Multi day ~40L pack for hut trip touring

[Backwoodie]

Looking to see if anyone has any opinions for a multi day hut trip touring pack. The pack would be used to lug all my gear up to the hut and also what would be used for my day tours while I’m on the trip. I’d like it to be nothing less than 40L, will consider slightly more but not much, and I’d like to be able to retro fit an Avalung to the pack, if at all possible. I’ve been looking at the BD Anarchist with Avalung, the Arc’teryx Arrakis 40 and the Arc’teryx Silo 40. I’ve used the BD Anarchist with Avalung which was a couple years old, and I noticed that the in-take/out-take hose over the shoulder damn near rubbed me raw. Which puzzled me cause I have the Covert Avalung and have never had any issues. Anyway, shoot me your thoughts, I appreciate anything anyone has to offer.

[brown9]

Cilogear. End of story.

Alright, well, it's super simple, light, made in 'merica, and versatile. Can carry plenty o' beer, and also compress down for a slick day-touring pack once you're at the hut. They make an assortment of sizes, and are reasonably priced (non astronaut fabrics).

[harpo-the-skier]

you can retrofit any pack with an avalund by getting and avalung II, cutting off the straps, and attaching it to the shoulder strap of you choosen backpack with zip ties and nylong straps. New Anarchists are unavailable this year due to a product recall. Cilogear has said they are making a detachable shovel pouch for their packs, but I will believe it when I see one in my hands.

[NatEE]

Cilogear. End of story.

Alright, well, it's super simple, light, made in 'merica, and versatile. Can carry plenty o' beer, and also compress down for a slick day-touring pack once you're at the hut. They make an assortment of sizes, and are reasonably priced (non astronaut fabrics).

Well, a bump to a semi-recent thread here.... I've been checking out the Cilogear packs for a while now, thinking of pulling the trigger on something for backpacking season this year. Probably the 45L or 60L worksack. I'm pretty sold on it meeting my needs for that, and very stoked that it seems somewhat customizable in terms of weight vs. stability. but I'm interested in how it does as a ski pack as well. Have you found it to work pretty well as an all-around there as well? Straps look like they could be re-purposed for attaching/carrying skis, is that the case?

[volklpowdermaniac]

BCA Stash ALP 40.

just my .02. Nice build, top load, back access, both diagonal and a frame carry, seems to fit a fuck ton of stuff, comfy (having no other basis for comparison). dedicated shovel/probe pockets, top flap has some cool pockets as well, etc....

Yeah that's all.

[neck beard]

That BCA pack seems narrow and tall to me, and incorporates some poor imitations of several concepts found in earlier Arcteryx packs, except done really badly. My friend has one and it is a constant source of complaint. A good pack concept executed badly.

[fool]

Well, a bump to a semi-recent thread here.... I've been checking out the Cilogear packs for a while now, thinking of pulling the trigger on something for backpacking season this year. Probably the 45L or 60L worksack. I'm pretty sold on it meeting my needs for that, and very stoked that it seems somewhat customizable in terms of weight vs. stability. but I'm interested in how it does as a ski pack as well. Have you found it to work pretty well as an all-around there as well? Straps look like they could be re-purposed for attaching/carrying skis, is that the case?

Very similar thoughts to you. I was thinking of buying a 45L for climbing, possibly 4-5 day backpack trips, and I was also considering using it for some backcountry/ski touring stuff, but I've heard less about used in skiing applications. Any other feedback on cilogear for skiing?

[harpo-the-skier]

Cilogear can be easily customized for either diaganol or side/pyramid carry. For diaganol, pass long voile style rubber ski straps the webbing loop attaching the 'sliplocks' to the front panel of the pack. You can run a cilogear 'simple strap' to the same sliplock and the corresponding 'D clip' on the back panel, allowing you to compress the pack at the same time you pull the skis onto the suspension of the pack.

For side/pyramid carry, attach a 'simple strap' low down on the side of the pack, and a 'side release buckle strap' up higher, and you have an effective side carry system.

I use side/pyramid carry when the pack is full with overnight gear, and the diagnol when the pack is half empty. The side/pyrmaid carry takes longer to attach the skis, but keeps the weight of your skis closer to your back, which is a concern when the pack is full. When the pack is half empty, the diagnol carry is quicker to attach the skis, and since the pack is half empty, the weight of the skis is close to your back, although the weight is a bit lopsided.

I had a local seamstress make me a long pocket that attaches to the outside of the pack that carries my probe and shovel handle. Also, Graham called me a few days ago and assured me he was about to ship me a shovel pocket for the blade of my shovel. I will believe it when I see it.

The cilogear packs are also great for overnight climbing trips as they can carry all your overnight gear to base camp comfortably, and then you can strip down and compress the pack to carry up your route.

They are also good for lightweight backpacking, but if you expand the packs to full volume and stuff them to capacity, you can overwelm the suspensions of the 40l and 60l packs, although the I think the 75l has a beefier suspension that carries heavier weights more comfortably.

The 40l has enough room for short overnight ski trips with winter camping gear, but you would want the 60l for longer trips. They carry better if you attach your helmet to the outside of the pack instead of carrying it inside.

[NatEE]

Thanks for the input harpo! I suspected the worksacks would work pretty well, but it's really nice to have some confirmation. I may end up with the 60L, as it seems like the weight difference is fairly small. Don't know if the longer trips will materialize or not this year (I'm still pretty much a summer camper right now, unfortunately), but a guy can hope right. Next winter I'll definitely being trying to get out more, just need to get over that initial gear / training barrier in the touring department, heh.

