Pursuit Classic

I love this pack!!! I was looking for a mountain pack, capable of carrying rack, rope, helmet, and the usual array of day-hiking gear or as an ultralight overnight pack for summer use. Macpac is not a brand you usually find in the USA, but I found this on consignment. It was a little bigger than I'd planned on, but was the first pack that fit like a dream without adjustment. No extra bells and whistles, just the basic sack with an internal frame, axe loops and a top pocket. And a comfy hip belt.



I carried this pack up Keiners Route on Longs Peak last week and it held everything and then some. Carried well with no discomfort (at least pack-related discomfort) in a 21 hour death march trip.



Did I mention it's waterproof? And made out of kevlar? I had the chance to drop it off the Diamond, but didn't figure my product testing responsibilities went quite that far.



So why only four stars? Inexplicably, it doesn't come with a hydration pocket. I mean, this is the 21st century here, what gives? Anyway, I was able to sew in a nylon panel to hold bladders. Problem solved.

Being 2.03m tall (6feet7) I was looking for an alpine climbing pack with a sufficiently long frame. Because alpine packs are generally somewhat smaller than the trekking rucksacks there weren't that many brands that I could find that offered models with various framelengths. Macpac did, going up to size 3 which was just long enough for me. They do a size 4 in their larger trekking packs and it's a shame they don't carry this size over to their alpine range of packs but the size 3 was just about right.

With the size of the pack sorted out it was time to look at the features. First and foremost I wanted something bombproof and the Pursuit delivers. The Aztec fabric has proven very durable over 2 years of intensive use with a very high level of waterproofness. Unfortunately the zipper of the top compartment isn't and when it rains you'll soon find the top compartment flooded.
Bombproof, waterproof fabric-wise and a slim design that doesn't get in the way while climbing. I found that removing the internal frame takes away a lot of the stiffness and makes the pack much more comfortable for alpinerock or multipitch trad routes with a higher level of technical rock difficulty.
The attachment points for crampons and 2 iceaxes work very well and I'd have given the pack 5 of 5 stars if it wasn't for the hipbelt. The Pursuit CLASSIC has a solid 'old fashioned' padded hipbelt, however the Pursuit I have and the one pictured in this review has a much less efficient hipbelt. Instead of the usual padded one that reaches around most of your hips the Pursuit has 2 small 'wings' that rest on the back of your hips and the rest of the belt is unpadded. The idea is nice; the load is directed through the padded 'wings' onto your hips. In practice this works tolerably well with lighter loads (ie when climbing) but for example during approach if you're carrying a weeks worth of food it can become hellish. You tighten the hipbelt to keep it from sliding down your hips only to find that the only thing you're doing is cutting the bloodsupply to your legs.

Pro's: Framesizes, very durable, waterproof fabric, good attachment points, gear loops, slim design doens't get in the way, removable frame and top section.

Cons: Topzipper lets rain through, bypassing waterproofness. Hipbelt system very uncomfortable for large loads, quite pricey.