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Trad climbers crag pack...opinions?
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(partially copied from another post I recently made) |
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The osprey variant 52 works pretty well for me. Its a top loader, but the rack and rope always come out at the same time anyways. |
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My partner has the Mountain Hardwear Splitter pack and I'm always jealous of how easily he's able to get everything into it and out of it really easily. Plus it's only $100 right now at Backcountry. |
 www.fishproducts.com Atom Smasher Delux is a top-loader, but I can cram it with rope, rack, and still have room for snacks and beverages. Is relatively inexpensive, and built to last. |
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My Arcteryx Bora 30 holds a rack of doubles, a rope, a harness, shoes, a chalkbag, two nalgenes, food, and my helmet. |
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I have the 75 liter BD haul bag wigh is the best cragging pack I have found having tried out all sorts of brands. It is tough and I can put a rack of doubles and all the workings, rope, harness, shoes, and anything else I can think to take. It is rigid and stands on its own whick helps loadind my rack. Plus it is a haul bag for big wall days. |
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You might look into the CAMP Rox +. I've had one for over a year now and it works pretty well. The best thing is it's super super light. One drawback is that the waistband is pretty unsubstantial -- I may replace it with something a little more beefy. I also added some straps so I could attach a large top-flap pocket from one of my Gregory packs. It fits perfectly and adds an extra 300-400 cu in. It's even red! (Not shown in the photos below which I took last year.) I paid a lot less than what they're asking ($80) at a local manufacturer/distributor "yard sale". I recently was climbing at Red Rocks and it carried very well to the backcountry canyons (1+ hours hiking time). It comfortably carries all my gear plus a sport rack when called for. We usually use my partner's trad rack so that's not shown, but I think a good bit of it would fit. But who carries the full rack AND the rope? That's what partners are for... |
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Made in the U.S.A. I can fit a rope, rack, and then some in this pack and it's super comfortable too, plus it's made right here in the mountains of N.C. by climber owner/operators: |
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I've always been a fan of the 50L - 55L size pack for trad cragging. Seems to fit a double rack, rope and day gear quite well. ArcTeryx packs are awesome. I've had a few and you'll be happy with it. I know you wanted something with a side zip / way to get into the bottom more easily. One thing to keep in mind is if you're going to use this for more remote adventures, packs with side zips are a less weather resistant than the old top loader. Enjoy! |
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I agree with Clayton. top loaders rock. I have the mountain hardwear splitter pack. it carries well. definitely has an opportunity getting a double rack in there and a rope. I like the BD 50 caliber. has the bottom of a haul bag. so it will stand up while loading and unloading. beefy waist belt. When you say cragging are you talking about indian creek cragging? usually shit is shared between the party to carry to the base anyway. |
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I got a Miura 50 recently, you will not be disappointed. |
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I agree that top-loaders are great for most applications, but I want something that is easy to load/unload as we move from route to route at the crag. A pack like the Miura 50 or the Rox + would allow me to take out only what I need without disgorging the entire contents of the pack. If it starts to rain enough to wet things down then I am likely headed to the car so the side zips shouldn't be an issue. Sometimes we take more than one rope with us if their is more than two of us or sometimes I'm introducing new people to climbing so I need to carry more of the gear, hence the desire to be able to carry it all. I looked pretty hard at the Rox+, but it doesn't look like it would carry very comfortably with a heavier load imo. I also think that packs in the 50L range are about the right size for me. |
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If you don't go get the Cilogear big Walley cause it's a top loader (abiet one made for rock climbing with a bunch of other cool features) I'd look at the Metolius Cragstation. It's so perfect on many levels. Rock and Ice rated it highest of all the front zipper crag sacks they looked at and gave it an A. Their only criticism was the smaller waist belt, but that's small so it can be tucked away when you haul the pack. It's cheaper and better than the Mountain hardware pack. On sale here: http://www.alssports.com/Metolius-Crag-Station-Pack/PAAAIALNDECFEOIF/product?avad=1768_d11229f1 |
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I think if you show up in some trad areas with anything but a ruck sack or a burlap bag they fine you. Just sayin'. |
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I would get a small bullet pack and Fish's Double gear sling. REI's Flash 18 is perfect for a crag bag. Hike with your harness on. Throw the rack on your sling, rope on your back and some food and water in the pack along with headlamp, rain jacket etc. Really light and efficient system. All you have to do is throw the pack on the ground, rope up, and start climbing. No need for packing and unpacking your pack all day. |
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i never use a crag pack .... i just carry my rack on a sling and use a small daypack, rope on the top of the pack |
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The BD 50 Caliber is a sweet pack. It is still a top loader though. It is a super simple pack, not alot of bell and whistles and it has a haul bag style bottom so it stands up when loaded. It is pretty much a inexpensive and lighter haul bag with a top lid. |
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gregorypacks.com/products/m…
I have this pack and it is really great. It has a great suspension system and carries everything I put in it. 3 pairs of shoes, 15-20 draws a rack, a hammer, a cordless hammer drill, a ton of hardware to set routes and a rope. I have also used it to carry out a bunch of elk and deer meat. It carries well and is holding up well and I use it 140 or more days a year. |
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BD makes some great packs too--I've got an older |
