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  1. #26
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    SLC
    Posts
    1,030
    +1 for the Marmot for going light so you bring it every day. My Marmot UL20 with carbon canister is sub 1600 grams and has enough space for a half day tour. At that weight, there really is not a debate to be had about whether it's worth bringing an airbag.

    I do also have a Marmot Light 30 with a standard canister. I use that bag if my wife is joining (she uses UL20) or I'm doing a bigger mission. Also helpful to have a standard canister for test pulls. $10 instant refills at the local scuba shop.

    No complaints on the Marmot stuff from me.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Sun Valley, ID
    Posts
    2,527
    Quote Originally Posted by Dshack89 View Post
    +1 for the Marmot for going light so you bring it every day. My Marmot UL20 with carbon canister is sub 1600 grams and has enough space for a half day tour. At that weight, there really is not a debate to be had about whether it's worth bringing an airbag.

    I do also have a Marmot Light 30 with a standard canister. I use that bag if my wife is joining (she uses UL20) or I'm doing a bigger mission. Also helpful to have a standard canister for test pulls. $10 instant refills at the local scuba shop.

    No complaints on the Marmot stuff from me.
    How did you fenangle the carbon canister in US?

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    SLC
    Posts
    1,030
    Quote Originally Posted by CaliBrit View Post
    How did you fenangle the carbon canister in US?
    Had a friend visiting the UK bring it back in their checked luggage for me.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    NorCal
    Posts
    832
    Has anyone tried a DIY fill of the Mammut canisters? It looks possible to do with a hand pump http://www.mammutavalanchesafety.com...with-hill.html

    The only thing that worries me about a canister bag is ability to get refills, I would love to test a lot (and hopefully never actually use).

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Posts
    226
    Quote Originally Posted by davjr96 View Post
    Has anyone tried a DIY fill of the Mammut canisters? It looks possible to do with a hand pump http://www.mammutavalanchesafety.com...with-hill.html

    The only thing that worries me about a canister bag is ability to get refills, I would love to test a lot (and hopefully never actually use).
    There are videos on youtube. Apparently, a "Burst Disc" must be supplied. Mammut sells adapters albeit a little overpriced. Checking paintball supply stores for an equivalent might be worthwhile.
    I've refilled my former BCA float cartridges multiple times using a Scuba tank. A friend of mine tried a high pressure floor pump, but it failed after several cartridges.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    A LSD Steakhouse somewhere in the Wasatch
    Posts
    13,234
    bca is like g3 one of those companies who i always seem to find a company making much better product at compatible cost
    cept their snow safety kit i never kept any of their stuff long
    i ditch my 42 dueter abs canister crapper
    fer an osprey solden alpride
    didnt hurt me to loose a few extra things i tend to lug around in the bc that i aint needed much
    canisters will go the way of the avalung in a few years
    to many downsides
    other than wishing the osprey auto deflated and a key ring strap in the google compartment
    stoked on it
    and it was my xmass cybers shitshow bonus at work
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Posts
    1,064
    A Float 42 has been my daily driver for the past few years. I usually run the airbag in it until it's spring and I'm swapping the weight for axe/crampons/maybe rope. I like that it has enough space so I'm not strapping a helmet externally, and I don't have to fuss around with gear to get it to fit. It's also enough for hut trips.

    It's a big pack, but the bulk doesn't bother me on tours. As others have said, matching your body size to pack size matters.

    It's certainly heavy. 3308g with pack+bag+full cylinder. But the 40L Scott bag is 2830 all-in. So more money can save you a pound on your back.

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Posts
    122
    I have the original BCA 32. the only thing I don't really like about it is the pack does not have much room, the canister and other airbag stuff take up about 1/4 or a 1/3 of the main compartment. It feels like a big bag but seems like in usually I'm running out of space if I want to bring more than the basics. Picking the bag up I always think to myself this thing is heavy but once it is on my back i dont really notice it being overly heavy.

    I have started to look at getting a new setup, the removable airbag packs have caught my eye. I was thinking it might be nice to swap the airbag between a small and large pack.

