Hiking

10 Best Winter Backpacking Packs

November 18, 2022

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Winter backpacking packs are extra specialised than common three-season backpacks, with a stronger emphasis on heavier weight hundreds, exterior attachment factors, and sturdiness for carrying cumbersome gear with sharp factors like snowshoes, skis, ice axes, and crampons. They additionally favor extra pockets and the flexibility to entry and put away gear shortly, so you possibly can keep away from standing round between gear transitions and getting chilly. Pack volumes can differ wherever from a minimal of 50L to 100L, with 65L often being the candy spot for a weekend journey.

Here are our picks for the highest 10 greatest winter backpacking packs:

1. Granite Gear Blaze 60 Backpack

The Granite Gear Blaze 60 is a good roll-top backpack with an non-compulsory prime lid and entrance zippered entry to the principle compartment. Weighing simply 48 oz, it has an adjustable torso size and an adjustable dimension hip belt, with a inflexible body carrying 50+ lb hundreds with ease. Numerous compression straps make it straightforward to connect snowshoes or a foam pad to the surface of the pack or to haul ice instruments, ropes, and avalanche rescue gear. A ladies’s Blaze 60 with gender-specific shoulder straps and a hip belt can also be out there. Read our Review.

Available from:
REI | Backcountry

2. Osprey Mutant 52L Backpack

The Osprey Mutant 52 (newly up to date in 2022) packs a wealth of nice options right into a decrease quantity winter and climbing backpack. It has a floating lid, wand, a ski carry system, a hipbelt with gear loops, daisy chains, ice software and shaft holders, and a helmet attachment possibility. The prime lid and hip belt are additionally utterly detachable to avoid wasting weight or to be used with a climbing harness. Priced at $225 (a steal), the 52 oz Osprey Mutant 52 is a good winter backpack for fast-and-light or hut-to-hut journeys the place you possibly can streamline your gear record. We additionally advocate the smaller quantity Osprey Mutant 38 for winter day mountaineering or mountaineering.

Available from:
Osprey | Backcountry

3. Hyperlite Mountain Gear 4400 Ice Pack (70 L)

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 4400 Ice Pack is a winter backpacking and mountaineering pack made with ultralight Dyneema DCF material, which doesn’t take in water and may be very sturdy. It gracefully combines a minimalist sensibility with a roll-top and has an built-in crampon pocket, hip belt gear loops, quite a few exterior attachment factors, and daisy chains. A strengthened again panel is offered to haul heavier hundreds. A ski mod possibility can also be out there. HMG additionally sells this pack in 3400 (55L) and 2400 (40L) volumes.

Available from:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear

4. Black Diamond Mission 75L Backpack

The Black Diamond Mission 75 (newly up to date in ’22) is a top-loading, four-season backpack with a floating lid, entrance crampon pocket, hip belt loops, and a full-length aspect zipper for simple gear entry. It encompasses a reactive suspension system with shoulder straps and a hip belt that transfer together with your torso to maintain your load steady. The Mission 75 can also be absolutely strippable with a detachable waist belt, lid, and framesheet. A lower-volume Mission 55 Backpack can also be out there.

Available from:
Backcountry | Black Diamond

5. Mountain Hardwear AMG 55L

The Mountain Hardwear AMG 55 is a bomber backpack with an adjustable size torso that’s loaded with options together with a crampon pocket, wand, and shovel pocket, ice software holders, hip belt loops, and ski loops for an A-frame or diagonal ski carry. Reinforced exterior materials make it extremely immune to abrasion whereas strategically positioned haul loops and zipper pulls make it doable to make use of whereas carrying gloves. A big extension collar, along with the floating lid makes it doable to overload the pack whereas the closely padded hip belt makes carrying heavy hundreds moderately snug. A better quantity AMG 75 can also be out there.

