Searching for the right Crag Pack - Opinions needed

I am searching for the right crag pack. It would be ideal to fit my rope (70m) in my pack along with my various gear. I don't do any sort of trad climbing, only sport. I am 130lbs (59kg), approx 5'8". I am currently considering:

- Patagonia Crag Daddy (found one in a used marketplace that is in fairly good shape).

- Mammut Neon Gear 45L

- Mammut Neon Smart 35L

- Edelrid ROPE RIDER BAG 45, Blue

I am really leaning toward the Patagonia crag daddy. I like the style and the zipper down the middle. But, the way the neon smart folds completely flat is a nice feature. I need pockets to put small things in so I can't just have a bag to throw things in. I like to be fairly organized. Opinions and critiques welcome!

The trango crag pack is pretty sweet, and the mystery ranch tower is awesome if you can stomach the price. I think a pack is more about finding a pack that fits you well and has the features you want. For example i hate the top loading style so I require zippers down the sides if my pack. I also don't like webbing hip belts, I want them padded. These two things eliminate a bunch of packs right away. 

45 L is too big for the load you've described.

Mountain hardwear crag wagon 

Gunkiemike wrote:

45 L is too big for the load you've described.

Agreed. I use an rei trail 40 pack for a lot and I can get a 70m rope, standard rack, harness, shoes, helmet, and water all in it. 

I use a BD Creek 35 for both sport and trad cragging and love it. It is rigid and stands up on its own when empty for top loading and also has a side zipper. 35L will definitely fit everything you need or want for sport. 

Chase G wrote:

Mountain hardwear crag wagon 

I second this motion. The 35 has enough space for all you need to pack up a full day of cragging (trad and sport) plus accessories and food.

Gunkiemike wrote:

45 L is too big for the load you've described.

Strong disagree. 45 L is a good size for a cragging pack. For "bring a bunch of stuff" cragging, it is nice to go a bit oversize on the pack and just have big hole to dump everything in without having to pack carefully every time. Most notably, this means being able to just dump the rope bag in the pack, and not have to coil the rope or carry the rope outside the pack.

For a full day of sport cragging in cool weather, I often find myself carrying: 70 m rope in a rope bag, 15 draws, harness, chalk bag, GriGri, small stick clip (fits in pack), 2 pairs climbing shoes, water bottles, a big lunch, a thermos, various layers, puffy, guidebook, etc. This adds up pretty fast and will fill a 40-50 liter pack. Sure, you get away with less, or pack perfectly and fit it all in the pack, or carry items outside the pack. But for normal cragging I like just having a big pack to drop everything into and be done with it. You're usually only walking 10-30 min anyway in these scenarios.

I am a similar size to the OP, have the BD Creek 50, and like it quite a lot for the application described above. Also is great for trad cragging, where you have most of the stuff described above plus a bunch of other gear -- still fits in the pack.  By no means is it a "fast & light" alpine pack, but that's not what it is intended for.

I love my cragwagon. I have the 60L since I do trad and route development and it's held up pretty well so far - granted I haven't really done any hauling or anything too bad with it. Love the top load + duffel design and the front pockets are super useful for grabbing keys and stuff after climbing.

I don't know how I hadn't stumbled upon the crag wagon yet. It seems to bee the best alternative that incorporates most of the features I want. It looks like a sick pack that seems very versatile!

Agree with jcm, for cold weather (extra layers) hot weather (extra water) it's nice to have the versatility of extra room and not have to worry about jenga packing. Another thing with the smaller packs is that a lot of times they arw a lot more narrow, which can make packing and unpacking a lot more of a pita.

I bought lowe alpine outcast 44 recently and I’m happy with it.

TNF Cinder comes in 40 and 55, look at that too. I have the 55 cinder, and my gf has the cragwagon in 35. Both are really sweet; I'd say the cragwagon has the best feature set (without too many gimmicks) for cragging. Cragwagons are on sale now, too. 

