings in the Tatra mountains. So from the luggage is crampons, checks, helmet, extra jacket. I've been agonizing over this topic for over a week ;)

Lukas W wrote:

Hello, I have a query for people who use these models. I am thinking of buying a backpack. There are three models involved. Gregory Alpinisto 28 LT, Osprey Mutant 22 and Blue Ice Dragonfly 26. Do they have any significant flaws that annoy you? Generally a backpack for autumn and winter outings in the Tatra mountains. So from the luggage is crampons, checks, helmet, extra jacket. I've been agonizing over this topic for over a week ;)

i've got the mutant 22.  it replaced a petzl Bug, just that little bit more room for shoes etc.  love it.  22l is a god sweet spot for fall climbing.  not sure about winter.  I can pack it out with a bunch of stuff if you want I've jammed a double rack, water, small IFAK, harness.  shoes, helmet and rope on outside

I don't have experience with the bags you've listed but wanted to throw out checking out some of the mystery ranch bags. I have the skyline 17 and my partner has the tower 47 and we love them both. They are really thoughtfully designed for climbing, comfortable and have myriad pockets/attachment points. I've gotten to look at some of their bags in the 20-40L range too and they are just as good as the two I have experience using. Notably popular are the skyline 23 and some of their other bags with the rip-zip top opening. 

I think 22 would be too small for ice climbing, and even 26 might be tough. All those extra gloves and jackets take up space! 

I like my Alpinisto LT for ice climbing because of how small it compresses. I can climb with it on and it’s not bulky because I tend to be wearing most of what I carried up in it. I took off the brain and it’s basically a stuff sack with compression straps. I like the minimalist design, it forces me to be thoughtful with packing. I don’t like it for carrying much weight though. I find that heavier packs with nice suspension carry so much better that it offsets the added weight of the suspension. 

You might be more hardcore than me, but those sound tiny! I consider 30L the minimum if I'm going into the mountains with axes, crampons, etc. I would rule out the dragonfly because it has no external crampon carry mechanism - and you're gonna need that if you're going with a small bag! One of my partners has the 38L Osprey Mutant and he loves it.

I recently switched from the Osprey to the Gregory.  The osprey was too small for both gear and my 6'2" frame, and the size and design of the Gregory made it easier to get gear back into.  Used for sport climbing and ski mountaineering.

In that category, the BD Speed 22 is really worth looking at. I regrettably overlooked it for a long time for lesser packs. 

fwiw, the Dragonfly is an awesome multipitch pack, esp in the 12L size, but it’s very lightweight so you might want to look for a more robust pack, for stated purpose. Just my .02, ymmv, as always 

I also think these bags are way too small for ice and winter climbing, but for what it's worth the Alpinisto bags are really nice bags for this. I'd just go one size up. The 38LT is nice and lightweight, strippable, and can be cinched to a way smaller size without loosing comfort or shape. 

Now, if you're talking about a small pack to climb with while having your bigger pack at the base of the route, that might be different. But if you want one bag for the entire day, I'd size up. 

I recently purchased the blue ice dragonfly 26 after using my osprey mutant 22 for a few years (I also have the mutant 38L but that's my cragging pack). The dragonfly 26 feels like it can fit double what the osprey can, and is a good middle ground between capacity and climbability. I used it in the mountains on a 3 night, 2 day trip recently (my approach pack and on-the-wall pack)- it fit sleeping bag, pad, rope, rack, axe, crampons, shoes, harness, food, layers, etc (crampons are in the helmet in the photo below). I've been extremely happy with it compared to the osprey. It's got one of the expandable tops which is a huge advantage over the osprey- it really helps prevent things from falling out of it when it's packed to capacity, whereas with the osprey it always felt like something was going to fall out of the pack when I was unzipping it if it was really packed in. The dragonfly also has 2 exterior drop in pockets which is very convenient for snacks or other small items, and a zipper pocket that is accessible from outside the pack. The Osprey has no exterior pockets at all, and is a heavier pack as well. I'm a little worried about durability because the material is pretty thin (and Osprey has that amazing lifetime guarantee/repair program), but overall I've been extremely happy with the blue ice pack and would recommend it over the osprey. 

That being said, I only do summer alpine climbing so I probably carry a bit less gear than autumn/winter outings. A lot of people climb with a larger pack, like the Osprey Mutant 38 I mentioned above, but that's really not comfortable for me and just too big and bulky as an on-the-wall pack. 

Brooks K wrote:

I recently purchased the blue ice dragonfly 26 after using my osprey mutant 22 for a few years (I also have the mutant 38L but that's my cragging pack). The dragonfly 26 feels like it can fit double what the osprey can, and is a good middle ground between capacity and climbability. I used it in the mountains on a 3 night, 2 day trip recently (my approach pack and on-the-wall pack)- it fit sleeping bag, pad, rope, rack, axe, crampons, food, layers, etc (crampons are in the helmet in the photo below). I've been extremely happy with it compared to the osprey. It's got one of the expandable tops which is a huge advantage over the osprey- it really helps prevent things from falling out of it when it's packed to capacity, whereas with the osprey it always felt like something was going to fall out of the pack when I was unzipping it if it was really packed in. The dragonfly also has 2 exterior drop in pockets which is very convenient for snacks or other small items, and a zipper pocket that is accessible from outside the pack. The Osprey has no exterior pockets at all, and is a heavier pack as well. I'm a little worried about durability because the material is pretty thin (and Osprey has that amazing lifetime guarantee/repair program), but overall I've been extremely happy with the blue ice pack and would recommend it over the osprey. 

That being said, I only do summer alpine climbing so I probably carry a bit less gear than autumn/winter outings. A lot of people climb with a larger pack, like the Osprey Mutant 38 I mentioned above, but that's really not comfortable for me and just too big and bulky as an on-the-wall pack. 

I get it depending on the environment and season for sure.  I went from the petzl bug (18L) to the mutant 22 wanting just a little bit more room.  I'm just always leary of mission creep/boyle's law.