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 masses, 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 range anyplace 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 finest winter backpacking packs:

1. Granite Gear Blaze 60 Backpack

The Granite Gear Blaze 60 is a superb roll-top backpack with an elective high lid and entrance zippered entry to the primary compartment. Weighing simply 48 oz, it has an adjustable torso size and an adjustable measurement hip belt, with a inflexible body carrying 50+ lb masses 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 girls’s Blaze 60 with gender-specific shoulder straps and a hip belt can 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 device and shaft holders, and a helmet attachment possibility. The high lid and hip belt are additionally utterly detachable to save lots of weight or to be used with a climbing harness. Priced at $225 (a steal), the 52 oz Osprey Mutant 52 is a superb winter backpack for fast-and-light or hut-to-hut journeys the place you possibly can streamline your gear record. We additionally suggest the smaller quantity Osprey Mutant 38 for winter day mountain climbing 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 soak up 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 bolstered again panel is supplied to haul heavier masses. A ski mod possibility can 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 facet zipper for straightforward gear entry. It encompasses a reactive suspension system with shoulder straps and a hip belt that transfer along with your torso to maintain your load secure. The Mission 75 can be absolutely strippable with a detachable waist belt, lid, and framesheet. A lower-volume Mission 55 Backpack can 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 device holders, hip belt loops, and ski loops for an A-frame or diagonal ski carry. Reinforced exterior materials make it extremely proof against 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 masses moderately comfy. The next quantity AMG 75 can be out there.

Available from:
REI | Mountain Hardwear

6. Gregory Denali 75L

The Gregory Denali 75 has a top-loading design with facet zipper entry. Daisy chains and expandable facet 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 gives much more consolation and adjustability than most lighter-weight packs. You is perhaps stunned on the distinction. A 100L mannequin can be out there for expedition journeys.

Available from:
Gregory |Amazon

7. Mystery Ranch Sceptre 50 Backpack

The Mystery Ranch Scepter 50 is extremely optimized for winter backpacking and mountaineering journeys that require carrying additional climbing gear, ski mountaineering gear, and traction aids. It’s a top-loader with zippered entry to the primary 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 device attachment factors, and two sled tie-in loops on the belt for sled towing. An inside pocket behind the shoulder straps is supplied to deal with an avalanche rescue equipment or maintain crampons and different necessities. Weighing 56 oz, the pack will be stripped to carry the burden 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 regulate facet launch straps that go all the way in which across the pack, and a couple of lengthy facet launch straps supplying you with the flexibility to strap every kind 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 high 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 utilize 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 singular body system that may haul heavy winter masses when you’ll want to carry much more gear, water, meals, and range gas, and a singular high 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 unique function 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’ll want to be the choose on the options you imagine are most related in your wants.

Volume and Weight

If you largely plan on doing in a single day or weekend-length winter backpacking journeys, you’ll in all probability desire a pack that has 65-85 liters of inner capability. The candy spot is about 70 liters, however you would possibly be capable of shave that down as little as 60 liters in case you carry much less gear or want much less insulation. Try to get a pack that has enough compression so you possibly can shrink its quantity if not wanted whereas retaining the burden of an empty pack below 5 kilos. Pack and equipment weight is much more vital 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 mess of exterior attachment factors to hold sharp, pointy, or cumbersome gear that received’t match inside the primary 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 convey the burden 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 an alternative 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 ought to be adjustable and simple to undo whereas carrying gloves so you possibly can slide snowshoes below them. Avoid packs which have compression straps that zig zag forwards and backwards on the backpack utilizing one strap to save lots of weight. These are very troublesome to make use of.

Daisy Chains

Daisy chains are sometimes sewn onto winter packs and can be utilized to lash additional 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 high to backside.

Ice Ax Loops

There are two sorts of ice axes on this world – straight strolling axes and curved climbing axes. If you’ll want to carry a strolling ax, search for a pack that has no less than 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 sturdy buckle. If you intend 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 find yourself on the transfer and don’t wish to cease. Extra hip belt webbing serves the identical function 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 protected place to retailer crampons whenever you’re not carrying them. Located on the facet 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 will do actual injury.

Floating Lids

It will be very useful in winter to have a backpack that may increase in quantity to hold extra gear. One means to do that is to purchase a pack with a floating lid, often a high pocket that may detach from the primary 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 will additionally add numerous 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 predominant compartment while not having the additional material weight and zipper required for the extra pocket.

Accessory Pockets

Most of the hip belt pockets supplied by producers are just too small to be of a lot use in winter, and there aren’t sufficient of them to hold the whole lot you would possibly want for a winter hike, reminiscent of a digital camera, 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 an extra fanny pack backward to supply one other pocket that may retailer spare gloves, hats, and meals.

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