Backpack

[skidude]

Hey I bet all of the people who ski Tucks a lot have a backpack...I need to get one for when I come up. Does anyone have some suggestions on a good one?
thanks,
Adam

[DMC]

Thats a tough one...
What will you need it for?? If you ski make sure it has slots to hold your skis securely. If you board you need a way to attach the board to your back securely.

If you ride Back country a lot - you need some way to hold a shovel.. Plus all your gear for the day.. If you have an ice axe you need a way to attach it as well.. If you snowboard back country it's important to have a way to secure your poles to the pack when your riding.....

So many variables... Go to the camp store and try em all out... good luck..

[skicdave]

Oh this is a tough topic. I am definately in the market for a new pack myself and started to research some of the options... I was overwelmed and couldn't decide, except that I figure the best size is about a 35L pack (for spring skiing).

I'm looking for something that is well designed for mounting skis, stands off from the back a bit and has a decent waste (er waist I mean) strap and shoulder straps.

I used to use a 60L pack back in the 80's.. ugh! Way too big, and my other pack is not designed for the task.

Hopefully there are some pack fanatics who can helps us on this on.

[Skilasnow]

I was looking at some packs the other day (thinking about next year). I do some occasional other backpacking, but I want on primarily for Tucks. There are so many variables now it is overwhelming.

Go to a good store that you trust to have knowledgeble sales persons and try a bunch and weigh all the pros and cons. Single most important is the personal preference on attaching skis. I have hiked 'A frame' and with them strapped diagonally. The A frame was way better IMO, as it seemed much better balanced. 2nd, big enough to carry EVERYTHING you MIGHT need. This is much less important in mid may til the end of the season, but you should still be prepared for radical changes in weather. Also big enough for copious quantities of beer.

[pscopa]

Backpacks:

Been looking to replace my K2 Ski Guide Pack. Some pretty good deals on the internet. Check out Da Kine Chute, Da Kine Heli Pro series and Life-Link Rando Pack.

The Chute and Rando acommodate skis A frame or diagonal.

I am leaning toward the Da Kine Chute myself.

Paul

[M@]

Dunno if this will help, but people who sew sails also do work on backpacks. I have a friend who is a serious hiker, and after he buys a pack he cuts lots of stuff off and has it customized.

I have a EMS 5000 (I think, not sure) for overnights and a smaller NorthFace pack for day trips. They are both great, I haven't customized them at all. The staps that pull the main part of the pack together hold the skiis just fine. The trick is figuring where on the ski to put them, I usually have the lower strap just under the back binding.

And duct tape to hold the tips together, of course.

M@

[skicdave]

Hey Matt, congrats! You've reached a new level on T4T!

[appskiah]

For backpacks, try Wookey (http://www.wookey.net/index2.html), but make sure to read the details in how they are designed and made. my next backpack will hopefully be one of these.

[M@]

I love my new title.

Speaking of backpacks and the like, one year my friend Jill had bad ski-carrying backpack, and we used about a half a roll of duct tape to get the skiis to stay upright... it wasn't pretty and it really didn't work.

And for fun, here's a couple pictures of me, my pack and duct tape:
http://www.weirdtable.org/~m/tuckerman/2003/ducttape1.jpg
http://www.weirdtable.org/~m/tuckerman/2003/ducttape2.jpg

M@

[targheehucker]

Dave--

What is this Liter stuff??? Is that a canadian thing... For day trips in all weather you can usually work fine on a 2400 (cc that is) pack... A decently made one form EMS for example will run you about a buck 25... What that equates to in liters i have no idea, but it would make a kickass motorcycle...

