Ortovox/Arcteryx LiTRIC Airbags

[North]

Battery packs are almost universally heavier than canister packs. The motor and fan drives are heavy…although they are rapidly refining them and dialing in the safety factor (which was probably much too high for gen1).

I agree the BCA doesn’t feel super heavy. Although lighter is always nicer…

That may have been true until recently. There are now multiple battery offerings that beat comparable canister packs on weight. Mammut and BCA's canister options look especially heavy now. Granted, most of the competitive battery options are LiTRIC packs which have not been proven. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...FaQ9g/pubhtml#

I need to get to a shop and play around with the new Ortovox and BCA options. On paper the weight savings of LiTRIC is very compelling, but usable capacity and feature set aren't comparable on a spreadsheet. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by the BCA.

[bennymac]

I would love to add a custom stash bag to the bottom of my Scott Patrol - something secure I could stash skins and a bike water bottle into. I find accessing the free space inside airbag packs during quick transitions annoying and inefficient.

[jacob_dbu]

I would love to add a custom stash bag to the bottom of my Scott Patrol - something secure I could stash skins and a bike water bottle into. I find accessing the free space inside airbag packs during quick transitions annoying and inefficient.

Yeah the normal top-loading doesn’t really work in an airbag pack because that’s usually where the airbag stuff goes

[bennymac]

Yeah plus the shovel/prove pocket holds that gear right in behind the airbag - so when using either pocket you’re stuffing gear past this stuff down into the open space beneath it. The majority of free space lies deep underneath the airbag and battery/fan - which is fine for food and first aid/repair kit but is annoying for things you move at every transition.

[Ørion]

Took the gamble and my Ortovox Litric Tour 40 showed up today.

Few first impressions:

• Cinches down well enough that it almost makes the zip system redundant.
• Back panel is stiff and very supportive
• Included helmet carry isn't really designed for people that have to use longitudinal degrees to measure their heads. Smith Summit in L is on the outside of the adjustment range.
• Shovel/Probe pocket can only fit a BD Evac 7 if you put the handle in upside down to accommodate the goose-neck shaft, but it does fit. Any straight-shaft shovel of similar or smaller size should have no issue but I have a hard time seeing a larger blade fitting, regardless of shaft design.
• If there's a way to remove the Litric unit, it isn't immediately evident. Ortovox included an "Air Travel Information" pamphlet to keep with it when flying. Their official stance is that it is PPE, not luggage, and falls under category DGR 2.3.A (portable electronic device) with a 100 Wh limit. Worst case scenario, I could see just fully unzipping the circumferential zipper and stuffing it in a normal carry-on.
• My cheapo luggage scale seems to confirm manufacturer's weight.