backpack reviews

Gear Review: Arc’teryx Altra 65 Backpack

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Arc'teryx Altra 65
Arc’teryx Altra 65

Backpack
Arc’teryx Altra 65
$475, 5 lbs. (men’s regular)
65L/3,965 c.i.
Sizes: men’s and women’s regular and tall
arcteryx.com

Most packs have one or two strengths or features that stand out; I find few that actually deliver everything I want in a pack intended purely for backpacking. Then along comes the Altra 65. I carried it loaded with up to 40 pounds on a three-day backpacking trip with my nine-year-old daughter in Idaho’s Smoky Mountains, and with up to about 35 pounds on a weeklong family hut trek in Norway’s Jotunheimen National Park, and judged it just about perfect, from fit and comfort to organization and durability.

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Gear Review: Millet Prolighter 30 pack

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Millet Prolighter 30

Ski Pack
Millet Prolighter 30
$135, 2 lbs. 12 oz.
30L/1,830 c.i.
One size
millet.fr/en

I carried this top-loading rucksack with a rock-climbing rack, clothing, and food for a roughly 14-mile, nearly 4,000-foot climb of Mt. Heyburn in Idaho’s Sawtooths, which is mostly a long, substantially off-trail hike with a couple short pitches of easy rock climbing to the summit. (My partner carried the rope, though it would have easily fit under this pack’s rope strap.) The Prolighter 30 nails it as a pack for an all-day, technical rock, snow, or ice climb in the backcountry, or a cragging pack: It sports all the needed features while weighing in under three pounds, is comfortable carrying 25 to 30 pounds, and built to sustain serious abuse.

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Gear Review: Sierra Designs Ymir 55 Ski Pack

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Ski and Snowboard Pack
Sierra Designs Ymir 55
$190, 55 L/3,300 c.i., 4 lbs. 4 oz. (S/M)
Sizes: S/M and M/L (60L/3,600 c.i., 4 lbs. 9 oz.)
sierradesigns.com

Finding an all-purpose backcountry skiing and snowboarding pack that excels at full-day tours and multi-day trips is a tall order. But after carrying the Ymir 55 with up to 35 pounds on a four-day backcountry ski trip to a yurt in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains—including skiing downhill with the pack partially loaded—I think it’s possibly the most comfortable, versatile, and well-organized, big ski pack I’ve used.

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Gear Review: Osprey Atmos 65 Backpack

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Osprey Atmos 65

Backpack
Osprey Atmos 65
$239, 3 lbs. 7 oz. (medium)
Sizes: S 62L/3,783 c.i., M 65L/3,967 c.i., L 68L/4,150 c.i.
ospreypacks.com

When you’re carrying a heavy pack on a hot day, a breeze across your sweaty back can feel like a plunge into a cool swimming hole. That may be the first thing you notice about the Atmos 65 (which also comes in a 50-liter version; the women’s packs are the Aura 65 and 50): the ventilated mesh back panel keeps the pack off of your back, allowing for excellent airflow. But you get more than just a cool back with the Atmos and Aura packs—you get high-end fit and organization.

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Gear Review: Mammut Spindrift Guide 40L Ski Pack

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Mammut Spindrift Guide 40L

Backcountry Skiing Pack
Mammut Spindrift Guide 40L
$190, 3 lbs. 3 oz.
One size, adjustable
mammut.ch

For all the backcountry skiing packs on the market, it’s hard to find one that’s comfortable, well organized without being over-engineered and too heavy—and that’s large enough for multi-day yurt trips and gear-intensive users like guides, yet with the versatility to shrink for smaller loads. I know this, because I’ve spent literally three years trying out packs for my good friend Chago Rodriguez, a ski guide and avalanche-safety instructor. Mammut’s Spindrift Guide 40L is the first backcountry skiing pack that we both really like, simply because it met all of our admittedly picky criteria.

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