[SkiStooge]

I have to concur with M@ on EMS packs. I've had a bunch of different packs over the years and I have to say that they make a heck of a nice pack. Compare them even with the likes of North Face even and I think you'll find them equal (or in my opinion) or better. Let's put it this way, if a bunch of beers and my backpack were to start to fall off of a cliff at the same time, I would actually have to choose to save my EMS pack. I love it. OK, I guess that's enough pack-adoration for the moment. Duct tape your skis to your upper body, wear your boots on the hike up if you have to but make sure to get everything up there somehow. Have fun, be safe. Al PS: By wearing your boots instead of packing them, you can strap an extra case of beer on the outside of your pack. Hmmmmmmmmm. Bring a couple up for me. :cool:

[SkiStooge]

M@ : You still skiing a non-parabolic ski as in the pics??? I thought I was the only dinosaur left on the planet! (195 Fischer SL World Cups) Have fun, be safe. Al :cool:

[M@]

Stooge:
Yeah, I'm on straight planks still. My ski-budget has been pretty low last few years. The skiis in the above picture cost $25 with bindings, and were the lightest of my 3 pairs. I've been spending way too much time in the trees for those long boards. Maybe this spring I'll pick up a pair of shapers.

M@

[skibum07]

I agree with Paul. I actually own the Dakine Chute pack. Dakine is a well known brand within the snowboard industry but that does not mean they dont know what skiers need/want
Dakine makes one of the best backpacks on the market today. You could probably pick one up at EMS or online at the backcountrystore.com.

Features:
2400 cubic inch
Back access entry panel
External shovel blade pocket
Front loader pocket
Clear map pocket
Diagonal ski carry straps
Dual quick draw holsters
Customizable aluminum stays
Load compression straps
Back access mesh organizer pocket
Removable hip stash pocket
Hydrator compatible

[Skilasnow]

AWW MAN! Just as I am approaching ther Toni Matt club M@ gets on WAY cooler!

Skistooge, still straight here too, at least my rock skis for Tucks, '92 Rossignol 5SV. Actually I think a blew out an edge this last March either at Mad River or the Sherburn so I may have to switch to my 20 yr old Atomics for my upcoming Tucks trip.

[Skilasnow]

targheehucker:
Dave--

What is this Liter stuff??? Is that a canadian thing... For day trips in all weather you can usually work fine on a 2400 (cc that is) pack... A decently made one form EMS for example will run you about a buck 25... What that equates to in liters i have no idea, but it would make a kickass motorcycle... Ummm. 2400 had better be ci not cc, or that pack would barely hold enough beer, :rolleyes: only 2.4 liters of beer....

Anyway, yeah, a 2400 ci pack is probably big enough for most people to go to Tucks unless you plan on camping for a night or two up top.

[loafnut]

i know tons of people who swear by stright skis. a couple of my friends wont ski on anything under 195 and straight as an arrow. then again, im in college and room for new skis in the budget is nonexistant.

[SkiStooge]

M@:
Me too. I got mine on Ebay from a guy in N. Carolina for $40 (brand new, still in original plastic). (plus $20 for shipping). I already had a brand new set of Marker Titaniums I bought but never mounted on anything at the end of last season as a close out for, if I remember right, $125.(new in box).

We can always kind of put on a
"high and mighty" schtick saying things like:

"I find that I don't NEED to use a ski that turns easier because I obviously ski at
a higher skiing level than you."

or maybe something like:

"I'm too cheap and poor at the
moment to buy the shapes"

(this is more or less true in the case of this 44 year old full-time-returned-college student with the 4 cars, wife, 3 kids, mortgage on the house, etc). OK, enough for this one, if I cram too much into each post, I'll never attain Duct Tape status.
Have fun, be safe.
Al

PS: Percentage factor for me for tomorrow, Sat:
About 95%
:cool:

[SkiStooge]

OR:
"REAL men ski straights"

lol

(with apologies to any females out there)

Again:

Have fun, be safe.

Al

[skicdave]

Ok... well some pack are in Litres some in CU.

My old 60L would be 2362.2 CU which I use for multiday backpacking. It's WAY bigger than necessary in my opinion.

Based on trips in recent years with two other packs, I offer that a 35L-40L (1377-1575 CU) pack is about ideal for mid April-May treks to Tucks. This was leaving my ski boots in the bindings, rather than the pack. Had enough room in the pack for winter clothing and food, water in side pockets.

