Eiger

A great little inexpensive summit pack. It is just large enough to fit a a rope, rack, water bottle, jacket and lunch. The only problem I ever had with mine is that you can't carry a coiled rope wedged between the lid and main pack compartment. It will slide out. The pack has very good ice tool attachments and a daisy chain.

I bought this pack in the fall of 2003 and it is a real solid pack. I have had no issues with it whatsoever and it has accompanied me on about 20 of the high peaks in the Adirondacks.

It's so lightweight and fitting to me, I couldn't see myself purchasing any other pack but the Eiger; or marmot brand.

The way the Eiger packs is also incredible. I can pack a generous lunch, my purifier and winter gear in it as well. I would highly recommend this backpack to anyone.

Also, I have found it to be very solid when bushwacking; real hard to tear/scratch the packs material.

This pack is perfect for me. I use the pack for winter day hikes / snowshoe trips, as well as a day climbing pack for Mt. Hood. The pack is stable and comfortable, works well for what it is intended. I would highly recommend this pack for day hikers / climbers or as a summit pack for the very reasonable price they sell for.

This is a good, basic pack for climbing. It is reasonably light weight. I owned it for two years and have given it a fair amount of abuse, which it has handled well. The pack includes a sleeve for a water hydration system. The aluminum stay seems unnecessary and probably adds a few ounces. I've found that loads under 25 lbs. do not need elaborate suspension systems. The plastic sheet suspension that is also included suffices. I do wish it was just a little bit bigger, though.

REI had this on sale for $69 (had I paid full price it may be a 4 star pack). The pack is excellent for what it is, and that is a small comfortable day / summit pack. Looking at it, I thought it might work for an overnight pack, going really light, and I may still try it, but unless someone else was packing the tent, not a chance. It definitely could be bigger. I use a 2-liter Platypus with it, which works great, but this steals even more room. There’s still plenty of room in the pack for a day trip. It is really, really comfortable, and I like the "bio-span" even with light loads, it feels like it pulls the load closer to your back and it doesn't move.

Update Feb-2009: I still have this pack and it's my favorite. I have used it for a couple overnight trips strapping the tent and sleeping pad to the back and underneath, but it's really full (these are summit trips, not light summer camp-outs).

Like everyone else has said, it is a great little pack. I does work for extremly light weight overnights, gerat for dayhikes, approaches.

A coiled rope will not slide out of the top if you snake the top compression strap through it.

Like the others have stated this is a nice lightweight back. It doesn't carry large loads great but for day trips and peak bagging this is a top notch bag.



Simplicity at it's best

I've used this pack for a few months now and have so far been impressed. It's extremely comfortable and distributes weight very well. I bought it primarily to use as a winter mountaineering pack, but I recently used is on an overnight desert backpacking trip and it worked quite nicely. The one drawback is that the hood doesn't cinch down as far as I'd like it to when the pack is not fully loaded. Aside from that, I give it a 5/5.

I've had this for a few years and actually got it for a climbing pack. It works well and is simply designed which is a plus as far as I am concerned. A little dated as now there seems to be a pack available to fit anyones exact requirements. I don't use it much as I usually can get by with less.

This is the only pack I use for high sierra rock/alpine climbs. If you don't think it works as an overnight pack then you're packing way too much crap. I'm out for 1-2 nights with it all the time and that's without cramming stuff under the lid or on the sides. I've been out for 4 nights with it, carrying all food, axe, crampons, rock rack, sleeping bag, puffy jacket, half a tent, and helmet. That required careful packing but it worked. I've taken out the aluminum support and plastic frame. Just extra weight in my opinion.

It's light enough and minimalist enough (thin minimal waist belt) to wear it climbing or as a day/summit pack.

The ice tool cinch cords are weak and one of mine broke off. Other than that it's been solid.

I thought this alpine pack was a real bargain at $99. 2400 cubic inches and just a smidgin over 3 lbs. With a main compartment, top panel, two ice-axe loops and compression straps, it is fairly spartan and that is a plus. Besides primary use as a crag pack, you can use it for day hiking and it's even plenty big to use as an overnight pack if you're not taking along pots and pans.

In spring 2007 I purchsed the Marmot Eiger 65. This model has one serious drawbacks. It is very difficult to adjust the straps between the lid and the shoulder straps because of how the clasps are attached. This was very annoying and caused the top third of the pack to always be out of adjustment. Everything else about the pack was great. It carried well with a lot of weight in it. I wrote to Marmot and asked them to fix the strap adjustments and add a full side zip, which would be a bonus.

Hands down the best pack Marmot has ever made. I'm a classic backacker in that I strictly use and promote the 3 pack model; Daypacks should be 10 to 20/25Liters, Weekenders/Alpine Summit packs should be 50 Liters, and Weeklong/Winter/Expedition pakcs should be 70+ liters. By sticking to that rule you can't go wrong and you will save money from all the fads and trends that go and come each year and you will not end up having 20 different packs in your garage after 5 years (like most of my friends).
That said the 30-40 Liter pack range has always been useless for me because at the end of the day you are looking at an extra large heavy daypack or a small weekender that won't work for us normal backpackers. So this pack goes into the garage never to come out until your great grandkids are selling your house 100 yrs from now.

And Funny enough these packs tend to be more expensive than others and tend to carry all the fads on them like intercooled mesh paneling, turbo charged hipbelts and
all-wheel-drive BMW inspired suspension parts.

Now when I came across the 36 Liter Eiger on a recent trip abroad I was surprised by the quality and flexibility of it. You can easily remove the lid and shrink it down to a daypack without losing load stability or you can stuff it beyond the extension collar for a weekend outing and not lose load stability or feel like you have to sacrifice something to fit everything in. This sold me! and had me looking for this pack online when I came home.
Now that I finally got one, I'm realizing how much cooler the Eiger is in the field than on paper.

PROS: Lighter than most packs in this range. Lid comes off easier than other lid-based packs. Plethora of secret pockets that are actually useful. Color coded strapping on Hipbelt is helpful when adjsuting on the move. Higher-than-normal extension lid rim accepts a lot of gear beyond 36 Liters. Durable tough nylon, similar to Dana Design quality, and not that other stuff Marmot uses on their packs. Comfortable shoulder strappings and hipbelt hugs your body and carries heavy loads confidently and easily without the normal sore spots you get from the usual padded, stiff foam straps.

CONS: None really. Marmot discontinued this pack and that sucks but they are still plenty of them online and on eBay for cheap. Hipbelt buckle could be smaller, its like dinner plate sized. It would have been good if the lid turned into a fanny daypack. Side entry zip would have been cool as well.

BOTTOM LINE: Great pack! No fads or tricks here! 5 Stars! Can possiblly concrete an honest niche for the 30-40 Liter packs.