Recommended Winter Backpack Features
Recommended Winter Backpack Features
Backpacks tailored for winter use have a different feature set than most 3 season packs. What follows are the features that I’ve found most useful for the types of trips I describe above. While I think these translate fairly broadly across winter locales, you need to be the judge on the features you believe are most relevant for your needs.
Volume and Weight
If you mostly plan on doing a combination of overnight winter backpacking trips or strenuous day hikes, you’ll probably want a pack that has 65-85 liters of internal capacity. While it is tempting to get a pack that is even larger, try to avoid buying a pack that is heavier than 4 or 5 pounds. Pack and gear weight is even more important in winter than the rest of the year, because you’ll be wearing and carrying a lot more of it.
External Attachment Points
Winter packs need to have a multitude of external attachment points to carry sharp, pointy, or bulky gear that won’t fit inside the main storage areas of a backpack. The most useful external attachment points include compression straps, daisy chains, hip belt webbing or gear loops, and ice axe loops with shaft holders.
Compression Straps
Compression straps serve two purposes: to help compress a puffy load and bring the weight closer to your core muscles where it can be carried more easily; and to attach sleeping pads, snowshoes, avalanche shovels, or skis to the sides of your pack instead of the front so that the load doesn’t pull you backwards and off-balance.
When choosing a backpack, try to find ones that have two or three tiers of compression straps that run horizontally across the sides of the packs. The compression straps should be adjustable and easy to undo while wearing gloves so you can slide snowshoes under them . Avoid packs that have compression straps that zig zag back and forth on the backpack using one strap to save weight. These are very difficult to use as external attachments.
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