Available from:
REI | Mountain Hardwear

6. Gregory Denali 75L

The Gregory Denali 75 has a top-loading design with aspect zipper entry. Daisy chains and expandable aspect pockets make it straightforward to hold cumbersome gear, whereas the hip belt has tubular gear loops, ice clipper slots, and sled pull loops. Strippable aluminum stays, a bivy pad, a floating lid, and hip belt padding can all be eliminated. The match is great and extremely adjustable with an auto-cant hip belt. Weighing 6 lbs, the Denali 75 is a beefy winter pack however supplies much more consolation and adjustability than most lighter-weight packs. You is likely to be stunned on the distinction. A 100L mannequin can also be out there for expedition journeys.

Available from:
Gregory |Amazon

7. Mystery Ranch Sceptre 50 Backpack

The Mystery Ranch Scepter 50 is very optimized for winter backpacking and mountaineering journeys that require carrying further climbing gear, ski mountaineering gear, and traction aids. It’s a top-loader with zippered entry to the principle bag and again pocket together with an adjustable size torso to dial in an ideal match. There is a strap on the highest of the pack for a rope carry, two ice software attachment factors, and two sled tie-in loops on the belt for sled towing. An inside pocket behind the shoulder straps is offered to deal with an avalanche rescue equipment or maintain crampons and different necessities. Weighing 56 oz, the pack will be stripped to convey the load down for shorter journeys or summit makes an attempt and to be used with a climbing harness.

Available from:
Mystery Ranch | Campsaver

8. Cilogear 60L Worksack

The Cilogear 60L Worksack is a flexible climbing and mountaineering backpack favored by guides worldwide as a result of it’s so versatile to make use of and absolutely featured. It has a detachable framesheet with an aluminum keep, a bivy pad, a detachable lid, a sternum belt, and a hip belt. The strap set consists of 4 quick easy straps, 2 lengthy easy straps, 2 twin modify aspect launch straps that go all the best way across the pack, and a couple of lengthy aspect launch straps providing you with the flexibility to strap all types of awkwardly sized winter gear to the surface.

Available from:
Cilogear

9. Cold Cold World Chaos 66L Backpack

Chances are you’ve by no means heard of Cold Cold World Backpacks earlier than, however their packs are well-known within the mountaineering and search and rescue communities. The Chaos 60 is a frameless, top-loading backpack with a floating prime lid, entrance crampon pocket, ski loops, gear loops on the hip belt, twin ice ax loops w/ shaft holders, and a number of daisy chains so you possibly can lash gear to the surface of the pack. It has an inner sleeping pad pocket so you should use a foam pad as a body. Custom materials and colours are additionally out there on request. A inventory Chaos weighs in at simply 3 lbs 12 oz, which is sort of respectable for a pack that’s this technical and sturdy. Read our Chaos Review

Available from:
Cold Cold World

10. Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-75L

Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-75L Backpack

The Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-75L is a light-weight 42 oz backpack with a novel body system that may haul heavy winter hundreds when you must carry much more gear, water, meals, and range gasoline, and a novel prime hatch lid which makes it straightforward to entry gear shortly. The Flex Capacitor additionally has an exterior compression system that makes it straightforward to regulate the pack quantity and doubles as an exterior attachment system for carrying cumbersome gear on the outside of the backpack. For instance, it’s straightforward to strap a cumbersome massive tent physique, snowshoes, or a sleeping pad to the outside of the pack. The pack’s burly materials are sturdy and the large hip belt pockets are perfect for carrying spare gloves, hats, and snacks. Read our Flex Capacitor Review.

Available from:
Sierra Designs

HOW TO CHOOSE A WINTER BACKPACK

Backpacks tailor-made for winter use have a special characteristic set than most 3 season packs. What follows are the options that I’ve discovered most helpful for in a single day and multi-day winter journeys in mountainous terrain. While I believe these translate pretty broadly throughout winter locales, you must be the choose on the options you imagine are most related to your wants.

