Snowboard Back packs

[KingCrimson]

Bomber already has dibs on the voice activated closure on their board bags.

Having the backcountry bag un-zippable and convertable into a resort bag would be nice. Lunch, hydration pack (it's just a friggin bag of water, why all the work on the flamboyant name?), and a place for a camera would be nice. That way, the ascent skis, shovels and picks can be isolated on their own portion of the bag, so that the inners can be accessed without removing everything. You could make it completely modular too. Radio harnesses, beacon pockets, everything removable. Also a nice little market for overpriced upgrades to the bag!

[photodad2001]

Just a thought.....

While on a windsurfing expodition a friend of mine doubled his board bag as a sleeping bag, not insulated, just to keep the bugs off him as we were camping, but maybe an insulated version could be made. Maybe a boardbag/sleeping bag could be made exactly for that function. Not a backpack, just tossing out random thoughts.

[NateW]

Bingo -- that's the one, Spyder Govy (Im pretty sure it refers to the scene of ski racers kids walking around at T-Line off of Govy (Government Camp, Oregon) with 'em boots dangling on sides of their backpack.

IIRC, one of hte parents at Boulder thought of this idea for Spyder.

Natew: how much did you get it for? I see -some- site got 'em. but not a whole lot of 'em do. you're right, alot of people want those backpacks. I can see a a great usage of those had I had 'em for work.

I think I paid $80ish. I was looking for one online for almost a year when it was out of production. Tons of shops had them in online catalogs, but none had them in stock. And then I happened across one on a shelf at a local shop earlier this year. At that point it was just old stock than hadn't sold, so I got it at a discount. Pure luck.

I'm pretty sure the 06/07 model didn't have the boot carrier bits. But looking at Spyder's own web site, it seems to be back in production.

[philw]

Through my Evil Sports company we are about to produce a multi sport Backpack. It will have the ability to hold 1 board and have a hydration pack built in. Is this something you might consider buying??

Probably not - "multi-sports" doesn't really cut it, IMHO. This stuff has to be usage-specific to really work well. So a shovel pack is rubbish as a camera pack, for example. And none of my boarding bags ride reasonably on my bike. Maybe I'm just a sucker for bags.

As far as gizmos for riding, I don't mind straps because I can chop the ones I don't want/ need. I don't much like built-in hydration because it doesn't work for me and I don't like paying for it; paying for a hydration pocket I can live with, and I can use it for other more useful stuff sometimes. iPod gizmos make no sense to me - my iPod's small enough to fit in my mitt (where it's warm and where my fingers are....), and good packs last longer than iPod designs anyway. Boot carriers? Uh, fasten boots into bindings, strap board to pack... did I miss something there?

[LeeW]

Boot carriers? Uh, fasten boots into bindings, strap board to pack... did I miss something there?

Dont you think it'd make it tad-bit too heavy ? I prefer to carry the board with the boots danging on the side of the backpack while i walk with sneakers towards to my car or ski lift. I mean, DUDE, Im sorta treating my Madd 158 like a pampered baby.

[Sinecure]

Recco insert for avalanche safety?

:nono::nono:

Big time NoNo. First of all, recco isn't avalanche safety. It is primarily corpse recovery. We have it at our resort, but by the time the Recco arrives, you are most likely dead. If you think Recco is going to save your life or replace an avalanche beacon, you are very much mistaken. There's a chance we'll find a live body with a Recco, but it much more likely we'll just find a cold stiff. If you put your recco on your backpack (or your avy beacon in your backpack instead of attached to your body), we'll find your backpack. But we probably won't find you. Backpacks frequently get stripped from your body during an avy. Good straps can keep it attached to your body, but its much safer to put your avy beacon (and your recco if you have one) on your body, boots, or something else that won't get stripped off by the avy.

[b0ardski]

Here's my wish list:

Snowboard - Vertical and Horizontal Carry (both options on same pack)

Skis - A-Frame and Diagonal Carry

Straps for ski carry and ice axe should tuck inside when not in use so they don't snag on a chairlift.

Should be able to access the internal section(s) while board/skis are attached.

Section to hold Shovel, handle, probe (probably the section further from your body.