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Posts
    3,673
    I just got a Float 20? i think, or is it 22? anyways, its a solid little pack, perfect for sidecountry, not a PITA to where on lifts, nor crazy heavy (IMO). Mammut 40L for my long days and overnights, both good, both fit, both not too heavy where im always thinking of it. Tried on a friends older-ish Jetforce 40, my god, that thing is insanely heavy. Anyways...
    Do I detect a lot of anger flowing around this place? Kind of like a pubescent volatility, some angst, a lot of I'm-sixteen-and-angry-at-my-father syndrome?

    fuck that noise.

    gmen.

  10. #35
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Posts
    1,421
    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    X2.

    I have a BCA that I almost never use. At least around me, getting canister refills is a pain in the ass, and kind of expensive. And traveling with it is also a pain in the ass.
    I could have written this verbatim but I would add it's also heavy and carries skis poorly.

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Swiss alps -> Bozone,MT
    Posts
    671
    Quote Originally Posted by Dshack89 View Post
    Had a friend visiting the UK bring it back in their checked luggage for me.
    What is the consensus on this? Does it work out most of the time? Or are they usually impounded?

    Reason I am asking is that I am moving to the US for at least a year. Debating whether to try to smuggle in my carbon canister, or just buy (and later sell) a standard one in the US.

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Tahoe-ish
    Posts
    3,141
    Quote Originally Posted by davjr96 View Post
    Has anyone tried a DIY fill of the Mammut canisters? It looks possible to do with a hand pump http://www.mammutavalanchesafety.com...with-hill.html

    The only thing that worries me about a canister bag is ability to get refills, I would love to test a lot (and hopefully never actually use).
    I have used a hand pump to fill Mammut canisters several times. I originally bought it for trips to Hokkaido, where they won't fill US canisters and there was no other option. Since then I've done it a couple of times after test firings. Note that you can do a dry fire as many times as you want with the handle to train your pull. Firing the whole bag is a hassle and IMO not worth it more than a couple of times.

    Pumping by hand is a pretty hard 20 minute effort, but does work. My pump still works, but I did read reports of the gaskets failing when researching them.

    My GF and I both have the Light 30 packs, which we got deals on and which we really like. The pack itself is quite nice and carries well, and at the time it was the lightest option. If I were buying a new one now (and had the $$$), I would get a capacitor fan one, as that's clearly the future.

    Sent from my SM-P610 using TGR Forums mobile app
    ride bikes, climb, ski, travel, cook, work to fund former, repeat.

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Tahoe-ish
    Posts
    3,141
    Quote Originally Posted by troth View Post
    I have started to look at getting a new setup, the removable airbag packs have caught my eye. I was thinking it might be nice to swap the airbag between a small and large pack.
    I thought the same, but it's pretty fiddly to remove the airbag part and trigger. I usually just pull out the canister when there's no hazard (or use another pack). Removing the airbag and putting it into different packs is not something I'd want to do more than a couple of times a season.
    ride bikes, climb, ski, travel, cook, work to fund former, repeat.

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Posts
    122
    Quote Originally Posted by climberevan View Post
    I thought the same, but it's pretty fiddly to remove the airbag part and trigger. I usually just pull out the canister when there's no hazard (or use another pack). Removing the airbag and putting it into different packs is not something I'd want to do more than a couple of times a season.
    Thanks for the heads up on the difficulty of swapping the airbag, I did not think about that aspect.

  15. #40
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Naples Idaho
    Posts
    95
    I bought the BCA MTN Pro vest. (I'm also not a dentist)
    I like vests vs packs...Yea it's a canister deployment system..

    I like it because it has POCKETS up front for snacks and it's like having an extra layer vs backpack straps. It's like being hugged by your pack vs it hanging off your back/shoulders. I like the dedicated pocket for the beacon with retaining clip for the coily cable on my beacon.

    And because I can't leave shit alone for more than 2 seconds without tinkering, I removed all the added padding in the front of the vest to slim it down a bit. The purpose of the padding is to protect you from the handlebars on a snow machine (doesn't affect the security or function of the deployment system)
    Overall is a pretty comfortable pack/vest. However, the BC sucks right now so I haven't gone out of the resort yet..

