Between rock climbing, guiding, biking, hiking, woking as a wilderness ranger for the Black Hills National Forest, I easily carry a backpack over 200 days a year. So I feel pretty comfortable talking about what makes a backpack work when out on the trail. I believe in getting most the goody out of my gear, so I don't get a new one every season, so these rewiews are from experience over the long haul.
Backpack Review
Black Diamond Speed pack (28L) – Black Diamond Climbing has tweeked this little pack over the last few years and it really packs a useful system into a small package. I’ve been a beliver in big packs for years and due to Matts (our head climbing guide) nagging, I’ve made the switch with no plans of going back. On a summer day when all I need is a rain shell for extra clothing, I can get plenty of rock climbing gear in this pack for a day of climbing and still have room for a good lunch and plenty of water. To make the switch from big pack to small, one thing that is important is that you use a water bladder in place of bottles. The bladder is a real space saver. Plus, I’m totally addicted to having the bite valve on demand.
As far as the Speed pack goes, it is what it is. I drag these things up Devils Tower chiminies and off widths, so the lightweight fabric that I love takes a real beating. It starts to look bad and holes form after a season of use, but the pack stays structural, and I keep carrying them. If I wasn’t such a gram counter, I’d opt for a heavier pack, but climbing with 3 liters of water, rack, food, gear, etc in or on my pack, I’ll replace the pack, and enjoy the great climb ability. I carry the ropes on top during the approach (the climbing rope keeper strap is great), pull out all the gear at the base, cinch the back pack down to almost nothing, and head up. Doing it all with only one backpack rather then carrying a big pack and a little summit pack is totally the way to go.
Black Diamond Sphynx – (32 L) 1.40 KG – Matt (our head climbing guide) has been through a couple of these backpacks, and the last one he recieved when he passed his AMGA Rock Guide course. The Sphynx seems to be a very nice pack, that’s packed full of features, and built to do many things well. The first thing I noticed is that it has this gigantic opening to throw gear in. The whole pack is a bit like an ice cream cone that just seems to swallow up climbing gear. Compare the Black Diamond Jackel that I’m carrying, the Sphynx , and you quickly realize that most packs BD makes are great, and there are small changes that make small differences. The Sphinx seems to be a better Ice Climbing pack. For one, it has a nice techy way of connecting ice climbing tools, and the back panel is a neoprene type material that is warmer on your back. So for summer climbing, it does not breath as much, and weighs slightly more then the Jackal. It does cinch down very well, and I think it will wear better over my Jackel for reasons described below…. Plus the colors are great, and the lid is simply huge…maybe even to big, but time will tell.
Black Diamond Jackal – (35 L 1.38 KG) Like I said above, I’m a gram counter, so I was lured in by a slightly larger slightly less weight pack when I compared it to Matts Sphynx. It is also has cleaner lines for guiding all summer. So for those reasons I broke rank and tried something new. After wearing it for the last 2 months, I have come to some realizations about the trade offs. My favorite option is the geeky little car key pocket in the small of your back. For the pack sewers, I’m sure it’s a total time sucking waist of time, but for me, I use it every day. I drop my pack near my rig and without needing to fish around in the lid pockets, quickly grab my keys without disrupting anything else. Nothing falls out to get left on the ground, plus the little V-back design, breaths fairly well on those hot days in July walkint down the trail after climbing Devils Tower. I’ve only used the built in helmet holder a few times, but its very functional and is a great built in feature. As mentioned below, I’m a tough fit, and this thing carries a lot of weight in a comfortable system. The waist belt strikes a good balance between offering enough support and not being to bulky….I’ve not yet loaded up and carried it on a 12 mile walk about, but expect that it would work great. Over the Black Diamond Speed, it offers enough space for a bigger rack, and enough extra clothes, food etc… to trad. climb with friends on fall/winter days. I’m sure it will carry my BD ice tools up the hill all winter tool.. the design is simple, tried and true. Features I like to see when buying gear.
The down side to the pack is that it is a little hard to load, the tall narrow profile that makes is climb so well and carry so great (even for a tall skinny fellow like me) makes it a little difficult to load. The extra space comes in the form of a slightly extended top to the main compartment, and that also flops around more then I’d like when loading. In the big picture these things are defiantly small gripes that you may never notice if you are not using this backpack every day.
The Y frame dies a great job of spreading the load out while remaining flexible enough to climb with. I tried taking it out, but this made the backpack even more difficult to load, as it became a floppy structure less mess. So I put it back in, and find that it impends me only in tight places, but the high points in either side of my shoulder will quickly wear through. All and all, the fabric seems heavier and more wear resistant then the Speed, having the stays just below the surface on a rub point, could prove problematic.
All and all, I’d buy one again, but hope that BD has great success with the oversized mouth on the Sphynx and adds it to the Jackal.
The Marmot Alpinist 55 (55L) This pack was bought to replace my beloved and well used Dana Bridger that I bought used at a ski swap and carried all over north and south America for 10 years. So the Alpinist had big shoes to fill. The greatest thing about this pack is its light weight feel. The Bridger lasted so many years because it was built like a tank, so it was HEAVY. The Alpinist defiantly won’t last as long, but I’ll not miss the weight. And heck, these packs are affordable. Even though I pulled the cinch string apart form the pack the first time I used it (which really made me mad) the overall build quality seems OK. There are more straps then you can shake a stick at which can sometimes get confusing. If Marmot is going to have so many buckles, a color code system would be great.
Backpackers beware, the harness and carrying system is where the weight was saved. There are no ridged stays, so you have to pack more carefully so that your load gives the pack good structure and carries like you want it to. If you are not willing to do this, you need to be wiling to carry around an extra pound or 2 so that there is a frame to support your load. There is no right or wrong here, just a difference in what you want or need your backpack to do. This is a climbing pack for climbers walking up big hills in the snow who don’t want to be carry any extra pounds. It allows them to organize things, as there are generous pockets in the lid and on the back. If you buy it to do what it was built to do, it does it extremely well.
If I were able to change a few things I’d put Velcro on the back pocket flap in place of the buckles, I’d make the sleeping pad straps 3-4 inches longer, and rework the funny attachment system on the lid.
Would I buy the pack again? Probably, as they do seem to be a good deal, but I’d look around at what else was out there too.
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