Volume and Weight

If you principally plan on doing in a single day or weekend-length winter backpacking journeys, you’ll most likely need a pack that has 65-85 liters of inner capability. The candy spot is about 70 liters, however you may be capable of shave that down as little as 60 liters when you carry much less gear or want much less insulation. Try to get a pack that has ample compression so you possibly can shrink its quantity if not wanted whereas holding the load of an empty pack beneath 5 kilos. Pack and equipment weight is much more essential in winter than the remainder of the 12 months since you’ll be carrying and carrying much more of it.

External Attachment Points

Winter packs have to have a large number of exterior attachment factors to hold sharp, pointy, or cumbersome gear that gained’t match inside the principle storage areas of a backpack. The most helpful exterior attachment factors embody compression straps, daisy chains, hip belt webbing or gear loops, and ice ax loops with shaft holders.

Compression Straps

Compression straps serve two functions: to assist compress a puffy load and produce the load nearer to your core muscle tissue the place it may be carried extra simply; and to connect sleeping pads, snowshoes, avalanche shovels, or skis to the edges of your pack as a substitute of the entrance, in order that the load doesn’t pull you backward and off-balance.

When selecting a backpack, attempt to discover ones which have two or three tiers of compression straps that run horizontally throughout the edges of the packs. The compression straps needs to be adjustable and simple to undo whereas carrying gloves so you possibly can slide snowshoes beneath them. Avoid packs which have compression straps that zig zag forwards and backwards on the backpack utilizing one strap to avoid wasting weight. These are very tough to make use of.

Daisy Chains

Daisy chains are sometimes sewn onto winter packs and can be utilized to lash further gear to the again or sides of the pack utilizing canvas or velcro straps. They often have many loops sewn into them that run the size of your pack from prime to backside.

Ice Ax Loops

There are two sorts of ice axes on this world – straight strolling axes and curved climbing axes. If you must carry a strolling ax, search for a pack that has at the very least one ice ax loop on the base of the pack and a shaft holder, each off-center alongside the again of the pack. The shaft holder generally is a easy wire lock like these discovered on many Osprey packs, or a extra strong buckle. If you propose on carrying two climbing axes, search for packs with two ice ax loops and shaft keepers.

Hip Belt Webbing and Gear Loops

Some climbing-oriented packs have canvas or plastic gear loops on the surface of the hip belt to clip climbing carabiners to. While not an alternative choice to a correct sit-harness, these loops will be fairly handy to rack gear. Alternatively, you possibly can clip insulated water bottle holders to them so you possibly can drink if you end up on the transfer and don’t wish to cease. Extra hip belt webbing serves the identical objective and is usually higher than having belt pockets which might be too small for winter use.

Crampon Pockets

Crampon pockets are a really handy and secure place to retailer crampons while you’re not carrying them. Located on the aspect of the pack farthest away from you, they maintain the crampon factors away out of your legs and arms, your head, and your gear the place they’ll do actual harm.

Floating Lids

It will be very useful in winter to have a backpack that may develop in quantity to hold extra gear. One approach to do that is to purchase a pack with a floating lid, often a prime pocket that may detach from the principle physique of the pack however remains to be held down by 4 straps. Extra gear, say a coil of rope, will be sandwiched between the pocket and the highest of your pack on this method.

Backpack Pockets

Backpack pockets generally is a two-way avenue in winter. While they are often helpful for group, they’ll additionally add quite a lot of pointless weight to a backpack. For instance, having a backpack with a separate sleeping bag pocket is fairly ineffective, as a result of your sleeping bag can simply as simply be saved in a single massive principal compartment with no need the additional material weight and zipper required for the extra pocket.

Accessory Pockets

Most of the hip belt pockets offered by producers are just too small to be of a lot use in winter, and there aren’t sufficient of them to hold every part you may want for a winter hike, resembling a digicam, suntan lotion, lip balm, headlamp, compass, map, altimeter, and a pencil or pen. Many hikers add accent pockets to their packs to supply extra exterior storage or they put on a further fanny pack backward to supply one other pocket that may retailer spare gloves, hats, and meals.

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