Black Diamond Blitz 15, Blitz 20, or Speed 22?

Hello everyone.

I am planning to do some of my first multipitch climbing this summer and am looking at buying a bag. I am planning on doing single day multipitch climbing on rock only. I will probably be following a lot but would like to get a bag that is comfortable to lead in as well if the time ever necessitates. I need to stick to BD as I have a temporary discount which I have no other need for.

I am looking at the Rock Blitz 15, the Blitz 20, and the Speed 22. The Speed 22 is the only one currently in stock but I'm considering all of them in the event that the other two are back in stock before I need to purchase in a few months.

I have read a good bit about all of them online. Does anyone have perspective as to one they prefer over the others for single day multi pitch? The size of the Blitzes are appealing, but the Speed 22 does seem to be pretty versatile even though I have no intention to do any ice climbing. The removable lid of the Speed 22 makes me think that if I strip it down it might be similarly light and small compared to the Blitzes. I have read mixed opinions about the durability of all of them, ranging from awesome to shitty depending on the person.

I have not done any multi pitch so will mostly be learning a lot but am trying to get a bag that could be useful as my proficiency increases in the future. I use a creek 50 for local cragging so don't realy need a bag that can serve that purpose also.

Any perspective here would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

It depends on what you need to carry. I've been using the Bullet 16 for years, and find that approach shoes and 2 water bottles are a bit of a squeeze--due, perhaps, less to the volume of the pack than its shape. Add a guidebook, an extra layer, an apple or orange, and whatever gear the leader rejects, and the 22 liter pack--which I also own--becomes more appealing.

The current iteration of the Blitz packs, as illustrated on the BD web site, looks like it might be made of more durable materials than the early one, like the one I had. You're into "single day" climbs? That's about how long my Blitz pack lasted. 

Paul Morrison wrote:

It depends on what you need to carry.

Thanks for the perspective. I guess I'm looking for something that would carry what you described: approach shoes, some gear, water, food, and a layer or two. It would be nice to be able to strap the rope to the bag as well for walkoffs. For this reason I was thinking about the 22 but can't find much info for how it compares to the blitz as far as capacity and use.

You have the Speed 22? Any issues with durability? Do you find it cumbersome to climb in?

Speed 22 is a fantastic bag, climbs well, good features.  You won’t be disappointed if you’re looking for a BD bag that can handle alpine up and overs  

Cons: no side zip and the removable waist straps become uncomfortable when heavily loaded and taking long walks. 

Things to consider:

• 15L should be enough for a single climber’s stuff. But if you’re mostly following, you may be asked to carry the leader’s stuff and might want the 22L.
• Instead of carrying a guidebook, take photos of the needed pages and leave the guidebook on the ground/in the car. Phones have added benefit of access to emergency services & cameras.
• Consider using walk-off shoes with loops on the back of the heel (pretty much all approach shoes have these) & clipping them to your harness. Personally, I only buy harnesses with decent haul loops.
• I own the Blitz 15 and like it a lot. It has a strap that goes over the top for carrying a rope. You can also throw a jacket under if you wanna go from belaying to climbing quickly, and vice versa.

Andrew Reed wrote:

Speed 22 is a fantastic bag, climbs well, good features.  You won’t be disappointed if you’re looking for a BD bag that can handle alpine up and overs  

Cons: no side zip and the removable waist straps become uncomfortable when heavily loaded and taking long walks. 

That's good to hear! Would you say this bag is comfortable enough to lead in? Not leading at limit necessarily, can always plan to haul if climbing that hard, but close to it?

Marc H wrote:

Things to consider:

• 15L should be enough for a single climber’s stuff. But if you’re mostly following, you may be asked to carry the leader’s stuff and might want the 22L.
• Instead of carrying a guidebook, take photos of the needed pages and leave the guidebook on the ground/in the car. Phones have added benefit of access to emergency services & cameras.
• Consider using walk-off shoes with loops on the back of the heel (pretty much all approach shoes have these) & clipping them to your harness. Personally, I only buy harnesses with decent haul loops.
• I own the Blitz 15 and like it a lot. It has a strap that goes over the top for carrying a rope. You can also throw a jacket under if you wanna go from belaying to climbing quickly, and vice versa.