How about a survey everyone...

How big is your pack???

[pjmanchester]

3000 CI
good size for tucks, with winter gear and whatnot

[skicdave]

Hey Al,

I just retired by straight boards this year. Had tried the new carving skis several times over the last few years but wasn't blowin away by the lastest technology. Hey I remember the days of super sidecut way back. It's a marketing thing to some extent to 'save' the sport of skiing with the advent of snowboarding.

So now I have a pair of Crossmax 10P's (180's) which I doubt will ever see Tucks. I'll use my old K2's (195's) which can 'carve' up sloppy spring snow just as well at Tucks, and are now well suited for skiing mud, dirt, rocks, shrubs and dog poop on the way out down the Sherburne.

[<halffast>]

My pack's a Lowe Alpine Couloir 40. I think its around 2400cc? It was much more comfortable making the climb with my ski boots in the bottom of my pack as opposed to strapped to the outside.

[RR]

There are skis with sidecut????

I'm using my BD 33L "Stone" bag for day trips. 2100 ci and stout fabric. Good harness and ski slots on the sides. Its a basic top-loader. Good for the A-frame carry.

"CainamLlisrettim" uses the Dakine "Poacher". Says it helps with balance. Diagonal carry for the skis and room inside for size 9-10 skiboots. (The back-pannel zipper is the only way in/out for the boots.)

I do some part-time at EMS and have used their stuff since the early '70s. I have to agree with the above assesments of the packs...good to excellent value/durability on top of usefulness.

[skicdave]

Hmmm... and now I'm wondering if my pack is too small.. so.. how many beers do you guys take up?

I do agree that boots in the pack are more stable than boots in bindings.

[bozarella]

Hey SkiCDave,

This is only my second post ever,and this spring will be my 3rd year going to Tuck's. I guess I have to offer up more opinions to get my status raised! Well, here goes (sorry for my verbosity):

My pack is a 45 litre Millet (made in CAN). I bought it last year to go to Tuck's, for day hiking out West and light summer camping. It's great. It holds skis well and packed all my winter gear for our trip to Tuck's on the May 24 weekend (wicked -20 degrees celsius windchill on the Sunday... thank goodness I was prepared!!).

I bought the pack at Bushtaka in Ottawa. I've gone to all the outdoor stores here and they have by far the best selection and very knowledgable staff. They also sell the Dakine packs that a few people have mentioned here. I have purchased a lot of outdoor gear over the last 2 years (updated virtually EVERYTHING) and I keep going back to them. They always steer me in the right direction and I've yet to be unhappy with anything that I've purchased so far. Sorry for the plug...

On the ski note, I bought shaped skis two years ago and found that I raised my level of skiing so much that I had to go out and buy a better pair this year.

My boyfriend (who is from Western Canada and was skiing before he could walk) was (I say 'was') a lover of the straight boards and would 'over his dead body' get rid of them. Then he tried a higher end pair of race skis on a demo day (Atomic 9'16 SL Ski). He wouldn't put the old Salomon SL skis back on... he borrowed skis, rented them, borrowed a snow board... anything until he could afford to buy those skis.

I think the old straight boards got sent to the ski gods this spring at the yearly sacrificial board burning ceremony at our ski hill. :D

[CHUCK]

The REI talus 35 or talus 50. The larger for multi nights or the 35 liter for day trips. Either will hold skis or snowboard, ice tools hydration unit and has side zip. My 50 had about 75 lbs in it on the way up to hojo's and it felt great! The 35 is $90 and the 50 is $130, it also comes in a womens cut.
Peace Chuck

[skicdave]

Hi Bozarella and welcome,

Yes Bushtukah are great. My wife and I added cross country skiing to our portfolio this year and we saved 20% via a club night with Ski Extreme. I also got a deal on a Mountain Hard Goods jacket to update my "Tucks" look this spring. I haven't gandered over to check out packs yet... thats on my list for next year, but no doubt will peruse a bunch of packs.

