UKH

I'm looking for a pack that i can fit my rack, harness boots etc. in and preferably strap a rope to the outside somewhere. If you have any ideas or recommendations id like to hear them.

Thanks for reading.

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

The majority of my climbing partners use and highly rate the Black Diamond Speed series, perfect from roadside cragging, to multipitching and alpine.

They feature all the standard useful climbing/mountaineering features (hydration/platypus pouch, a tuck-away rope strap, crampon/ice-axe straps etc.) and you can also strip the lid, framesheet and hipbelt to suit the need for the day/activity

Pretty sweet overall, I think.

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/search?q=speed

In reply to James Paul Robinson: Ask a dozen climbers about rucksacs and you'll probably get a dozen different recommendations...

http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/list.php?type=5&brand= has a list of every rucksac with an advert/review/info on UKC. But as a start it might be worth a look at these group reviews:

Trad Crag Packs - http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=3906
Day Packs roundup - http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=4591
Rope bags (includes some larger bags with room for a rack) -http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=3625

That said, the one rucksac currently on my shopping list is a Blue Ice Warthog http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=4238 as I love the simple design and the integrated system for carrying your helmet on the top of the sac.

HTH

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

My day to day bag is a Beal one with a single big zip running the full length of the bag. Fits an entire trad rack, both half ropes, 2 peoples harness, shoes and lids, guidebook and bits and bobs. Pretty hard wearing too.

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

Anything that's big enough and fairly durable, ideally with a floating lid. I use a 30 litre Hagloffs. It's slightly too small to be ideal for a long day, when you want extra clothes and plenty of food and drink. I'd go for 40 litres if I bought one now.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

+1. Anything with 40 litres capacity. It only really matters about comfort, features etc if you are going to carry it on long walk-ins, winter climbing etc. Then your preferred choice from the above or the Lowe Alpine or Crag Attack series

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

I got a Montane Cobra 25 awhile ago and find it great for doing multi-pitch routes with long walk-ins. I can fairly comfortably get a 60m half rope, half a rack of gear, rock shoes, harness, windproof + fleece, guidebook and a 1L water bottle inside it. It's also got 2 handy pockets on the lid for car keys, haribo, wallet etc. Unfortunately no floating lid or rope strap (although neither of these bother me too much). It's got a nice clean design, fits well and compresses down small when on route, so i'm generally happy to lead/second hard (for me!) routes whilst wearing it.

I already have a Podsac Black Ice for overnight stuff and winter, so buying anything with more than a 30L capacity seemed a bit redundant. A friend has one of the yellow black diamond bags and wasn't too impressed with the durability, ended up getting trashed and ripped after a few days use. So far the Cobra has held up well in this regard and it seems fairly robust.

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

I recommend going to a shop with a wide selection and rifling through them all.

I have a montane Medusa. It's definitely worth a look.

Pros: Lightweight, good looking (I think), climbable in (because it's not a rigid back), good feature set. Soft back material if you are carrying it bareskin or with a down jacket (less likely to wear/damage).

Cons: Requires more care packing than rigid back rucksacks. You can't just dump a rack in it and it be comfortable. Put the weight close to your back and the side compression should be used if not full(obvious but on most packs I dont bother).

It's usually snaffled by my girlfriend and I'm forced to carry the (lighter) rope bag which is weird.

We also have a battered old Berghaus. It's still a really good sack, it's a similar weight but with more back support (awkward to climb in but easier to dump gear in. Also 32L but feels around 8L bigger). Don't know if they still make an equivalent.

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

If you are purely looking at crag climbing then we find a regular sack a pain to stuff everything in and out. Look at a Grivel Rocker which opens out like a case and has racking inside with lots of pockets outside and in. Made for the job. Other recommended option is a caving sack with shoulder straps. The grivel has an external rope strap ,with the caving bag we carry both half ropes strapped together and thrown over the top

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

You mean carrying half a rack - your partner should be carrying the other half.

I take it that this is just for day cragging rather than multi-day trips where you need bivvy kit. Something around the 30 litre size is more than enough for what you want. I've currently got a Crux 38 litre sack which easily takes kit for summer rock or winter ice.

In reply to James Paul Robinson:

My Black Diamond Speed 30 is my go to bag. From cragging to working to overnighting it does it all really well.

It's stripable too so often take off the lid and very rarely have the hip belt on it.

The Blue Ice bags look good too, super simple.

Personally I'd avoid Crux, heard to many people moan about the build quality.

In reply to Bob:
Only half a rack, Bob?

My crag sack of choice nowadays is an old Murray Hamilton, about 60L and only weighing 891g because of no unnecessary features even though its full weight Cordura.

To ease the load on my climbing partners knackered knees it easily fits in everything for two or pulls down nicely to carry virtually empty. No fancy packing required, just throw everything in and kick the back to shape. Takes a 70m rope bag and a 1.5 litre pop bottle sideways. It can even fit two helmets side by side. I often do this when my partner is struggling to fit their helmet in their sack. My only worry is what to do if it ever wears out.

the osprey bags are good cause you can fit a helmet in the front pouch

In reply to Rick Graham:

Well I could double it by adding another couple of slings

Confucius he say: The lightest kit is that which you leave behind.

What was it Messner said? Don't carry your courage in your rucksack.

Thinking back to the 1980s, my typical rack for a big mountain route was 10 quickdraws, a set of Rocks 1 -9 doubled 1-5, one set of RPs, hexes 1-6, friends 0.5, 1.5 & 2.5 and a few slings. Half of that isn't very much at all. Of course occasionally I'd cut it down especially when <ahem> someone </ahem> mentioned that the biggest piece of kit on the intended route was a Friend #2.

Did Murray make anything as big as a 60L? I only remember the 30 & 35 litre sacks. Brilliant pieces of kit. And I bet Mr Downer still has his orange Berghaus sack.

In reply to Bob:

Just measured it up at 61.25L, Not a Cuillin like you had but the earlier model, even simpler.

I am all for going light when necessary on a big route but cragging just like to throw everything in for the extra exercise.

Who sandbagged you about the Friend 2?

In reply to Rick Graham:

I forget now ... the route was Top Gear and with a damp top section I'd visions of doing a Whillance. Any more clues?