Do I really need an airbag backpack?

Z

Zach.rolands

New member
So im spending my first full winter out west and plan on doing a lot of touring. I have an abs compatible backpack but still need to purchase the vario base unit which, from what i've seen, is crazy expensive. Do you guys think the airbag is a necessity or is it ok to ride without one. I do have my avy 1 certification so im not totally clueless when it comes to avalanches. Thanks!
 
It's not necessary until it is........ All of skiing is a calculated risk. Its like wearing a helmet. Do you need it 99% of the time... No. But when you do, you are damn glad you had it on.
 
No, for your first year tho bride the gap with an avalung, cheaper and will give that peace of mind. At least until you save up and buy an airbag
 
I carry an avalung for waist+ deep days. They’re good for deep pow skiing where you’re crashing a lot cuz they can help you breathe air not snow when you go down. And tree wells are scary and very real. Airbags are better for bigger bc lines and general travel in avy terrain
 
I was out the door for way cheaper than that with a BCA float backpack. It has it's pros and cons but if price is an issue for you maybe look elsewhere from the 1200 dollar backpack? Any airbag is going to be better than no airbag
 
If you do buy, or for anyone else viewing this thread, I'd recommend the snowpulse airbag packs by mammut.

-Solid pack materials and zippers and whatnot

-the airbag inflates around your head to protect from trauma (unlike shitty bca)

-the trigger isnt one of those bs detachable things that you lose (again fuck bca)

-I've experienced great customer service.

I wanna get their vest but am holding off til I get a good deal. It's modeled like the north face vest but includes an airbag. Works well for quicker bc missions and riding snowmobiles becuase it doesnt move around on your back like most packs

I bought the snowpulse seth morrison 18L pro model in 2010 and still use it daily. It's held up nearly 1000 ski days and is in it's 8th season this year.
 
Lol lot of hate on bca there...

I got the bca float 27 over a year ago when it was half off on backcountry.com. for the price it's good. It's not my everyday pack as the weight is a huge issue for me and I would rather have a small skimo pack or my larger avalung pack that holds more stuff.

I feel the airbag is useful, but not the first place I would choose to spend a ton of money.
 
13850966:ATLskier said:
Lol lot of hate on bca there...

I got the bca float 27 over a year ago when it was half off on backcountry.com. for the price it's good. It's not my everyday pack as the weight is a huge issue for me and I would rather have a small skimo pack or my larger avalung pack that holds more stuff.

I feel the airbag is useful, but not the first place I would choose to spend a ton of money.
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The fact that you dont use your bca every day suggests that the pack is subpar. The only good thing about bca is the price point. Bca packs are so bulky you can sit right on lifts, the removable trigger sucks, and the bag itself doesnt explode out of your shoulder straps (protect head and chest from trauma and create an air pocket around your head not behind you)

For low price, Id rather get the dakine vest for 185 or 26L poacher pack for 200 right now from the site full retail. Canisters from dakine are 400 new— Id buy cans direct (vs from backcountry) from dakine or snowpulse for the warrantee, refills, and quality assurance. Dakines pack design is way more streamlined fit than bca and have the same trigger as snowpulse cuz theyre also made by mammut
 
Man if you're shreddin' hard enough to really think you're in avalanche danger then yeah get a pack don't risk it even more than you have to, and I know you already have the pack but the black diamond ones are better in my opinion anyway. The jet-force tech is money.
 
consider it like swimming with out a life jacket... chances are you'll never need it but the one time you did youre glad you had one on
 
13851052:JohnJonsz said:
The fact that you dont use your bca every day suggests that the pack is subpar. The only good thing about bca is the price point. Bca packs are so bulky you can sit right on lifts, the removable trigger sucks, and the bag itself doesnt explode out of your shoulder straps (protect head and chest from trauma and create an air pocket around your head not behind you)

For low price, Id rather get the dakine vest for 185 or 26L poacher pack for 200 right now from the site full retail. Canisters from dakine are 400 new— Id buy cans direct (vs from backcountry) from dakine or snowpulse for the warrantee, refills, and quality assurance. Dakines pack design is way more streamlined fit than bca and have the same trigger as snowpulse cuz theyre also made by mammut
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I agree on the snowpulse going around the neck and head being better but IMO the bags that carry the airbag in the shoulder straps are uncomroftable to wear BUTTTT do give you more room in the pack for space
 
If you live in Utah, go to the Black Diamond's bi-annual outlet sale. I bought my Avi bag for like $400 with the battery pack (typically retailing $1200). Otherwise look for end of season sales you'd be surprised how cheaply you can get them with a little strategic sale shopping.

As for do you really need an airbag? How sure are you of the stability of the snow pack beneath your skis, and above you? Enough to put your life on it? Because essentially that is the gamble. Not to be the asshole.

If you are not going to drop money on a bag, make sure to have at least a beacon, shovel, and probe -- as well as anyone else with you in the backcountry. Most importantly make sure your friends have a good shovel -- because you are not going to dig yourself out. If their shovel looks tiny, give them yours for the day. Practice beacon search regulary with your friends, how to find someone with a probe and dig them out. Because its not intuitive and when under a crisis situation it will be even less intutitive. There are a lot of cheaper one-day courses you can take for your first year and then really invest in an avy 1 certification. The knowledge and understanding will pay off.
http://unofficialnetworks.com/2017/...urial-in-utah-broken-legs8-minutes-submerged/
 
13851986:PatrycjaWitt said:
If you live in Utah, go to the Black Diamond's bi-annual outlet sale. I bought my Avi bag for like $400 with the battery pack (typically retailing $1200). Otherwise look for end of season sales you'd be surprised how cheaply you can get them with a little strategic sale shopping.

