Alpine back packs

Looking to buy a new pack. Would like to do some moderate peak bagging 3- 5 day excursions, something that would hold some skis. I have been researching & would like some suggestions. Have any of you heard of figure 4 ?
Thanks CP.

i have that pack, and love it!

like how the lid comes off, if you want.
like how it really cinches down when you want.

it is also holding up well, with no major tears
or anything. (took it up fitz roy, and south howser tower, etc..)

i would recommend it to anyone.
hope that helps,
cor

Gold standard for alpine is Cilogear. Hands down. Cold Cold World, Blue Ice, Wild Things, Figure 4, and Crux supposedly make good alpine specific packs as well.

whatever fits yr back best .... everything else is secondary

Wyatt H wrote:Gold standard for alpine is Cilogear. Hands down. Cold Cold World, Blue Ice, Wild Things, Figure 4, and Crux supposedly make good alpine specific packs as well.

it is if you have money to spend. Otherwise, there are other alternatives that work just as well. Does anyone really need a $700 45 L pack?

I find the price absurd for the minimal weight savings one incurs for their W/NW bags.

But then again i dont alpine very much.

T

CiloGear or Cold Cold World. I have both and love them. IMHO, CiloGear is more than worth the money - $235 for the 45L. CCW is a steal at $175 for the Chernobyl.

CiloGear 45 Liter work sack $235.

cilogear.com/45lws.html

I don't know, cilogear packs seem awful gimicky and annoying with those stupid removable straps. In addition to being way more expensive than comparable packs.

CCW packs are cool, but expensive. It's hard to beat black diamond.

I sold that BD Predator 50 from above. But I still recommend looking for one as it is a fine pack. Read some reviews online.

+1 for cilo. have both the 30 and 60l and love them both

Cilo rules. I have a 20l and a 45l.

I have a 40B Cilogear worksack size M/L for sale $125. Used twice (too short for my torso). I have and use other CG packs (45L, 20L NWD). PM if interested. Prefer Denver metro area.

I have the Predator 50 Ive had it for 2 years and used it 2-5 days a week guiding and personal use. Still in great shape. Climbs well holds everything you need for alpine climbs up to 3 days depending on how light you go. They just discontinued it you should be able to find it on clearance.

Frank K wrote:I don't know, cilogear packs seem awful gimicky and annoying with those stupid removable straps. In addition to being way more expensive than comparable packs. CCW packs are cool, but expensive. It's hard to beat black diamond.

The Cilo takes a little time to figure out, but the advantage of the gimmicky straps is total modularity. The pack can be set up exactly as you want it. Also, as a great pack that doesn't cost your firstborn or soul, try the Osprey Variant. It's an alpine pack, so don't expect to take it canyoneering for long, but well featured and super comfy.

CCW for sure if you want an awesome pack made in the US. Cilogear is way over-rated (I've had 3 - a 40B, 45 and 60). They're comfortable, but not as well made as just about everything else out there. I'd never trashed a pack before I got mine (and I've had gregory, arcteryx, serratus packs prior to that) and now I've given up on them. They're comfortable and do the job, but not built to last. Gimmicky too - How often do you change the straps on your pack?
My CCW is way better built, lighter (even without a cilogear frame) than my comparable 45, and was less expensive to boot.

that BD predator is a very nice pack too - though I have seen quite a few that don't last as long as they are supposed to.

CCW for the win. Send Randy an email to make sure the shoulder strap system is by pulling down instead of up.

I'll add a few more thoughts. In the 45L range, CCW is my go-to pack. I like the CiloGear 30L.

If you want more info on CCW, you can do a search here and on Supertopo. Time and time again people sing the praises of Randy (CCW owner / craftsman) and his packs. I have the Chernobyl. It is built to last, the stitching and materials are awesome, and it carries like a dream. I thought that Dana Designs made the best packs ever, and CCW has a very similar level of quality and durability. Let me put this another way; every time I use my CCW pack, I smile. It is that good.

10 years from now you can either be on your second or third "made in Asia" pack, or still be loving your CCW masterpiece. The choice is yours...

Yes, my chernobyl is "custom" (although I didn't realize I was getting an "up" shoulder strap - a minor annoyance). It's a spectra ripstop fabric, and I added a rope strap over the top and I've got clippy-buckles on all 4 side straps (as opposed to just two). That's about it. Oh and a whistle/buckle as the sternum strap. I'm still stoked about it, 5 months later. Couldn't say that about my cilogear packs.
Don't tell randy, but I do sneak my cilogear framesheet into it when carrying heavy loads.

Yeah, there seem to be inconsistencies with "trashing" of cilogear packs - all of mine have been what I'd call manufacturing faults - seams blowing, grommets popping out, bartacks ripping, collars ripping off, foam in the hipbelts rubbing through, etc... The actual wear and tear on the packs has been minimal - the fabrics used are really durable - just not sewn together all that well! Some people never seem to have any of those problems. I dunno. I bought into the cilogear hype big time at the beginning. And I wanted them to work, but 3 failures in a row (bearing in mind I've never trashed a pack before a cilogear)? I liked them before they started falling apart. Granted the 45 - a V4? - lasted a fair bit longer than the other two, but still less than 2 years before I thought I couldn't trust it anymore - seams blowing and the bartacks on the lid ripped through. I've seen many other Cilogear packs with similar problems.

I bought both a Cilogear 45L Worksack and a Black Diamond Epic 45 this year.

I do not like the cilogear pack. I do not like the pack's length adjustment by moving the hip belt up and down. Unless you are at the very long end of the adjustment your butt gets hit by the unusually low sitting pack. I really do not like the modular straps. They are difficult to tighten and loosen. The pack material has the appearance of being durable but in fact is too stiff and easily gets holes because it did not flex. My top pocket is black and the contents get extremely hot. The fit and finish of the Worksack needs help. There is lots of slop in the compartment which contains the framesheet.

The Black Diamond Epic 45 seems more like a 40L pack or even a little smaller. I like this pack, but it too has problems. The top pocket is not floating and therefore you cannot overstuff the pack even though it has a large skirt and drawstrings. The suspension is a little gimmicky. The gimmicky suspension works nicely with light to moderate loads and acts like a normal suspension with heavy loads.

Both packs suffer from the shoulder straps needing another 1-2 inches of padded length.

I recently retired an Osprey Mutant 38. Even though it was sized at 38 liters it was in between the Worksack and the Epic in usable space. It's frame-sheet died after a couple of years; warping into an uncomfortable shape. The Epic uses the same frame-sheet material but has metal frame too. I liked the mutant for what it was and suspect the variant to be a better pack.

If I were to buy another pack today I would consider a different black diamond with a floating top.

I liked my Predator 50 in most respects except when using a 2 liter platypus you have a vertical lump in the middle of your back when placed in the provided sleeve. Pushes out beyond the back panel.