SUMMIT PACKS

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SUMMIT PACKS USED TO BE STANDARD IN HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING BUT HAVE GRADUALLY DWINDLED AS STYLES HAVE CHANGED. GEAR GENERALLY GOT SO MUCH LIGHTER AND MORE COMPACT ON ONE HAND THAT JUST ONE PACK WAS NEEDED FOR A LOT OF STUFF, AND IN 8000m CLIMBING THE BLANKET USE OF BOTTLED OXYGEN MEANS HAVING TO USE A FULL SIZE PACK ALL THE WAY TO THE SUMMIT TO CARRY IT. DESPITE MANY PACKS HAVING ‘SUMMIT’ IN THE NAME, MOST ARE NO MORE SPECIFIC AS SUMMIT PACKS THAN EVERYTHING WITH ‘NANO’ IN IT IS SPECIFIC TO NANOTECHNOLOGY, AND PACKS ACTUALLY SUITABLE FOR THE RIGORS AND DEMANDS OF HIGH SUMMIT ARE QUITE RARE.

A SUMMIT PACK IS USED WHEN YOU’VE CAMPED HIGH ON A ROUTE AND CAN’T OR WON’T BE TAKING YOUR MAIN GEAR WITH YOU. IT’S BASED ON THE FACT THAT YOU WILL RETURN TO YOUR CAMP AND LETS YOU CARRY THE BARE MINIMUM FOR IT. IT HAS TO WORK DURING ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING PARTS OF THE WHOLE ASCENT AND IT’S VALUE IS IN BEING SIMPLE BUT SPECIFIC – SOMETHING THAT DOESN’T SELL MANY PACKS THESE DAYS.

THESE PACKS GET USED NOT JUST FOR THE SUMMIT BUT ALSO FOR ANY SHORT FORAY LIKE DAY ACCLIMATION HIKES, ON THE APPROACH, DURING TRANSIT, BUYING SUPPLIES AND CARRYING THE COFFEE SET FOR A MORNINGS RESPITE FROM CLIMBING. BACK HOME YOU WILL USE IT FOR SHOPPING AND THE GYM.

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WHAT YOU CARRY IN IT

FOOD, FLUIDS, GLOVES AND ELECTRONICS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS CARRIED INSIDE YOUR DOWN SUIT SO THEY ARE EASY TO GET AND DON’T FREEZE. WHAT GOES IN THE SUMMIT PACK ARE THE BASICS OF SURVIVAL FOR WHAT COULD BE A LONG FORAY AWAY FROM YOUR MAIN GEAR, WHICH CAN MEAN A STOVE, EXTRA FOOD, SURVIVAL OR SLEEPING BAG AND MAYBE A SLEEPING MAT, SHARED BETWEEN THE TEAM.

IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES YOU MIGHT STUFF AN EXTRA LAYER INTO AND IN VERY RARE TIMES WHEN THE WEATHER IS EXTREMELY GOOD THIS MIGHT BE YOUR BIG JACKET, SO THE PACK NEEDS FIT ALL THIS EASILY.

THE BIG DIFFERENCE WITH ALPINE ASCENTS IS THAT YOU WILL BE CARRYING CLIMBING GEAR. YOUR HARNESS WILL ALREADY HAVE YOUR ‘EVERYDAY CARRY’ ON IT, BUT ON AN INDEPENDANT ASCENT YOU MAY ALSO HAVE RAP LINES, SNOW PROTECTION AND BACKUP GEAR.

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WHAT MAKES A BAD ONE

THE CURRENT TREND FOR ROLL TOP PACKS IS WOE FOR A SUMMIT PACK, MAKING IT MUCH TOO FIDDLY TO OPEN AND CLOSE. ANYTHING NEEDING TWO HANDS IS NOT A SUMMIT PACK. LIKEWISE ZIP OPENINGS ARE A BAD IDEA FOR A SUMMIT PACK BEING THAT THEY CAN SNAG AND BURST WITH AN OVERSTUFFED LOAD.

IT’S TEMPTING TO WANT A PACK THAT IS AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE BUT THIS IS FOLLY, MAKING IT HARD TO STUFF THINGS INTO OPENING UP THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSING VITAL GEAR. POCKETS ARE USUALLY UNNECESSARY AND CAN BE HARD TO FIND STUFF IN IF YOU END UP HAVING TO GO INTO ANOTHER CLIMBERS PACK.

HIP BELTS AND OVER BUILT SHOULDER STRAPS ARE UNNECESSARY, WITH HIP BELTS BEING JUST SOMETHING ELSE THAT FLAILS ABOUT IN THE WIND. WHERE A CHEST STRAP HELPS, THE LOAD ISN’T HEAVY ENOUGH TO NEED TRANSFERRING TO YOUR HIPS.

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD SUMMIT PACK

FIRST AND FOREMOST A SUMMIT PACK NEEDS TO FIT OVER A LOT OF CLOTHING, WHICH RULES OUT SOME ULTRALIGHT PACKS. IT THEN NEEDS TO BE AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, AS MUCH TO MAKE MOVING AGAINST GRAVITY EASIER, BUT ALSO SO IT TAKES UP MINIMAL ROOM FOR THE 90% OF THE ASCENT IT WON’T BE NEEDED FOR.

THE BEST SUMMIT BAGS ARE SIMPLY STUFF SACKS WITH STRAPS AND ARE USED AS STUFF SACKS DURING THE ASCENT. THIS LET’S YOU USE YOUR SUMMIT BACK FOR YOUR PERSONAL GEAR IN THE TENT, WHICH TRANSITIONS EASILY FOR WHEN YOU USE IT TO THE TOP.

A GOOD SUMMIT PACK IS A BRIGHT COLOUR, SO YOU CAN FIND IT EITHER IN YOUR TENT OR OUTSIDE, AND SO YOU CAN BE SEEN WEARING IT, BUT AS MUCH SO YOU CAN SEE STUFF INSIDE IT. FUMBLING AROUND INSIDE A BLACK PACK IS A MISTAKE EASILY AVOIDED.

A SUMMIT PACK MUST HAVE A GENEROUS GRAB/CLIP LOOP FOR EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE – GRABBING AND CLIPPING. DROPPING IT COULD HAVE DIRE RESULTS.

SUMMIT PACKS NEED TO OPEN & CLOSE WITH THE GOOD OLD DRAWSTRING STORM THROAT, A) SO THEY CAN COMPRESS THE LOAD, B) BECAUSE IT’S BOMBPROOF AND C) BECAUSE IT STAYS OPEN WHEN YOU WANT IT TO TO DROP GEAR INTO.

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GOOD PACKS DO EXIST IF YOU LOOK ABOUT, MAYBE TAKING SOME SCISSORS TO SOMETHING NOT QUITE THERE. YOU WON’T USE A HYDRATION SLEEVE, MESH POCKETS, COMPRESSION STRAPS, ICE TOOL ATTACHMENTS, CRAMPON POCKETS, LIDS, FRAMES, DAISY CHAINS OR BUNGY CORD – ALL OF WHICH CAN HALVE THE WEIGHT OF A PACK. LIKEWISE, AT ABOUT THE 15-25L VOLUME REQUIRED, EXPENSIVE MATERIALS WON’T MAKE ANY WEIGHT DIFFERENCE OVER BALLISTIC NYLON SO THESE DESIGNS TEND TO BE CHEAP, OFTEN SOLD AS ‘PACKABLE’ TRAVEL BAGS BECAUSE THERE’S MORE OF A CONSUMER RANGE.