I have a bag problem, I am always looking for the perfect pack, just wanted to get that out there. Now when I was a kid getting in the outdoors Mountainsmith gear was just the epitome of col early 90s late 80s gear. You can imagine how excited I was when they released the Bugaboo heritage pack. A “modern” update on a classic.
This style of pack has a zipper that covers roughly 3/4 of the bag, making it very easy to grab your gear even if it is stuffed way down at the bottom. Although there are a ton of compression straps on the side that do get in the way of opening the pack, so there is that. But the compression straps work great for strapping on snowshoes or skis.
You might notice the side handle, which is useful if using this as luggage, which was clearly a thought during the design process with it’s removable waist belt. On the side there is large grab handle, which would work nicely on a plane. But that is not why I bought this bag.
There is a nice pocket on the inside for keys and a wallet. The main compartment is one large area.
The side of the waist belt has a loop for quick draws.
The other side has a teeny tiny pocket that could hold a chap stick, but it’s basically useless since it is so small.
The waist belt is about 1.5″ inches and could fit someone with a 100″ waist, the tails of the strap are huge!
The outside has a map pocket, which I use for Clif Bars and a small tripod. Also a great shock cord for lashing your coat.
Now here is a confusing thing. There are axe loops on the bottom, which would be handy for storing your ice axe or trekking poles. But for some reason they did not make functional attachment points for your axe. You’d need to add some cord of your own. Weird oversight.
Overall this is a very nice bag and made well. A few wacky choices like the small side pocket and the lack of attachment points for your ice axe. I highly recommend this bag for day hiking and peak bagging.
