EASILY DISMISSED AS JUST A GLORIFIED SHOPPING BAG, THIS IS THE ONLY SPECIFIC SNOW BAG OUT THERE, MADE TO EXPEDITION STANDARDS.
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SNOW BAGS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE ALPINE CLIMBING KITCHEN, AS VITAL AS A DECENT HANGING KIT, FLUX RING POT OR INSULATED CUP. IT IS THE SNOW BAG WHICH LETS YOU COLLECT DECENT ICE AND SNOW AND STASH IT AT THE READY TO USE, RATHER THAN GOING OUR OR UNZIPPING THE TENT TO THE ELEMENTS. SNOW BAGS COME INTO THEIR OWN ON STEEP ROUTES WHERE THERE IS NO REAL ‘OUTSIDE’ AND SNOW OR ICE HAS TO BE COLLECTED ELSEWHERE AND MOVED TO THE PLACE YOU WILL MELT IT. THIS MEANS IT NEEDS TO BE STRONG, EASY TO CARRY, WELL SIZED, LEAK PROOF, ABLE TO BE CLIPPED OFF, AND IN A COLOR THAT CAN BE LOCATED EASILY WHEN BURIED UNDER SNOW – ALL THINGS THAT ARE MISSING FROM MOST OTHER BAGS AVAILABLE.
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SNOW BAGS ARE USUALLY NYLON STUFF SACKS OR DISPOSABLE SHOPPING BAGS, OR ON SERIOUS TRIPS TEND TO BE RUGGED DRY BAGS OR TOTES THAT ARE BULKY AND STILL DON’T QUITE FIT THE SPECS. WHEN WE PRESENTED THE NEEDS TO JOHN WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED, WHICH INCLUDED BEING ABLE TO CRUSH DOWN TO A SIZE THAT WOULD FIT INSIDE A COFFEE CUP OR POCKET. ON OUR TRIPS THE ENTIRE KITCHEN FITS INSIDE A 2L STUFF SACK, WHICH BASICALLY LEAVES ONLY LIGHTWEIGHT DYNEEMA, BUT WHICH NEEDS TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER EXISTING DYNEEMA BAG COMES IN.
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THIS THING IS NOT ROCKET SURGERY, BUT IT DOES FIT A NICHE IN CLIMBING THAT WAS A GLARING HOLE, AND THAT WHICH IF IT IS TO FAIL CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. LOSE OR BREAK YOUR SNOWBAG AND YOU ENTER A PROCESS OF MITIGATION THAT RANGES FROM THE IRRITATING AS YOU SCRAPE FOR SNOW AND IT MELTS IN YOUR TENT, TO CATASTROPHIC BY BEING LEFT WATERLESS ON A ROUTE THAT REQUIRES CARRYING ICE.
THIS BAG IS MADE TO PERFORM ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF USE, INCLUDING BEING STRAPPED TO PACKS, HUNG OF PORTALEDGES, SWUNG ACROSS STEEP SNOW FACES, USED AS A ROPE BAG, CARRIED TO MARKETS, AS CARRY-ON LUGGAGE AND EVEN AS AN EMERGENCY SNOW ANCHOR. THE STITCHING IS BACKED BY ANOTHER SECTION OF TAPE, AND IT WEIGHS EVEN LESS THAN THE STANDARD NYLON ECO SHOPPING BAG YOUR MUM USES.
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SO IS A DYNEEMA SNOW BAG WORTH THE EXPENSE? IT IS IF YOUR ROUTES DEPEND ON SKETCHY BIVYS WHERE MELTING FOR WATER IS ALREADY A MAJOR FACTOR THE ROUTE DEPENDS ON. LIKE MUCH OF WHAT ALPINE LUDDITES PRODUCES, THE MATTER OF VALUE ARISES, SOMETHING WHICH SEEMS TO BAFFLE THE UNKNOWING OR THOSE SUPERFICIALLY DISTRACTED BY THE PRICE, AND WHO WILL NO DOUBT SEE AN EXPENSIVE DYNEEMA ‘SHOPPING BAG’ AS JUST ANOTHER SYMPTOM OF AN INDUSTRY THAT IS SELF INDULGENT IF NOT DELUDED. TO THIS WE CAN ONLY ASSUME THEY’VE NOT FACED A WATERLESS NIGHT HIGH ON A FIRST ASCENT, WHERE THE VALUE IN CRITICAL GEAR IS MEASURED IN LITERALLY BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS, NOT IN DOLLARS.
