Any experience with the Mammut Neon 45?

So I did actually end up buying a Neon 45, though a couple years after this thread since I found one on sale for <$100 and figured why not.

I've had it for about a year now and so far it's worked out great for me. I only use it for sport climbing or trad when the gear carrying is shared, as there's definitely no room for a full rack in there. Approaches are all less than a couple miles. Anything longer or with a notably heavy load and I'd probably whip out a different pack with more support, but so far I haven't had to.

I didn't think I'd use the included rope tarp or chalk bag thing, but I do actually use the rope tarp and have used the chalk bag thing, too. They're not completely useless freebies!

The good:

• Full back zipper makes getting the rope in and out really easy, and with the included tarp you kinda just cinch it down and drop it in. I then put my draws on top of the rope and clip them into the gear loop, which just helps them not drop down to the bottom of the pack. This makes them easy to get from the top, too.
• It holds everything you need for a day of sport climbing inside the pack. The only thing I ever strap to the pack is my helmet, and the top cinch strap works perfectly for this.
• It packs very cleanly. The hip belt can be stashed inside the pack (I don't think they advertise this as a feature since it's a pain to do, but once it's stashed in there it's like it's not even there). And then of course the straps can be attached together to turn it into a duffel bag. This is nice because there are virtually no loose straps and it packs into a very square shape, which makes packing it or travelling with it awesome. I took the bag with me for a climbing trip to Thailand and I'd do it again. Nothing like getting thick, loose hip belts caught in the airport conveyor or a plastic clip smashed in a car door.

• The hip belt is pretty stupid. If you're hiking long enough to want the hip belt, you'd probably want a better one than the stupid webbing it has. I leave mine tucked in all the time and never use it (though it does carry quite well without it).
• The zippers are a bit sticky. Especially the back one around the top corners. It's slightly annoying, but you eventually figure out how to open them so it doesn't suck as much.
• There aren't any external water bottle pockets. (Though this helps with keeping it a "clean" pack)
• I don't know how durable the plastic gear loop things really are on the outside of the pack, but I don't trust them. I've clipped empty water bottles to them, but other than that they seem to have limited use.

• Does the bag hold up to normal wear and tear? For me it has, but for others I guess it hasn't. I've probably taken mine out for 50 days of climbing plus a 2 week trip to Thailand.
• Can I store my rope in a Metolius rope bag inside the rope storage section of this bag? There's only one main section in the bag. The pouch on the inside of the back flap will protrude into this space if there's anything in it, which is why I just keep my rain shell in there which is relatively flat. There's definitely room for a metolius rope bag, but I actually like the included rope tarp (or any other tarp for that matter) because it doesn't restrict the rope to a certain shape. I find this makes it pack down into the bag a little more and gives more space to squish other things in. Whenever I throw an actual rope bag into a backpack I find that the fit usually isn't perfect, but maybe you'll get lucky.

I have the Mammut Neon Gear. So far I really love it. Its a massive bag, organizes well, swallows gear and stands up to a beating. You should have no problem fitting you stuff. I do find it to not be very comfortable. I recently made an approach that totaled 800+ of vertical gain over about a mile. I had no issues with the bag comfort wise and I was loaded to the brim.

One of the things I don't like about the bag is the pocket systems. There is an external pocket on the outside top of the bag, that I usually put wallet, keys, chapstick and a few bars in. On the inside of the bag, there is a mesh pocket on the underside of the lid, I find that if you stuff this pocket first, then the top pocket becomes unusable because its so full. But thats really my only complaint. It defiently does not adjust well at all, but its a seriously awesome crag bag, keeps me organized, and stands up well. Unless you plan on hiking in for over an hour, I would highly recommend the bag.

Heather V. wrote: I got this pack to replace my old CiloGear pack that was a POS. In general I like it. I looked at the Miura, but could not justify spending more on my pack than any other single piece of gear that I own. The Mammut Neon was reasonably priced, and not too heavy (important for me b/c I'm pretty small -- I also considered the Mountain Hardware Splitter, but it was too heavy). 90% of the time I've used it for cragging -- but I've hiked it up steep 10 mile approaches on alpine type climbs. The waistbelt is sort of crap (more on that later...) and it's not really made for super long approaches, but it did just fine. I've also climbed some easy (5.8/9) multipitches with it -- again not great, and not really what it's intended for, but it works. My major problem with multipitching with this pack is that it's a bit too big for me, so my head hits the pack when I look up. I'd say that it probably wouldn't be a big deal for the average size climber. 99% of the time that I'm climbing I'm one of the shortest people around (sucks getting beta from all you tall folk!!). Last weekend my climbing partners all screwed me by leaving the crag early one by one and I got stuck packing out a 60m rope, AND an 80m rope, plus 20 draws and an entire trad rack (pretty much doubles of everything BD makes up to the #3 and a set of nuts, assorted slings and random biners), an extra harness and 3 pairs of shoes. It sucked to carry that much and I had to use the rope catch to put the 2nd rope on top and clip the shoes to the outside, but I made it out with all my gear. I'm not going to lie and pretend it was comfortable carrying that much gear, but I was shocked that I got it all in. My major complaints with this pack are that the sternum strap doesn't cinch down enough, but I'm pretty small (5'4", 115#), so I'd say for 99% of the population that would not be an issue. As a female climber, I'm used to getting screwed with men's gear (or fake unisex gear) that doesn't really fit women. At first glance the waist belt does look like a POS, but I discovered when wearing a harness that the minimalist waistbelt was actually quite a bonus. It doesn't provide all that much support, but does stabilize the pack enough so it's not swinging around, and doesn't conflict with my harness.

Hi Heather, I am around your same size; have you found a better pack by now? Looking at the neon as well.