Section for other stuff, including a sleeve close to your body for skins - but make the skin sleeve either waterproof, or have its own drain to outside the pack.

Sternum strap with whistle clip

Padded waist strap with pockets for camera, tool

Padded, breathable back panel

Light color inside so you can see your stuff

Zippered, insulated shoulder sleeve for hydration tube

Compression straps

Avalung would be cool, but probably add a lot of $$ and not a ton of demand.

Bad-a$$ Evil Sports Logo

Optional "Evil Sports Hardboot Team" logo/lettering!

somewhere in the 20-30L size range (maybe a couple of size options)

The Mountainsmith Off-Piste 20 comes pretty close.

+1 Sinecure

Ive shopped for day packs and been severly dissapointed in their inability to carry both skis & snoboards with security & ease of attachetment.

+2 light colored interior, stashable straps, hadn't thaought of that.

I want to be able to plant the tail/s in the snow and accsess the pack quickly to add/subtract a layer

+3 belt & chest pockets

also must have some back rigidity to carry the board/s when near empty for short spring hikes or sidecountry.

Great thread, my 18yr old burton pack's getting pretty tired so I'm deffinately in the market.

Hey Bobby, how'bout a "Bomber Beta" version for some testing:eplus2:

[dantheman0177]

This is a great thread. My multi sport pack is a bit too multi at times.

+1 for the stashable straps - Nothing worse than getting a floating strap caught on the chair (who was it went around the bull wheel on Tiehack a couple of years ago at SES as a result of exactly this?)

+1 for small electronics pockets on the front - yes, ipod and phone technology is changing rapidly, but there is still a need for somewhere to put them, and being accessible like on the front of the shoulder straps is a great place.

Possibly a few female clips on each side with a few adjustable straps with male clips on both ends, so that you can decide exactly how and what you strap where (eg: boots, board, etc) or if there is nothing strapped on the outside you can completely remove and stash the straps away so they are not flapping about.

[Bobby Buggs]

Please post pictures of the most important features of your bags if you can.

Any Artists or engineers that want to contribute to this desgin please check in.

[pcABQ]

i've sewn webbing on each side of the hip

belt so i can clip on a biner to attach a small

water bottle or hat or gloves or binoculars or

whatever

i've been using an old Osprey Backside that has

worked well

good luck

pc denver

[philw]

Dont you think it'd make it tad-bit too heavy ? I prefer to carry the board with the boots danging on the side of the backpack while i walk with sneakers towards to my car or ski lift. I mean, DUDE, Im sorta treating my Madd 158 like a pampered baby.

There are lots of ways to do it. For obvious reasons I can't shoot it whilst I'm actually carrying it, but here's what happens when I wait for a bus (DaKine Sequence, 162 F2 Speedster SL):

Obviously that's a photo bag and too bit for general riding. Note however that you can actually get the camera out even when the board's being carried. I like vertical board carry as I don't bash people with it and I can get on buses and stuff. I guess the load distribution would be better with the boots more "Inboard"... I guess I could tie them together with another strap (the Sequence comes with one for long skis...) and chuck them over the top of the bag so they'd hang either side. Sounds like more work though, and really this works fine.

Bag design... I think you can tell quite quickly if a bag is well designed, but you have to try to use it; you can't really tell from web pictures or looking at it in a shop. A lot of bags are "fashion victims"; you can often tell them because they have useless gizmos pretending to be useful features.

Pampered babies? My boards need a bloody good kicking or they don't turn properly... ;-)

[b0ardski]

This is a great thread. My multi sport pack is a bit too multi at times.