Thanks for this advice that is helpful. I have a pair of Scarpa approach shoes I'll have with me, I think they're the Crux but they have pretty good heel loops. I have a BD solution harness and the gear loops aren't huge or anything but should be enough to hang some things off of me. Do you find that carrying a rope on the blitz is difficult because it doesn't have compression straps on the side or is this a non-issue?

Matt Williams wrote:

Do you find that carrying a rope on the blitz is difficult because it doesn't have compression straps on the side or is this a non-issue?

It’s mostly a non-issue. The more symmetrical you tie your coil, the better. It’s not ideal when the bag is empty or mostly empty. Like any bag where you have the rope on the outside, it can be a pain when going through thick underbrush.

I own the Blitz 15 and 20.  The Blitz 15 is almost always preferred for warm weather multi pitch rock climbing.  Virtually the only reason to go bigger is if you will carry a thick, incompressible belay parka.  Shoes can almost always be clipped to your harness, if you don’t have enough space in your pack.  The Blitz 15 is pretty much ideal for multi pitch rock climbing.  

Karl Henize wrote:

I own the Blitz 15 and 20.  The Blitz 15 is almost always preferred for warm weather multi pitch rock climbing.  Really the only reason to go bigger is if you will carry a thick, incompressible belay parka.  Shoes can almost always be clipped to your harness, if you don’t have enough space in your pack.  The Blitz 15 is pretty much ideal for multi pitch rock climbing.  

Thanks for the perspective, I did some more digging and was thinking the blitz 15 is what I want to go with. I think it is the better option due to size. Do you carry a water bladder in it, and if so any idea how big of one it can carry? And do you find it to be pretty durable?

If I climb with a bladder, I usually put a 1.5L one in there. It would definitely fit a 2L. You could probably put a 3L in there, but it would probably fill 60-70% of its capacity.

They’re not quite as durable as the Bullets, but it should be plenty durable enough unless you’re gonna be pulling it through endless chimneys. I usually carry an extra 120cm sling for the pack, girth hitch it around one shoulder strap and the top handle and clip it to my belay loop for chimneys, off-widths and other tight sections to preserve its longevity.

Also, I know you said you’re looking for a pack for single-day multi-pitch routes, but you really should reconsider the pack that’s good for overnight XC skiing. :-/

Marc H wrote:

If I climb with a bladder, I usually put a 1.5L one in there. It would definitely fit a 2L. You could probably put a 3L in there, but it would probably fill 60-70% of its capacity.

They’re not quite as durable as the Bullets, but it should be plenty durable enough unless you’re gonna be pulling it through endless chimneys. I usually carry an extra 120cm sling for the pack, girth hitch it around one shoulder strap and the top handle and clip it to my belay loop for chimneys, off-widths and other tight sections to preserve its longevity.

Also, I know you said you’re looking for a pack for single-day multi-pitch routes, but you really should reconsider the pack that’s good for overnight XC skiing. :-/

Cool, thanks. A friend of mine does something similar through chimneys but cloves the bag above him to the rope and has the leader pull it up as he climbs if it's a difficult section.

What do you mean the pack that is good for skiing?

Andrew Reed wrote:

Speed 22 is a fantastic bag, climbs well, good features.  You won’t be disappointed if you’re looking for a BD bag that can handle alpine up and overs  

Cons: no side zip and the removable waist straps become uncomfortable when heavily loaded and taking long walks. 

Have you taken out the frame sheet and rolled/packed your speed 22 in another pack to use on-route? 

Speed 22. I use it for mulltipitch and ski touring. 

Mystery Ranch Skyline 17 or 23. Way better than climbing name brands.

Blitz 15 is an acceptable pack. My partner and I shared one on Moonlight and a few other long routes. The small zipper pocket is quite convenient.

Sadly, they abrade quickly to the point of being unusable, even on face routes. I wouldn't want to drag one up a chimney.

The smallest Metolius haul pack (24L?) looks good.