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Creek 50 Alternative
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I know, another backpack thread. Anyway, I used to have a Creek 50, it was fine, but I didn't love it. The front flap kind of annoyed me and it would always collapse or fall over when I would try to load/unload it, with the top load being the only option. I replaced it with a BD Stubby haulbag for my crag pack. Although I love the stubby, I've been taking more photos and dragging an extra 60m static line out to the crag lately, so looking for something that can fit a rope and a rack/water/whatever, while still being super durable. The 35L stubby isnt cutting it. I know the Cragwagon 60 exists, but have heard mixed reviews and don't know anyone that has one personally. Any other good options for durable/big crag packs that I should take a look at? |
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Cragwagon 60 is an absolute trove and holds everything you need it to and more. Triple rack, food for the day, layers, water an rope, a whole pet probably. That said, it isn't the comfiest and for its wealth of space it lacks in organizing features. Check out the Mystery Ranch Tower 47 or the Blue Ice Moonlight 55. The Moonlight has a lot in common with the BD Creek, but looks to have added some features and improved on others to make it a fantastic pack. The Tower has more pockets than a magician' cloak and supposedly has amazing suspension. |
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I hated the BD 50, it had lousy back support. I prefer my Patagonia Cragsmith 45 size pack, its much more compact to carry and more comfortable. |
Elijah Benson wrote: Can confirm. Pockets aren't a necessity, but I love them, and that pack is the most comfortable thing I have ever hiked with. |
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Deuter Gravity Haul 50 is amazing. I’ve been using it as my crag pack since it came out and it appears to have a few improvements since then. |
Elijah Benson wrote: +1 for the MH crag wagon. I have the 60L version and it I think it is extremely comfortable for long approaches.
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Mark Westfall wrote: I should mention that the discomfort for me is a result of having gotten the large pack instead of the small. I'm relatively tall but have tiny hips, so I should have downsized. |
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Another vote for the 45l cragsmith. Carries a double rack, 70m and everything else. I much prefer the back opening panel to front opening, but still has top access. It also pulls double duty as a fantastic carry on / travel pack. |
Micah Hoover wrote: Might be worth giving a shot. I recently got a BD Creek Mandate as an everyday/work/gym bag (they need to chill on the “creek” names) which has the same opening system and have kinda grown to love it. Might be worth a shot, my only concern is it might be too small? No clue though, maybe I’ll go check one out at my local shop. |
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Love my Metolius Freerider. Solid and simple. Not as large as the Creek 50 but hey, that cuts down on weight |
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I have the Trango, the Cragsmith, and the DMM flight. The trango is basically a rope bag for longer trips, comfortably handles 3 ropes and 1-2 rap lines, but not worth putting gear into, IMO The Cragsmith and Flight both carry extremely well, though the Flight rides just a tad better, likely due to the great waist belt. As far as organization, it's honestly a toss up, though the Flight might have a bare edge because of the way it's designed, but honestly can't go wrong with either of them. Keep in mind that you want to be gentle with the rope strap on the Flight, as the plastic catch plates will break if you crank on them (learned hard way). This is not a problem with the patagooch bag, as it's webbing and metal hook into another webbing loop. Price is similar, I think, so basically find the one that's most economical and enjoy. FWIW, I don't see why you can't fit everything you could possibly want into the Cragsmith 32, and just strap the rope to the outside. Complete aside, I can comfortably fit a triple rack, aid gear, food, and clothing inside either a Creek20 or MH MP20, with rope, shoes, and helmet outside... so I'm always curious as to what exactly ppl are filling up a 60L pack with... carrying your pet goat to the crag? |
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I like that the Patagonia one opens so that the back panel and straps don’t go into the dirt |
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How do the Cragsmith, Crag wagon, and the Mystery Ranch Tower bag compare to the Creek 50 in terms of volume? My Creek 50 is trashed after many years of use and will need to be replaced soon. For cragging, I generally prefer a bag that’s bigger and requires less thought when packing and can be packed quicker. I might consider getting another creek 50 if they made another color that wasn’t black or gray. |
Christian Hesch wrote: Edit: for OP I have the cragwagon 60. It is awesome. Packing volume wise pretty comparable to the creek No way you have any wide cams in that triple rack. I have the Creek20 and I think a triple rack of cams 0.3-3+draws+food+water+clothes+aid gear sounds like a bit of a stretch. I also think it is super uncomfortable when you put the rope and other stuff on the outside with that tiny bag. Very top heavy and awkward. Personally I find the effort of “comfortably” cramming things into a tiny pack not worth the effort and IMO, discomfort. I have the cragwagon 60. 1 bag I can use for anything. I prefer to not put things on the outside of the pack unless I have to so it carries well and nothing gets caught in the foliage or falls off. My philosophy is filling it to the brim is not mandatory. It’s still comfortable when only a quarter full. So what if I’m carrying an extra pound or two of pack on the approach? Having the bigger waist belt, more padding on the shoulder straps and nothing jangling/bouncing on my pack is a fair trade off to me. There is an exception to this though. If it’s multipitch with a long walk off then I cram my shit in that Creek20 and deal with it. That’s what I bought that bag for. |
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OP I’ll also say the full u-zip and brief case mode for the cragwagon are what make that bag. If your primary complaint about the creek was top loading then the cragwagon may be your jam. It’s very similar otherwise. I think the fabric long term will be less durable than the creek haul bag material but YMMV. So far I’ve got one small cut/puncture in the fabric (think it was nut tool related or dropping it on a sharp rock when fully loaded; can’t recall) of the outer pocket but other than that it is holding up well. |
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I've had great luck with BD Mission 55. Roomy, plenty of options for peripheral items, and it's proven quite durable with cams, a hammer, and a drill bouncing around inside. I'm hell on gear, and haven't managed to destroy the zipper yet. All this said, I'm not so weight-conscious, and I wouldn't pay retail. Some folks hate the suspension system, but I find it no more uncomfortable than anything else I've tried. |
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The main benefit of the crag wagon for me is that it has a comfortable back panel with a rigid, aluminum stay. It's the only pack I could find that carries like a backpacking pack, but has the convenient features of a cragging pack. |
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The Cragwagon 60 looks nice, but it looks like it tapers down to the bottom. I really like carrying my rope in the bottom and not the top where things get unwieldy. Can you fit a 70-80m in the bottom, or are you forced to keep it on the top? |
Matthew Jaggers wrote: I tend to carry my rope laid out from top to bottom so I can compress it with the central flap, but depending on your coiling technique a rope should fit handily in the base. |
Elijah Benson wrote: Thanks. I use the edelrid caddy light rope bag, which I really like, but it's more of a ball shape, the best I can usually do to thin it out is to make it more of a fat football shape, but it's mostly a completely round ball. |
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I have an old style north face cinder that I like but don’t love, it’s one being pocket and two small zip pockets. The top “lid” pocket is unusable. |
