Ice Pack

 

Page Type Gear Review
Object Title Ice Pack
Manufacturer Black Diamond
Page By Josh
Page Type Dec 13, 2001 / Dec 13, 2001
Object ID 66
Hits 6039
Vote
This pack-of-all-trades from BD serves climbers and skiers alike. It comes in two sizes: The forty-four liter size is the perfect for a day of ice climbing, and fifty liter size is great for when you need a little more room. The Ice Pack comes with ice tool tubes, a crampon pouch, and a plastic sheet with 10 mm of foam for a suspension. You can use the foam pad for a sleeping pad in a pinch. For the skier, the same suspension is cushy and supportive for the ascent but is designed not to interfere with mobility on the descent. The Ice Pack was designed with function, not frills, in mind. Heavily padded shoulder straps and hip belt were added for long approaches.

Reviews


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Bronco - Jun 10, 2002 2:06 pm - Voted 3/5

Untitled Review
Well designed, tough, and versatile. Has held up well to lots of abuse over the last year. A little big for long days, just right for light overnighter. You can stuff 2 ice tools in each of the "tool tubes" or 2 of the slender cans of Coors/Coors Lite beer. The crampon Pouch is real secure and a good place to haul a water bottle or skins when you don't need your crampons. The top lid converts to a pretty nice fanny pack when combined with the removeable waist belt, big enough for lunch, water bottle and head lamp. The haul loop system is fine, as you would expect from Black Diamond. Cheaper than some similar climbing packs.

It doesn't have wand pockets, which is a nice place to keep pickets accessable. No load lifters, the compression straps are way too long and can whip you to death in the wind but, I guess they designed it like that for lashing stuff to the outside of the pack, ski's, poles, sleeping pad etc... Not the most comfortable load carrying pack, but, after some of the stuff I've done with it, I don't think many in this category (foam frame)would be. Doesen't climb as well as other packs I've climbed in either. If you are careful about how you pack it and get the load compressed fairly well, it carries just fine up to 30 - 35lbs (depending on your pain threshold).

Martin Cash - Nov 26, 2002 3:23 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
This is a great alpine rock, ice, and single day alpine pack. It is very well made, and upholds BD pack's "Bomber" reputation. I have the large 50L / 3,050CI version of the pack which fits my 6'-3" frame much better. I've found that I can stuff enough into and strap enough unto it for an overnight trip as well. You need to be very space and weight concious when doing this, though.

The features of the pack like the crampon pouch and ice tool tubes are very helpful. This pack has no "bells and whistles", which add weight. One thing that I miss that my expedition pack has is a space for water bottles on each side of the pack. It is annoying to have to take the pack off or carabiner a Nalgene to it. Maybe I just have to get used to it.

I disagree with the two previous posts that say that 30 - 35 lbs. is the max load it can handle. It's hauled 45-50 lbs. comfortably for me.

The best thing about a good backpack though is how comfortable it is while hauling gear for hours on end. This pack does the job very well.

Ed F - Feb 3, 2005 12:16 pm - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
This is a very versatile pack, as the others have said. I think it's discontinued, unfortunately...

If you find this pack somewhere, get it. It's great for day trips and light overnighters. It's great for ice, rock, and alpine. I usually leave the top off for daytrips, and it compresses really well when you aren't carrying a ton.

Although light, it carries skis well with the ski pockets and side compression straps. I also love the crampon pocket. It's perfect for a water bottle when you aren't carrying crampons, or skins when you're in the backcountry.

I've used this pack in four seasons for rock, ice, and alpine. A perfect pack for someone who can't afford three or four tailor-made packs to serve different interests.

agreenstreet - Feb 15, 2007 8:03 am - Voted 4/5

Untitled Review
I have used this pack for the past four years, and have been extremely happy with it. I use it on almost any trip I go on, and have even packed in it for overnight glacier climbs, although it was a little uncomfortable with that much weight. There is plenty of room for everything you need without lots of bells and whistles. The tool tubes are handy for anything you can stuff in them; I have put tools, my ice axe, pickets, and my treking poles among other things in them. The other cool feature about the tubes is that you can get you ice axe out by yourself while the pack is still on your back because it uses a simple buckle to hold it in. Reach around the back, unclip it, and out comes your axe! Just be sure to hold on to it. The crampon pouch is a nice feature so you don't have to worry about stabbing things in your pack, and a nalgene fits nicely in it if you don't have crampons with you. The ability to use the waist strap and lid to make a fanny pack is really cool so you dont have to have an extra strap on the lid itself that only adds weight and bulk.

The suspension system is a little flimsy, but that is what I expected when I was buying this pack. If you load it correctly though, it can handle quite a bit of weight. I did haul it up a rock pitch haul bag style once, and noticed a couple spots that almost got worn through. Other than that, it has held up increadibly well with lots of climbing and mountaineering abuse.

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