Possibly a few female clips on each side with a few adjustable straps with male clips on both ends, so that you can decide exactly how and what you strap where (eg: boots, board, etc) or if there is nothing strapped on the outside you can completely remove and stash the straps away so they are not flapping about.

thats a great way to go, versatility & ease of construction, a pair at the top & bottom, and 2 across the middle

[queequeg]

i've sewn webbing on each side of the hip

belt so i can clip on a biner to attach a small

water bottle or hat or gloves or binoculars or

whatever

i've been using an old Osprey Backside that has

worked well

good luck

pc denver

I have one of these, it is a simple versatile pack, that gets used all year round by me. Osprey has another pack that is snowboard specific that I have been thinking of buying, it has numerous excellent winter features:

http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/SwitchSeries/Switch16/

[felix]

My best pack yet for carrying my snowboard and allround has been a Scott Discover Lite III 35l, which isn't produced anymore (Ascent 35 got Aluminium frame so it's useless, and is a toploader). I used it everyday for first high school then university and it held up 7 years with no sign of wear until it got stolen 3 month ago. Was way better than any Duotone, Ortovox, Mammut or Dakine pack I've ever used or saw (while Burton backpacks are not even a competition to any of the beforementioned brands, even if priced double).

Carrying my 2m Tanker, even when on a racing bike or city bike to meet up people to pick me up was perfect, can't say that for my replacement K2 Pilchuck (which holds by no means the advertised 38l, rather 25 only, is good as a city daypack but not as a serious backcountry/snowboard backpack as advertised) at all.

Main problem for carrying longboards/raceboards is that the backpack needs to be long/high but neither wide nor deep/fat, if no advanced carrying system is used it should consist of three straps not two like most backpacks with the top and down strap at the most outward (top/bottom) positions and a center strap (maybe height adjustable to better fix the snowboard between the binders. Or best use a carrying system like Duotone used to (I think Mammut bought that system of Duotone (or maybe was the OEM for Duotone backpacks 15 years ago) years ago and now uses it under the name Tilt and Raise, way better than everything else)

The Scott was the closest backpack in board carry comfort compared to Duotone/Mammut - but the current Mammuts don't fit my needs.

Some point I would like based on the Scott backpack:

Solid carbon inner backplate (well the Scott plate was out of ABS plastics but Carbon would be nicer wouldn't it?), that is easily removable to serve various functions (sled, plate to sit on in snow, take out to lean against a tree or take out to sleep on in a survivaval bag........). This serves as a nice protector for carrying around your laptop too.

Hydration system. Nuff said about this.

Carrying system for skis (on the sides) and snowboard so that I can carry both at the same time (so I can take my girlfriends skis on top while climbing or walking up steep spring snowfields where she might not feel to secure).

Build the carrying like on the old Duotone with top and bottom cap so you can change the angle and height of the snowboard attached to the backpack and so that it doesn't move around or get in your way, the snowboard should be removable including the carrying system from the backpack (click on), which makes it easier to attach.

Design the carrying system/zipps in such a way that even with skis and snowboard attached one can access all pockets/compartments.

The carrying system should work with the backpack fully stuffed or nearly empty, without the sowboard getting in the way of my legs or head.

If no Raise and Tilt system, than definitely prepare for both horizontal and vertical boardcarry. Raise and Tilt is wonderfull in a second way, as it limits your wind exposure during wind/storm gusts.

Straps, straps, straps to fix everything: Need to fix helmet (no straps but a net that sits ON TOP of the Snowboard carrier (basically only with removable raise and tilt sytem achievable) so that I can fix the helmet without having it swing around on the way up), ice axe, poles, and then the usual stuff..... As well all oter carrying system outerior straps should be designed in such a way that if not in use they don't hang around loosely)

Make it light, no more than say 1700g, 35-40 liters (in reality - not compared to what other companies consider as 35-40 liters but is mostly at least 10l missing) so you can take it either as a daypack, or as a 2daypack (if you pack carefully) and so that it also holds all my shoppings as I have no car and use that backpack to carry all my groceries inludings beers :)

Oh yes it should be bombproof too. Say 800D cordura nylon and rainproof (for light rain) (watch out for very high quality zipps though, it's the first thing to break down in many backpacks - the bigger the teeth the better zipps hold up in general).

Sell it in Europe or have an online shop that shipps over the pond for reasanable price (max 35-40$, not 70-80$ as some shops want).

If it fullfils all that criteria I'm well willing to spend 200-300$ (150-220€) on it. Otherwise I will have to carry on my search for a Scott Discoverer III 35 liters (25 is too small) as the Mammuts don't satisfy me at all except for the carrying system.

Oh - no toploader please, or topload with frontload access!