[Sinecure]

I just picked up a Mountain Hardwear South Col 70. I haven't skied with it yet so I can't comment on actual use. But I'm liking the looks so far. Removeable brain and other stuff if you want to cut weight. Really nice looking ski carry options. Fairly light. There's also the Direttissima 45 if you want a lighter/smaller option, but for overnights, I'm thinking the South Col is more appropriately sized.

[shirk]

Check out the Deuter Guide 45.

http://www.backcountry.com/deuter-gu...0cu-in#reviews



Great ski carry system. The back panel and suspension system perform flawless when fully loaded. Can easily be compressed down for skiing when not fully loaded.

[shasti]

One more vote for 60L cilogear. Works for everything. Basically the most versatile, lightest, simplest, coolest pack I have ever used

[neck beard]

Wish these packs would come with separate shovel pocket.

[esales09]

I use a BCA stash 40 now and I've never had any problems with it, but it sounds like you might need something bigger. The deuter guide is a great pack but I found it a little bit heavy, you might want to check out the most recent series of Norrona packs. I recently tried the Norrona Falketind 45 and it was awesome. They also have a 35 and 55 liter version. It was a light stable pack with a good carry and quality build. Also they look awesome.

http://www.backcountry.com/norrna-fa...pack-2746cu-in

[Moralkaka]

I can 2nd the Norröna Falketind 45L, used mine for 4 week this winter. Packs and carries really well, love the front zipper for easy access. The fabric is really tough and waterproof.
No separate shovel-pocket, but after using it for some time I find this to be a positive since I can fit so much more compared to 45L packs with the mentioned pocket.

[neck beard]

I guess the 45L stated on the label includes the volume of the shovel pocket as well? So in reality, you don't actually get 45L of packing space.

I'd like a pack with a 40L internal chamber, plus an exterior shovel pocket.

[harpo-the-skier]

With Cilogear, the shovel pocket is extra so xx litres = xx liters of internal storage not including the shovel pocket. Not how the top pocket that is included with the pack is included in the volume measurement.

[neck beard]

Which of the Cilogear 40 or 45L packs have a shovel pocket? I couldn't find it. But I did see a 45L pack priced at $650.

[auvgeek]

Yes, I'm having trouble finding the shovel pocket listed on their site as well. I assumed it would be under "Accessories", but don't see anything that seems to fit the bill...? Unless you're talking about the "Ninja pocket", which (from the picture) doesn't seem big enough to fit a shovel in it.

Hohes, that's for the nonwoven dyneema. You can get the regular 45L for $235 or a woven/nonwoven dyneema for $700. Just in case you missed that.

Thinking I might go for the 40L next year as my day-trip touring pack. But I'd like to know more about the ski carry and the shovel pocket. My 30L from Mammut is just not feasible for how I pack, so I end up using my 55L, which is just overkill.

[harpo-the-skier]

Cilo has just designed the shovel pocket so it is not on the website. I am supposed to get the first one they produce. I post more info when I get it. Contact Cilo directly for more info.

What additional info do you need on the ski carry?

[auvgeek]

Thanks, please post a review (or just more info) when you know more. I can't see carrying in a shovel inside a top-loading pack.

I had completely missed your post earlier in this thread. I guess I don't really need more info on the ski carry. Sounds like you can make a fairly straightforward A-frame system with their straps. I really just need to go check out their packs in person.

Which pack did you go with, Harpo? Any thoughts on 40B vs the regular 40L?

[North]

Bump...

5 night Hut-to-Hut coming up shortly. Any fresh perspectives on what packs work well in this category? 5 days out is new territory for me, so I'm a bit lost on what capacity is reasonable (40L, 45, 55?). I'm going to attempt to make my MR BlackJack work, and will do a dry run packing my gear shortly, but I'm running out of time, and would like to have a backup option squared away if the MR is pushing it.

Mchale stuff seems great but it's too late for me to pursue that option. Cilogear seems prohibitively expensive for a piece of gear that will likely get limited use. Hyperlite Mtn Gear stuff is intruiging, but the reviews are mixed. Fire away.

[SKIP IN7RO]

I have some McHales in Gear Swap. Let's make a deal.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Osprey Variant 52. Light, cheap, sturdy, carries a heavy load well, efficient ski carry, packs down small when needed, great warranty. Only downside is that you miss out on the status of having pack that you can't buy at REI.

[auvgeek]

5 night Hut-to-Hut coming up shortly. Any fresh perspectives on what packs work well in this category? 5 days out is new territory for me, so I'm a bit lost on what capacity is reasonable (40L, 45, 55?). I'm going to attempt to make my MR BlackJack work, and will do a dry run packing my gear shortly, but I'm running out of time, and would like to have a backup option squared away if the MR is pushing it.

Mchale stuff seems great but it's too late for me to pursue that option. Cilogear seems prohibitively expensive for a piece of gear that will likely get limited use. Hyperlite Mtn Gear stuff is intruiging, but the reviews are mixed. Fire away.

Depends on the hut system you're using. Do you have to carry dinners and sleeping bag, or is that stuff available at the hut? Are you carrying glacier-travel gear? If you're just carrying a couple extra base layers and snacks for 5 days over your regular touring gear, you can definitely get away with your MR Blackjack. Otherwise, I would bump up to a 60L pack, personally. Gives you more versatility over the MR you already own, though you do need to be careful you don't bring extra stuff just cuz you have the room.

What is "prohibitively expensive?" Cilogear's regular 60L pack is $309, which seems pretty reasonable to me...