As for do you really need an airbag? How sure are you of the stability of the snow pack beneath your skis, and above you? Enough to put your life on it? Because essentially that is the gamble. Not to be the asshole.

If you are not going to drop money on a bag, make sure to have at least a beacon, shovel, and probe -- as well as anyone else with you in the backcountry. Most importantly make sure your friends have a good shovel -- because you are not going to dig yourself out. If their shovel looks tiny, give them yours for the day. Practice beacon search regulary with your friends, how to find someone with a probe and dig them out. Because its not intuitive and when under a crisis situation it will be even less intutitive. There are a lot of cheaper one-day courses you can take for your first year and then really invest in an avy 1 certification. The knowledge and understanding will pay off.
http://unofficialnetworks.com/2017/...urial-in-utah-broken-legs8-minutes-submerged/
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not to be an asshole but craig knew more about snow science than all of us and his bag didn't change the outcome of a tragic event

you can put me in the it may have contributed to the trauma he suffered in the slide camp

https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanches/16589
 
13852039:SFBv420.0 said:
not to be an asshole but craig knew more about snow science than all of us and his bag didn't change the outcome of a tragic event

you can put me in the it may have contributed to the trauma he suffered in the slide camp

https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanches/16589
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Tragic story story to read and learn from craig. Makes you consider wearing a helmet and airbag pack trigger ready even while hiking if you are in exposed terrain. And that no one is invincible and we all need partners anywhere with deadly exposure. But even with all the skills and gear and smart decision making, we are still at risk.

I highly doubt the airbag made anything worse and dont understand your point. You say it didn’t change the outcome then next sentance you said it may have contributed to the trauma contradicting yourself... wtf are you trying to say there
 
I chime in on every air bag thread I see .... I have some personal experiences with them that biase me a bit. but here is my take ..

If you can afford the additional cost, and you can handle the additional weight, I think it's a very effective piece of equipment. but ultimately, its Your decision making skills are what is going to keep you safe out there, not a fancy piece of kit.

I have been recreating in the winter backcountry in some form or another for 15 years. in 2014 I was given an airbag pack as a christmas gift. in March of that year, I was caught in an avalanche. the slide happened in a lower elevation cut block, that we had to transit through to get home, after realizing that conditions had changed. we remotely triggered a deep persistent slab, that had a crown over 100 cm thick and ran for over 1 km. I was in close proximity to my friend when the slide hit. (5 other members of the group had already cleared the cut block and were in an area of safety). My airbag deployed, I was completely buried, with my hand poking above the snow. I was rescued immediately. My friends air bag did not deploy (due to a significant user error on assembly, and it was never identified because he never test fired the bag) .. despite him being only a few meters from me when the slide hit, he was carried 20-30m further than me. due to the large volume of the slide, and the topography, he was buried extremely deep. atleast 12 ft below surface. we were unable to recover/ resuscitate him in time.(every member of the group had 10+ yrs, we all practiced beacon drills annually, we had full EMS gear via heli from a local op, and highly trained medical persons on site).

This is as close to side by side comparison as I can imagine Re: the effectiveness of this equipment.

so take from that what you will. Again, I don't think a necessity for safe BC travel. Kit is no substitute for good decision making, I don't expose myself to additional risk because I have it (it's not going to save your ass in every scenario), but since I have one, I carry it every day. If you get one, test fire it first thing after you buy it, and then annually. and be sure you keep the crotch strap tight.
 
13850698:JohnJonsz said:
If you do buy, or for anyone else viewing this thread, I'd recommend the snowpulse airbag packs by mammut.

-Solid pack materials and zippers and whatnot

-the airbag inflates around your head to protect from trauma (unlike shitty bca)

-the trigger isnt one of those bs detachable things that you lose (again fuck bca)

-I've experienced great customer service.

I wanna get their vest but am holding off til I get a good deal. It's modeled like the north face vest but includes an airbag. Works well for quicker bc missions and riding snowmobiles becuase it doesnt move around on your back like most packs

I bought the snowpulse seth morrison 18L pro model in 2010 and still use it daily. It's held up nearly 1000 ski days and is in it's 8th season this year.
Click to expand...

i get deals on bca so ive been sticking with them, would the mammut bag be worth the extra money?
 
13860632:sickski said:
im probably gonna pick one up. also i was thinking about trying to pick up a job at the denver evo store, how is working for evo?
Click to expand...

I work in our HQ office in Seattle. Awesome company, good people all around, definitely recommend it.
 
13860619:sickski said:
i get deals on bca so ive been sticking with them, would the mammut bag be worth the extra money?
Click to expand...

The mammut airbag bursts out of the shoulder straps, so when it inflates it protects your head from trauma. Then afterwords it deflates and creates an air pocket around your head. This helps in minor sluff slides, tree wells, deep pow falls, and tomahawking out of control wrecks.... not just avalanches. Bca bags will create that air pocket behind your back while you suffocate upside down
 
13873464:DingoSean said:
Pony up for the Arcteryx Voltair otherwise you're definitely going to die as soon as you attach your skins
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Best 1700 dollar backpack on the market
 
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