Spring mountaineering means carrying your snowshoes for at least some portion of the day. If you need to do this, the Dakine Pro II is the pack you need. As a gear reviewer these days it is pretty hard to do a bad review. Everything is made reasonably well for the most part. But this pack is not just good, it’s great.
It is tough as nails and incredibly well designed. I have been strapping snowshoes to my other packs for a while. But they never ft quite right. Always sliding down when the pack is empty with all of your layers on you, or needing adjustment halfway through the day. This thing is great. Easy to strap your snowshoes to and they stay in place all day.
This pack is awesome for a few reasons. First and foremost is the snowshoe/snowboard attachment system. Nice 1″ quick release buckles on webbing sewn in to the pack.
The next rad feature is the ice axe sleeve. Located on the right side of the pack is a quick release buckle the holds your axe in place.
The pack also has an system for holding skis at an angle across the pack. There is a cable at the bottom of the pack to hold the bottom and a quick release at the top.
The pack has two large pockets and a small google pocket.
The main pocket has zippered access from the front or back. It also has a sleeve to hold your hydration bladder. Then an internal sleeve to keep the hydration tube from freezing inside the strap.
The second pocket is designed to hold your snow tools. But I stuffed it full of snacks and hats on this day.
And the last pocket is the google pocket lined in fleece. I was carrying a zoom lens in it on this day.
The shoulder straps are cut comfortably and have an adjustable sternum strap. The buckle on the sternum strap has a whistle built in. Funny thing, as the wind howls above tree line the whistle can start to sound!
The waist belt is perfect for a pack this size. A bit of padding on the sides, not too much; not too little. And a 2″ wide webbing belt. One side has a fleece lined pocket for your phone or camera.
There is one more pocket on the side, I keep bars in there.
Well if you are still reading this then you know this pack is great. At 1600in^3 or 26L it carries everything you need for a day in the backcountry. It is comfortable and made out of ballistic nylon to stand up to backcountry use. You should buy one.
Dakine says: http://www.dakine.com/p/backpacks/snow-backpacks/fall-13-winter-14/pro-ii-26l?clr=PCF
Features
- Vertical snowboard carry
- Retractable cable ski carry
- Deployable helmet carry
- Fleece lined goggle pocket
- Top and back access entry
- Insulated hydro sleeve
- Snow tool/shovel pocket
- Quick draw ice axe sleeve
- Padded waist belt
- Integrated rescue whistle / sternum strap
Specs
1600 cu. in. [ 26L ]
Size
21 x 12 x 7″ [ 53 x 30 x 18cm ]
Weight
3 lbs. [ 1.4kg ]
Materials
1260D Ballistic Nylon
