Technical and Expedition Packs

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Everything is down to personal opinion of course, but most climbers, mountaineers and expedition users need to concentrate on one thing more than any other - durability. This is due to the weights involved when carrying abraisive climbing gear, or climbing and camping gear combined, the duration of the trip and the rigorous use they will be put to (ie rubbed up and down big granite walls, thrown around on moraine and scree etc). This is not to say that the bag must be heavy! The easiest way of achieving durability without sacrificing light weight is to use rugged materials and simple, efficient designs. Simple streamlined shapes also do not break as easily or snag when climbing. Other features to look for include good side and top compression systems to keep the pack stable and close to the back, twin ice axe loops, rope loop, ice axe holsters and gear loops on the waistbelt, crampon retaining area, laddered tapes (daisy chains) for hauling, and wand pockets for trekking poles.

Rope bags for climbers are housed in the Climbing Section on the Rope Care page. Cavers and industrial users who want extreme durability for hauling large quantities of rope and SRT gear can find them under Kit Bags in the Caving Section.

Packs should invariably be single compartmented right through to allow easy loading of lots of metal work etc. for big load carrying. The harness should be comfortable, non-restrictive, and should allow the pack to fit snuggly to the back and be very stable. In the case of ski-ing packs, the harness should allow free movement of the lower body without compromising stability. Smaller technical packs may have a removable waistbelt for ease of carrying when a climbing harness is also being used, eg Mammut Ice 45 and Grivel Alpine 35+5.

Perhaps the perfect examples of light weight, simple and pretty rugged design around today are the range of packs from Crux. These are no frills, adjustable volume rucksacks for serious lightweight Alpinists and bigwall expeditioners - how many 70L rucksacks do you know of the weigh under 1.2kg. We also carry their popular AK47 and AK57 models. We deal closely with Crux, so if there is a particular item you want and it's not on our website, get in touch!

OMM are well known in mountain marathon circles, and have been making an impressive name for themselves in hard-wearing, incredibly light mountaineering and climbing rucksacks. With Dyneema construction, the Jirishanca is popular with winter walkers and climbers, and the larger Villain became an instant hit with Alpinists, guides and trad climbers.

The Grivel Alpine series are light for the volume, made of highly water resistant materials and have all the features you would expect from top of the range mountaineering bags, including twin axe loops, helmet carrier, internal and extrenal gear loops. They are the staff favourite in this category, with good reason.

Mammut also offer our simple, durable packs with their Granit range. They are very clean packs with everything you need and nothing else. The materials are also very rugged, making these 30 and 40 litre packs strong contenders for climbing and minimal Alpinist users. The Ice 45 is a popular technical pack and uses a lightweight frame combined with a well formed padded harness and removable waist belt to give a luxurious carry, as you would expect from Mammut.

Lowe Alpine offer a cracking range starting at 30 litres with their Summit Attack 30 Hyperlite, Peak Attack 40 to the Contour 60+10 Hyperlite and the large, tough, and very carryable TFX Expedition.

The Hyperlite bags are incredibly light, but not as durable in materials as the Crux, OMM, and Grivel options. They are designed for use where weight and speed is everything.

Climbers and scramblers with less demanding needs should look carefully at the Karrimor Hot Rock 30 and Alpiniste 45+10. These are a little more relaxed and comfortable, without losing essential features.