Backpacks. Who wears them?
Hey y’all!
I’ve been entertaining the idea of maybe getting a backpack for riding this season. The main reason being I tend to drink a lot of water while I’m riding, and its a bit annoying trying to stuff drink bottles in my pockets etc. I figure I could also carry extra layers, or even shed layers if I needed to, and stash my beanie or whatever if I needed to.
A mate of mine rocks a backpack with a hydration bladder when he’s riding and loves it.
I know a lot of back country riders need them, but I get the impression some guys wear them on the slopes to look cool.
Do any of you wear one while riding? Do you thinks it’s practical? Or just another way to accessorize?
How about just a camel pack? Would that be an option?
I’ve got 3 packs myself.
For long resort days, when its hot, I wear just a small hydration pack (Camelback). That holds my keys, wallets and just enough water
For slackcountry days got a small BCA packpack, I think 16L which carries just what I need. Nicely insulated, never freezes up.
For longer trips I got a larger pack that I use as my carry-on luggage too.
I think you probably just need a regular hydration pack with little bit of storage. That way if you are just ridind resort lifts it doesn’t get in the way when on the chairs. Try to get one with insulated pack and tubes, because if it gets cold they can freeze up.
I own two backpacks; a Burton AK Team Pack for the backcountry and a smaller Dakine hydration pack for everything else. To be honest I don’t ride with the smaller pack that often. I like having nothing attached to me when I ride. That said, when I do use the pack I love being able to drink water whenever I’m thirsty. The only time I find it really worthwhile is if I’m heading out for a full day and I don’t want to stop for lunch (epic powder days). That way I can pack lunch and anything I will need for the day. For the backcountry a pack is absolutely essential, so whenever heading out the back I take the big one.
Muesli bars in the pockets FTW!
People with packs annoy me as they are often a lot more shakey and it puts them off balance / adds extra sh!t to their back lol.
I ride with packs quite often.
burton ak paradise 17L for inbounds heavy pow days (to carry avy gear, spare goggles, glove liners and maybe an energy gel pack) - can’t feel it when it’s on
Dakine sequence for shooting, inbounds and most bc
Burton AK 31L for backcountry (no camera days)
Osprey switch 45+5 for big backcountry days
Ride with a backpack everytime I go out. I hate carrying stuff in my pockets so its a no brainer for me. Been wearing one since around 2000 or so. It’s never affected my balance but then again I don’t “max it out”.
Have had several different types (Burton Paradise, etc) but right now I have a camelbak Menace - I only carry a spare of goggles, git of food, small tool, spare straps, etc. Its pretty minimalistic so I don’t even realise I am wearing one. I tend to fill the bladder up with around a litre of water I think it carries up to 2L) in it also which has come in handy to quench the thirst. I found the camelbak range have been most resistant to the bladder tubes “freezing”. The backpack also has straps so I can carry my board if necessary - I hate having to hold a board in my hands if I have to hike.
Little trick to stop the tubes from freezing… After you drink from the bladder, blow back into the tube to force all the water in the tube back into the bladder. With only air in the tube it doesn’t freeze.
yea, i find it quite handy to have a back pack as well.. to have a quick drink etc. but at saying that if i have a mate with me and he has a back pack i usually throw a bottle in his.. i just find it better that way.
I ride with a Caribee hydration pack. Small 2L bladder, and just enough storage space to fit my camera, phone, wallet, keys and tool.
I load it up with chocolate bars and muesli bars, and board all day without stopping!
I fill up my hydration pack with Powerade mix (the powdered stuff). The addition of electrolytes lowers the freezing point of the water, and thus my drink never freezes. Then again, haven’t gone anywhere ridiculously cold yet, only NZ and Aus.
Little trick to stop the tubes from freezing… After you drink from the bladder, blow back into the tube to force all the water in the tube back into the bladder. With only air in the tube it doesn’t freeze.
dam good idea jeremy - I dont know why I thought of that earlier!
I get the impression some guys wear them on the slopes to look cool.
Or just another way to accessorize?
No and no.
Backcountry is the only place for a pack. (Well, unless you have a legitimate excuse like a friend of mine who only has one kidney. Then a camelbak is justified)
I fill up my hydration pack with Powerade mix (the powdered stuff). The addition of electrolytes lowers the freezing point of the water, and thus my drink never freezes. Then again, haven’t gone anywhere ridiculously cold yet, only NZ and Aus.
I’d be careful filling any hydration pack with anything but water. The sugar leads to increased bacteria and growth of mould even if you think you cleaned it out good. Really adds up over time. I think all the big hydration pack manufacturers have a warning not to put sports drinks in them.
i wear a backpack overseas when there is a little more snow but when i board over here in Aus i never seem to ride with one :(
Used to always ride with a backpack but can’t stand riding with one anymore. Just carry the bare essentials (phone, wallet camera at times etc) if I’m thirsty etc. I’ll usually duck in on a toilet break, grab a bottle, skull it and head straight back out, depeding on whether I was hungry or not I’d to grab a snack if need be (lemon loaf and the choc chip banana bread in whistler were awesome to snack on).
When I was working on the mountain I’d take a bag every day as you couldn’t always run of whenever to grab a drink etc and I always carried a shitty pair of goggles in case I had to jump on the back of a sled to get out to the lifts since the bulky helmets did nothing good for the elastic on the goggles.
I do, specifically a Da Kine Poacher since I carry my SLR with me when I ride. It’s on the large side, but it’s fine for fitting in a camera bag and some food / extra clothing / sunscreen.
If I go to a point-and-shoot digi camera for the upcoming season, I’ll probably ditch the backpack or at least ride with a smaller one (my Analog daypack).
i had a small backpack, was like the day pack of a 80L backpackers bag. It was perfect, just big enough for bottled water, extra shirt (spring riding) some food and a camera or something like that. Just tighten the straps so its tight to ur body and ull never know its even there. I had plenty of falls after hitting kickers or riding powder and never had any issues.