  16. #41
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Colorado Front Range
    Posts
    4,644
    Quote Originally Posted by climberevan View Post
    I have used a hand pump to fill Mammut canisters several times. I originally bought it for trips to Hokkaido, where they won't fill US canisters and there was no other option. Since then I've done it a couple of times after test firings. Note that you can do a dry fire as many times as you want with the handle to train your pull. Firing the whole bag is a hassle and IMO not worth it more than a couple of times.

    Pumping by hand is a pretty hard 20 minute effort, but does work. My pump still works, but I did read reports of the gaskets failing when researching them.
    Isn't the air from dive shops dehumidified in some way?

    ... Thom
    Galibier Design
    crafting technology in service of music

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Naples Idaho
    Posts
    95
    From what I have read, yes it's dehumidified. And also mixed Oxy/Nitro.
    Quote Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un View Post
    Isn't the air from dive shops dehumidified in some way?

    ... Thom

  18. #43
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Posts
    226
    Scuba compressors generally are staged, with intercoolers after the stages. Before the last stage in addition to the intercooler there is a moisture removal separator.

  19. #44
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Tahoe-ish
    Posts
    3,141
    Quote Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un View Post
    Isn't the air from dive shops dehumidified in some way?

    ... Thom
    Yes, but after a bunch of research I determined that pumping it up on a very cold day at 5% humidity was ok. There's nothing to corrode in the canister.

    Obviously outside of traveling, getting your air from a shop is the way to go.
    ride bikes, climb, ski, travel, cook, work to fund former, repeat.

  20. #45
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Bay Area
    Posts
    752
    A lot of these high pressure hand pumps have in line desiccant modules if that's what you're wondering about.

    Sent from my Pixel XL using TGR Forums mobile app

  21. #46
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Golden B.C.
    Posts
    624
    Quote Originally Posted by Neil Fiedler (Not Neil Armstrong) View Post
    I bought the BCA MTN Pro vest. (I'm also not a dentist)
    I like vests vs packs...Yea it's a canister deployment system..

    I like it because it has POCKETS up front for snacks and it's like having an extra layer vs backpack straps. It's like being hugged by your pack vs it hanging off your back/shoulders. I like the dedicated pocket for the beacon with retaining clip for the coily cable on my beacon.

    And because I can't leave shit alone for more than 2 seconds without tinkering, I removed all the added padding in the front of the vest to slim it down a bit. The purpose of the padding is to protect you from the handlebars on a snow machine (doesn't affect the security or function of the deployment system)
    Overall is a pretty comfortable pack/vest. However, the BC sucks right now so I haven't gone out of the resort yet..
    So do you have to remove your vest, which your beacon is tethered to, to get your shovel and probe out?

  22. #47
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Hell Track
    Posts
    13,843
    Quote Originally Posted by Neil Fiedler (Not Neil Armstrong) View Post
    I bought the BCA MTN Pro vest. (I'm also not a dentist)
    I like vests vs packs...Yea it's a canister deployment system..

    I like it because it has POCKETS up front for snacks and it's like having an extra layer vs backpack straps. It's like being hugged by your pack vs it hanging off your back/shoulders. I like the dedicated pocket for the beacon with retaining clip for the coily cable on my beacon.

    And because I can't leave shit alone for more than 2 seconds without tinkering, I removed all the added padding in the front of the vest to slim it down a bit. The purpose of the padding is to protect you from the handlebars on a snow machine (doesn't affect the security or function of the deployment system)
    Overall is a pretty comfortable pack/vest. However, the BC sucks right now so I haven't gone out of the resort yet..
    Does your vest have enough space to carry a bunch of layers? Like are you taking your shell off to skin uphill? Or are you just skinning in all layers + the vest? That sounds brutally hot.

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Naples Idaho
    Posts
    95

    Post

    Quote Originally Posted by skisurfmirth View Post
    So do you have to remove your vest, which your beacon is tethered to, to get your shovel and probe out?
    Solid point.. now it appears to be a shitty feature...

    Does your vest have enough space to carry a bunch of layers? Like are you taking your shell off to skin uphill? Or are you just skinning in all layers + the vest? That sounds brutally hot.
    Yes it does. I also haven't tried touring in it yet, It's a bit dicey in the Selkirks. I imagine, since I'm a large sweaty man, I'll tour in a base layer and the shell stuffed into the pack.

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