Soelden 42

I love my Osprey Stratos 34. It's a bit big in the summer but when I start getting into layers and maybe microspikes it's perfect. Definitely try it on though: some people find them too narrow. It's not just about volume. Again, especially when layers and any metallic gear get into the picture, a go

I think you're asking too much here. Although one of my friends uses a Kelty Redwing (36?) this way. He says it's tough to get all his multi day stuff secured though. I actually don't own a travel backpack per se. You see the Farpoint 40 recommended a lot. Despite that, it has a just-ok harness (but

I tried on an Escapist the other day. It fits weird. Honestly I don't think 3-4 L here and there is enough to really distinguish backpacks. At that point, choose on features. I have an Osprey Stratos 34 I love but haven't tried skiing in. I'm not sure if the frame might be too much. I have an Osprey

I've been using an Osprey Soelden 42. It's just ok. It's really for ski touring. It does have rope and helmet carry but to some degree those are only important because it's kinda small. The hydration situation is a bit funky too. Climbing loads can be pretty heavy between all the carabiners and the

2-3 what? I have an Osprey Soelden 42. The hydration bladder situation ends up a little funky but the backpanel opens. You win some, you lose some. It also has a fairly generously sized brain and a really big avalanche tool area. Tons of attachments on the outside. I've used mine for skis and climbi

I love my Stratos 34! I've used it for travel a little bit and agree it's not great for that. I found it pretty frustrating to get a better work/travel pack recently, since I really wanted it to have good support. And I wasn't even trying for the suspended mesh backpanel. I'm usually an Osprey fan b

Yes, you probably want some extra stuff for climbing. You can get by with about a 25 L pack if you're only doing sport and you don't carry any team gear. I'm using a 42 L pack and rig my rope and helmet to the outside. There are dedicated crag packs that are bigger and don't carry well and a lot of

TL;DR: get a hiking pack you like with a frame length under 22". I'm really curious about the older-model Mystery Ranch Coulee 40 for this. I believe its frame length came in just under 22" but the new one is longer. My experience of traveling with a backpack is that you really need to keep an eye o

I landed on the Osprey Soelden 42. I've been pretty happy with it so far. I also wanted it to be good at backcountry skiing and noticed that both climbing and backcountry skiing packs have a backpanel access a lot of the time. I'd argue that backpacks are already pretty modular if you have the modul