Please don't burn your old board!! Awk!!! I save all mine... even have my old K2-3's (red/white/blue stripes) from the 70's. I also collect the old vintage wooden skis from the 30-40's and have paid more for them then some of the skis in stores :eek:

Keep them and someday... people will be fighting for them on ebay or at an antique store.

[skicdave]

I'll have to setup another page on the site with photos and listing for all the suggested packs. Might be useful for new comers and old comers.

[RR]

Agree about the Talus packs...if those don't fit (unlikely as they have a good range of fit) try the Marmot Eiger pack. It comes in sizes and carries skis very well. Priced and sized about the same as the Talus 35. Both are popular with skiing climbers around here.

[pjmanchester]

oh i neglected to mention before that my pack is a EMS pack, cant kill the thing I love it.
I want to buy a new pack but i have trouble trying to get rid of mine, im way too attached to it! :)

[Jerm]

MEC makes some pretty nice and quite inexpensive packs. There is a new store opening in Montreal too (www.mec.ca). I use the Brio Crag for climbing and spring skiing. I can just barely fit my size 8 tele boots in it. For tours where I dont have to carry skis, I usually just go with a Voile waist pack, it fits a shovel/probe skins water and assorted sundries suitable for a day trip.

[pjmanchester]

my girlfriend just bought a 3000CI Lowe Alpine pack, really sweet. It was only 120 too, good deal. So far she really likes it and im kind of jealous too

[TheOctopus]

The Octopus' $.08 on the ski pack subject: I ski with a North Face Patrol Pack, which is somewhere around 2600cuin (maybe a bit more, I bought it in a long size). I scored it new for under $100. Minimal functionality, though it does take a camelback-style water bladder, has a nice shovel pocket, axe loops, and has only one pocket, but it doesn't get obstructed by skis or a shovel. (External side pockets are useless if you're carrying your skis.) Big enough for multi-day Spartan trips, but really designed as a heavy day pack. It also has built-in gear loops on the waist belt if you're getting into some technical climbing situations.

I think the key to a good ski pack is how well it skis. The patrol pack has a very low profile -- you custom bend the two internal aluminum stays so the pack conforms to the shape of your back. Also key is that it doesn't move around a bit while skiing (or touring). It's also slim, and doesn't have any dangly sh!t hanging off of it, so it doesn't get hung up if you're skiing trees.

Whatever pack you get, make sure it fits well and only has the functionality that you need -- no reason to carry extra weight and capacity that you don't need!

[skidude]

Also big enough for copious quantities of beer. [/QB]Well I am 14 so I think I can go with out the beer.
ANyway thanks for the help.
Do you guys attach you skiboots to your skis and then to your skis to your backpack? And what if the weather is a little wet?
One last thing...Is an A frame really hard to keep ballenced or is it just one person that was a lil drunk when he tried to walk with this pack? :confused:

[skidude]

pjmanchester:
my girlfriend just bought a 3000CI Lowe Alpine pack, really sweet. It was only 120 too, good deal. So far she really likes it and im kind of jealous too I see one like that for $99 on EMS.com...it is 2400CI but from what i hear it would be big enough...here is the modle.. LOWE ALPINE Vision 40 Backpack
incase anyone wants to check it out.


Tuckcs this comeing weekend i hope :skismile: ;)

[M@]

I put my boots in the bindings, saves room in the pack.

One key (beside duct tape to hold the tips together) is to make sure the skiis are either high enough or spread enough at the bottom that you are not banging your calves when you hike down. Doesn't really happen much on the hike up, but on the hike down (which you will be doing this time of year) it is wicked annoying to be banging into the sharp bottoms of your skiis.

Balancing the a-frame isn't hard at all, just get the center of gravity right. Too high and you'll topple like a weeble-wobble (you probably don't know what that is), and too low and you'll bang your calves as you walk. These are the main dis-advantages to the a-frame.