Yeah, break out the 30L for your "super rad alpine mish", but a day clipping bolts? why not bring the kitchen sink?

slim wrote:

 Another thing with the smaller packs is that a lot of times they arw a lot more narrow, which can make packing and unpacking a lot more of a pita.

+1 to this. A bag that is wide enough to easily drop your (full) rope bag in the bottom of it is really nice.

Another point: if you are constantly filling your pack to it's limit, it can squish stuff inside, make the external pockets harder to use, and damage zippers (if it has them)

As mentioned, BD creek 50 or TNF cinder 50 for flexibility. Also, if you are looking at true cragging and not much of an approach in, just pick up a smaller haul bag. They stand up on their own and are rather handy in that sense if you like the bucket approach vs pockets for everything. 

I have a blue ice octopus and it is great. As far as a crag pack goes, it is really well thought out. People are jealous of it all the time, it actually has a bunch of useful features and it carries comfortably. I also found it on sale for $40 and was money well spent. Not common in the states but look into it, it has- rope tarp, helmet holder, internal gear loops, a shoe sleeve, guidebook sleeve, opens like a book in a way that doesn't get your gear all dirty,  the straps can be tucked away if you had to haul it for some reason, is made from cordura and made well. Can carry a 70m, helmet, full rack, shoes, lunch, guidebook, jacket, water, harness and sport gear, etc. All of this fits comfortably. 

I'd also look at the DMM rope bag, which is more than just a rope bag. And only $50. 

The creek 40 is just a haul bag with straps and a zipper down the side. You still have to rummage around in it or dump everything. 

45L is not too large for sport cragging IMO, and a few liters too large is a better problem than a few liters too small. Too large really isn’t a problem at all, ever. I’ve done the small minimalists packing thing - cragging with 20-30L packs - and yeah it works but it’s not worth the hassle. Cool kid crap, IMO :-)

Regardless of cost, the best cragging pack I’ve ever used is the Black Diamond Stone Duffel 42L. The duffel style allows me to easily toss all of my gear in and move quickly between climbs at a crag and from crag to crag. It carries well with heavy loads and is burly and very durable. Organization is pretty minimal, but for 2 zipper pockets inside.

I tend to use gear as a hobby and I tend to just buy what I want (yes, it’s wasteful), and sell what I don’t like on MP. I’ve had the Stone Duffel for 3 years, and I’ve searched but just can’t find a better crag pack than this, and if cost is a factor, the Stone Duffel is $62 right now. Arc’Teryx allegedly has one coming in the fall, and I’ll prob give it a whirl, but am skeptical that it’ll outperform the Stone Duffel.

My packed gear is as follows (summer): 70M rope with tarp, 16-20 QDs, first aid kit, 2 pairs of shoes, 3 liters of water, food, harness, grigri, helmet, sunscreen, bug spray, guide book. Still have space for a puffy in the fall/winter. 

Recently purchased the Mystery Ranch Tower 47 and could not be more pleased. 

Chase G wrote:

Mountain hardwear crag wagon 

I just picked up the 60. I do sport, and it's amazing to be able to fit everything I could possibly want to bring with me, food and drinks included, in one big bag with great support. Approaches have never felt better on my back. Plus, over the course of the day, it makes it much easier to keep track of pieces of gear due to the great zipper access. At the end of the day, stand it up, dump whatever you missed in through the top draw, and have a comfy hike out.

Lowe Alpine Rogue 48 i got one 3 months ago and it is amazing if you want good weight distribution. that's where this pack shines to me, it carry's a 20 lb load like nothing and a 30lb load almost as nice as an osprey Atmos AG(which would be my second choice for a crag pack. even though its not for climbing, purely for comfort). check out some of Lowe alpine rogue videos on youtube for features. and there are some new ones on e bay right now for $94. darn and I paid to have mine shipped from Europe :( 

the pack isn't mentioned much here but I really love the simplicity and nothing on the outside of the pack to get snagged or broken when I throw the pack down at the crag and convert it to a bucket/catch all when I open the back panel.