Mountaineering backpacks

Everybody's fav subject.

I've have a 40L Dueter ice climbing pack that is one of the best pieces of gear I've ever purchased.  Love the thing.  Light, tough, has just the right number of features. I needed something bigger and thought I'd go with Deuter again.  I bought the 65+10 Airframe (or Airlight?  Can't remember).  I've quickly come to the realization that it's not ideal for my purposes.  It's comfortable, but it's big, and heavy (5+ lbs), and has a bit more padding than I need.

So, it's back to REI for a swap out.  Any suggestions on what model there works best for mountaineering/climbing?  For background, I'll be doing mostly Cali 14'ers with a one day approach and a single over-night trip involved. On these trips I do scrambling or low 5, and snow.  No ice (if it canbe avoided), no long technical routes.  I have my 40L Dueter (still strong) for anything under one day (or a one night summer trip).

Should I just go straight to the Black Diamond, etc, dedicated climbing packs?  Or is there something out that that works just as well for my needs under $300?  I just want something a bit less weighty.

Zach,

Can you give a bit more information about why you think that your current pack, which you seem to be really happy with, isn't sufficient for these trips?  It's not my intent to nit-pick your gear list, but on the flip side it should be very reasonable to do a one-night non-technical (in terms of gear) trip out of a 40L pack.  Perhaps the most comfortable solution would be to look into that option.

With regard to recommendations, I have done a lot of 1-2 night climbing trips using a BD Speed 30 and Speed 40 pack, as well as an older MEC Alpinlite 50 (no longer made, but would be quite similar to the BD Mission 45/55 or other similar packs).  When I have a lot more gear (such as approaching the Bugaboos for a week of climbing, or moving to a high camp when climbing at higher altitudes), I use a BD Mission 75, but I don't think that you would be happy with a pack like that for one-night climbs like you're describing.

Very big fan of the Osprey Variant family, the 37L carries weight well (and also feels like it carries way more than 37L worth of stuff). The 52L version is even better suited for big/heavy overnights.

I like the pack enough that I use it for my backpacking pack as well (in summer).

These have been replaced by the Mutant series which is largely the same concept (top loader with mountaineering friendly external straps/attachments)
https://www.osprey.com/us/en/series/technical-packs/mutant-landing

That being said, you can find used Variant 37/52s on MP used for less than a hundred bucks shipped occasionally.

I did 3 days on Rainier and 6 days on Baker with the BD Mission 55. I really like that pack as it can fit a lot in it but it can also get pretty small and compact when you don't need the extra space. 

Hi Kyle,
Good question.  For a 3 season non-techncial overnight I would typically take my 40L Deuter.  Everything I need fits in there.

What I'm looking for is a pack for winter or early spring climbing (with a winter tent), or when I need to take some pro and/or a rope with me.  In those cases the 40L is a bit too small.  I might need to pack for two nights in those cases, and just in general I'll be carrying more gear (snow shoes, un-needed layers, etc).  

But you have me thinking now.  I might look at how I'm packing again tonight.  If I tighten things up maybe I could do some 4 season out of my 40L (split up the tent and rack with a buddy, compress things more, etc.  Honestly I could use the 40L for most overnight winter stuff I'd sooner buy a brand new pack of the 40L Deuter and just save it until my current one dies...

Blake:  To buy or not to buy the BD Mission is sort of the question here, haha.

I'll look into the Osprey, too.  

I haven't heard of the 30-30.  Will explore that one a bit...

I am a huge fan of the HMG Ice Packs for general mountaineering use. They carry weight a lot better than almost every other pack I’ve had, plus they are extremely light. The only downside is durability (unless you go for the smaller dyneema packs), so just expect to do one or two fabric repairs every season. For the HMG, I’d actually recommend the 70l, it’s really just negligibly heavier than the smaller versions.

+1 for the 30:30.  They're pricey but very, very versatile.  You can use it for ice and trad as well as light backpacking and day-hiking/summits (if you compress it all the way it works well as a 10-ish L hydration pack).

I've dragged mine all over the place and it's still doing really well.  You can find one used on MP for +/-100 fairly often.

I'd suggest dialing in your kit a bit more. People take 30:30's on mulit-day alpine ascents and, while I haven't done so with it myself, I can attest that it can certainly hold your kit if you know how to pack. I've gone multi-day backpacking in the alpine w/ mine as well as winter-camped and done some backcountry ice cragging out of it. Space isn't the issue but rather how you use it.

It really is a climbing pack though so it isn't the most supportive. Something to keep in mind.