What Pack To Pick?
An early 1970's, "Dolt" 'Clam-Shell' "YKK" Zippered Rope Bag.
It's Hard To Choose Just One.
There are now hundreds of variations of climbing sacks to choose from
and It's hard to decide on a make & model bag that is the best for you.
Depending on a variety of criteria you can customize.
Given one's needs, you can dial in various features
and have a different backpack for different types of climbing.
Or recognize the value of being familiar with the capabilities & limitations of one basic design.
Going With The Same Tried & True Design,
that has worked for me & other Alpinists for decades has been my choice.
Is there one backpack, one design that provides the most versatility?
There is a good argument that can be made for a Short and stubby Haul bag.
These sorts of workhorse-bags can now be bought in a variety of sizes & hybrid-styles
with zippers and reinforced bottoms that allow the pack to stand up, & a zipper that runs
almost the entire length of the sack, along one side. Making for easy retrieval of gear that may have migrated to the bottom of the bag.
True Haul Bags are notoriously heavy, with a variety of straps for clipping into & hauling.
They need to have flaps to protect & hide shoulder harnesses & removable waist belts.
These over-built quadruple-stiched, -built to be hauled, bags- have some desirable features
but often need to be reinforced with an 'Ensolite' or similar padding to facilitate a comfortable carry.
All of this & the over-built super-structure can be a positive thing, but for most climbers it is overkill & unnecessary.
When I looked into it; I asked a dozen or so climbers from a variety of climbing disciplines, what types of backpacks had they used most over 20 to 40 years?
one basic style with similar features & only one or two variations, was common to all of us.
A simple lightweight top loading bag with or without a secondary access option, and either an attached hood with pockets or an extendable/removable 'brain' top pocket.
There was a funny moment when the 30-year-old bag I was using brought more than a few smiles from an innocent observation: ~"Out of The Mouths Of Babes"~
"Hey look, mom, that's the same pack grandma has on in that picture of you & her, from back when you were 14, too !" !
That bag helped lead to a gig; 4 weekends worth of top roping and a few days of climbing to get the 'Funhog' family ready for a trip west to visit Yosemite.
I used the promise of more; ~Getting paid to do what I love~ days
to buy a new version of the same trusty design of Pack that I & a great many others have carried
for decades.
A Black Diamond "Stone45".("rope bag" not a "duffle" style)
That I use for long days, 'shoulder' & winter season climbing, when I want to have a full shell & food/water/(stove) with rest of the full kit...
a size small, in black. 43 L (2,624 cu in) -while the Medium/Large is 45 L (2,746 cu in) the bags have a short collar. (blue top)
The color is a drawback, one of 5 or 6 that are minor.
I recommend you do the modifications before you use the pack.
I remember the nervous moments when I stripped the Stone45 down to its 'fighting weight'. I had some concerns about whether if once taken apart, would I be able to put it back together or if I was about to wreck it? [ ]
One need not worry about removing the 4.5-inch wide, pre-curved load-transferring hip stabilizer 'belt'. This 'PVC'-type' flexible plastic 'stiffener' is slotted through the bottom of the sack. Then, held in place by a generous patch of velcro & the just under 2inch wide web belt, so it takes some force to remove. Going for it, then right away, putting it back, gave me a heads-up; I got to know how it worked, & a feel for the limits of the Stones construction.
Beyond the color, It is now available in a stone grey called "Nickle" as well as red. The biggest draw 'back'(pun intended) is the seam across the back at the bottom of the bag. That seam will, over time, wear out. It is prone to collecting dirt & grit. Also, due to the location where it rubs against your back, it absorbs sweat, exacerbating the problem. I found that a Neoprene/nylon cloth knee strap fit perfectly. Have it professionally sewn on 1st, before you do anything else.
While this creates 2 new seams, the move in the location & redundancy (protecting the structural seam), should add years of protection to the original structural seam & so more years of fun-ction.
The pack has a short extendable collar with a one-hand adjustable, draw-string sinch-top, that I know better than to trust and take care not to yard on. The drawcord is only held in place by one flimsy 'tack'.
The cut of the pack, narrow at the bottom, combined with 4 compression straps, allows it to ride high enough above a harness to be able to climb while wearing it. There is a sturdy (but not protected by a storm flap) zipper, that runs almost the full length of the pack stopping at the top double thick/padded bottom. An adjustable sternum strap/ with emergency whistle. The back, yoke & shoulder-straps are padded with a dual density foam, that is paired with a very stiff removable back panel, with built in,( sandwiched/buried inside, not removable) aluminum stays
that together are responsible for providing a great carry when fully loaded. The complete pack weighs in at a very reasonable 1.45 kg / 3 pounds 3ozs . on average.
Because my world is not flat, & I spend some of my time ascending steep gullies that run up small rugged mountainsides, where I & the pack need to be able to be clipped-in: & I did not trust the ribbons, that are used for grab loops(Blue Loop)
[] I found that I needed to build a harness system for the pack. I did this by threading cord thru tubular webbing & then passing this doubled-up 'harness' through every slot and around the shoulder yoke arriving -finally- with a bit of a 'Frankenstein'. I mostly do full days & remove the fancy pre-curved Hip support & large double pocket "Brain";
Stripped to fighting weight.
The working result ! while not as streamline as it could be, had I had it professionally modified, it's fine for my uses. It can be found at very affordable prices online, on sale, &
https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/climbing-packs/stone-45-pack-BD681157_cfg.html
~YMMV~
