~ Avy Packs

nstubler

nstubler

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I'm finally looking to invest in an Avy Pack for this season.

I'd love to hear about any of your experiences with different packs / your recommendations.

Really have just looked at ABS, Mammut, and BCA so far, but am more than open to suggestions.

Thanks

+k and shit
 
I went with the BCA float due to the ability to refill it locally and quickly for about $5. Its lights, and has a decent ski carry system. The 22L is more than enough for me for a day tour.
 
Thanks for the advice mass hole - I'll check those out

Awesome, thanks japanada.

+k

would love more info as well
 
I'm a big fan of the new Mammut protection bags, especially since I live in a place where trauma is a big part of the risk, not just burial and suffocation. Having the bag inflate around your head like a collar instead of behind the head or on either side of the pack seems like a big advantage, so thats probably what I'm gonna get this season.

Being able to swap the air bag system between different pack sizes is a great feature too, Mammut and ABS are the two that come to mind but there may be others. Having the ability to use a smaller pack for side-country missions and then swapping to a higher volume pack for full or even multi-day tours is another thing to consider.
 
Check them out in your local shop with all of your kit for sure. I might get one this year - I went to the biggest local shop with the Mammut Ride 30L in mind because I can get good deals on them through friends but they fit me terribly (6ft4) and I can't fit all of my gear in the RAS 30L because the system takes up about a lot of space, plus the ski carry totally blows. I need to track down the Pro 35 to try but I suspect it'll be way to short for me too.

The ABS Vario backpanel is a hell of a lot comfier on me but I don't like their own 30L pack. Dakine's 25L pack seemed the best (and I normally hate Dakine packs) - fits all of my gear and the ski carry is OK.

You might disagree with all of this anyway, it's all fit and preference. Two of my friends who are about 6ft use the Mammut Ride 22L for everything including big glacier touring days and like it fine, but it wouldn't work for me at all. Check them out in the flesh, it's a lot of money you'll be spending so you need to get it right!
 
Thanks mane

While I've heard a lot of good things about that inflation system, have also heard you can't see shit after it goes off, which could make it difficult to still try and ski out.

Haven't used it though so really not sure how much of an issue this would be.

Really like the swappable feature for those two.

 
Thanks for that man!I tried these three on the other day, and really like the ABS best.

It is also the speediest..

Also just wanted to see if anyone had had great/poor experiences with them in the field.

+k!
 
I bought the BCA Float 32 and used it all last season. It's a very well designed pack and fit everything I needed to ski on my own, with friends, or leading a trip. Since I'm mostly skiing in VT, the removable engine and airbag was key because it means I don't need to carry the extra weight when I'm touring in VT's terrain. This is obviously also true with most other packs now, but I can only speak about BCA and how much I like their pack. If you pack lighter and pretty much only do day tours you could get by with a Float 22 as well. Definitely the best ski pack I have used so far.
 
Go BCA. They are some of the lightest packs on the market and are the easiest to travel with. Plus, they are super comfy and have plenty of storage
 
I went for ABS with EVOC zip on.

i like the fact it would be easier to keep skiing in situations with the abs deployed, where as the snowpulse restricts vision and i dont like how it goes round the neck.

Not really read much about the BCA
 
I went with the ABS. Toured around Berthoud Pass this weekend and didn't really notice the extra weight, so don't let that deter you. I just decided on ABS because I believe the explosive trigger is more reliable (no cable to snap/stretch) and I like the idea of having two bags in case of a malfunction/tear in one of them. Tests have shown that even having one of the bags inflated in usually enough to keep someone on the surface.

I almost went with the Snowpulse/Mammut C-collar type bag, but I'm not convinced it really would provide the added trauma protection that people talk about. If you hit a rock or tree hard enough to potentially injure yourself, will the bag really be that helpful? I've got to imagine with that kind of force the bag will pop or tear.
 
Those are really nice packs if you have the $. There was a TGR group buy last year that I almost pulled the trigger on but I got that BCA instead for cost reasons.
 
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