Trust me on the duct-tape though. Having the tips really secure as only duct-tape can do is key. If they slide around up there, your a-frame will fall apart rapidly. The duct tape comes off really easy, just make a tab kinda thing after you rip it.

I guess if your pack is wicked slim, put your boots in it near the bottom to spread the skiis apart. That's a guess though, I've never tried it.

Take pictures of the chute this weekend.

M@

[Skilasnow]

Actually this is one case where, I know, it's hard to beleive, impossible you might say, I can hardly accept it myself, Duct Tape is not the best solution.

Velcro straps! Velcro, the next best human invention to Duct Tape, is more convenient for strapping the skis.

I have hiked with my skis in A Frame and strapped across my pack, and I WAY prefer the A Frame, if, as M@ points out, they are well secured and don't bang the calves on the way down. I have never tried to hike with my boots in the bindings so I have no comment but I don't think I would like it as much as boots in the pack unless my pack was too small to allow for beer.

[skicdave]

snowlas is right. Duct tape belongs on er... ducts, filling up those little holes that let the air escape from your ventilation system. Sure there are other uses for duct tape but...

Have you ever tried to remove the duct tape up in the Ravine in -20C? You'll freeze your pinkies and start cussing up a storm... been there done that. I say the velcro strap is the way!

Lets duct tape M@ to the headwall...
http://timefortuckerman.com/gifs/headwallducttapematt.jpg

However... seeing how Tucks is about earning your turns, hard labouring and reliving the historic past of Mount Washington. I end up following the path of Joe Dodge and the like, and use duct tape.

This reminds me of the threads on a T4T marker or the like. Maybe we should have some duct tape printed with a T4T logo and message. This not only would be visible hiking up, but might be more socially accepted.

[M@]

LOL: Best photoshop image yet. That's gonna hurt getting outta that.

I did the velcro strap my 2nd trip, and my a-frame started to move towards an L-frame becuase the tips slide around. The duct-tape keeps the tips at the exact same level, and it doesn't take very much.

If you make the tab at the end of the tape, fold about 1 inch (2cm for Dave) back on itself, it's a piece of cake to get them apart.

T4T duct-tape: I'll buy a couple rolls of that.

M@

Duct-Tape for Ducts? HA! That's like using... uh, something else that is never used for its intended purpose... which I cannot think of at this point.

M@

[pjmanchester]

i also swear by the velcro strap, quick easy and no hassle.
for the past 3 years i put my boots in the bindings while hiking up, and this year i put the boots in the pack, and i must say the in the pack was much more comfortable and less cumbersome.

with the in the bindings i tend to hit people, or trees and get pushed around hiking up the trail from hojos to the bowl.

I will definatel put my boots in the pack from now on, unless i have no room then back to the bindings they go.

[M@]

Boots: I agree, if you can fit them in the pack it is much better. They stick out a lot, and the trail from hojo to the bowl is narrow at a couple spots. The trail from hojo's to a few of the lean-to's is also a real trick with those boots sticking out.

Last trip, I had the boots on the outside on the hike up, but the bowl-to-hojo part I had the ski boots inside the pack and it worked great. I didn't have room on the way up... consumeables.

From hojo to the car the boots were on my feet as the sherburn was open, that's the best place for them.
M@

[SkiStooge]

Agree with M@ on the Duct tape vs Velcro. What I do is take either a roll with me for securing the tips for the hike down OR take duct tape and roll it just like it is on the roll only without the handy cardboard tube in the center. ( So that a 6' piece ends up being about the size of a film canister). I usually carry 5 or 6 of these "mini-rolls" in my pack. That way, I can leave the big roll in the car after I've secured the tips for the up-hike. Velcro moves too much. Worst Alternative I've Seen Yet Department: Saw a guy use about 3 feet of what looked to be about 14 gauge safety wire. All I could think was how much damage it was going to do to his planks. OH, well, they weren't mine, at least! Have fun, be safe. Al :cool: