VERY, VERY LIGHT, CLIMBS VERY WELL, SOME ODD DESIGN ELEMENTS, A BIT FRAGILE, A HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING PACK BUT NOT AN EXPEDITION HAULER.
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WE ADVOCATE ALPINE LUDDITES PACKS, BUT IN ORDER TO BE FAIR ALSO TRY OTHER PACKS THAT FILL OUR NEEDS, TO COVER THE ARRAY OF EXPEDITION DEMANDS THAT RANGE FROM MOVING LOADS OF GEAR TO MOVING LIGHTLY AT ALTITUDE. BLUE ICE SPECIALIZE IN THIS SO DESERVE THEIR PLACE AS MASTERS OF CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT THAT REALLY PUSHES THE DEVELOPMENT OF THINGS LIKE HARNESSES, ICE SCREWS, CRAMPONS AND SLINGS, AND NOW THROWS AN EXPEDITION SIZED PACK INTO THE MIX THAT DOES WHAT THEY DO AND IS WORTHY OF ATTENTION.
THERE’S ‘LIGHT’, THERE’S LIGHT AND THERE’S TOO LIGHT, AND EACH IS A DIFFERENT BEAST.
‘LIGHT’ IS THE PATRONIZING MARKETING LINE FOR ANYTHING THAT’S JUST NOT INTENTIONALLY HEAVY. LIGHT IS WHEN THINGS ARE PARED DOWN TO BE ALL THEY HAVE TO BE TO GET A JOB DONE PROPERLY. TOO LIGHT IS WHEN SOMETHING ONLY BRINGS IN A WHOLE OTHER SERIOES OF PROBLEMS THAT NULLIFY ANY SAVING OR ENERGY GAINED FROM REDUCED WEIGHT.
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HIGH ALTITUDE EXPEDITIONS IS NO PLACE FOR PHONEY ‘LIGHT’ GEAR OR GEAR THAT IS TOO LIGHT TO BE RELIABLE, WHICH LEAVES A SURPRISINGLY SMALL SELECTION OF STUFF. WE HAVE LONG AGO LEARNED TO IGNORE WEIGHT AS THE PRIMARY FACTOR, INSTEAD FULFILLING FUNCTION FIRST, WITH ALPINE LUDDITES SPECIALIZING IN THAT EACTLY TO PRODUCE THE MOST SPECIFIC PACKS TO OUR DEMANDS AT WEIGHTS STARTLINGLY LOW FOR THE JOB THEY HAVE TO DO.
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BUT SOMETIMES COMES ALONG AN OUTLIER, WHICH IS OUR KIND OF THING, THAT HITS A SPOT NO ONE ELSE IS EVEN BOTHERING TO PERCEIVE, AND BLUE ICE HAS MADE A WHOLE BUSINESS ON THAT. EVOLUTION IS ONLY HALF ABOUT MUTATIONS AND PHYSICAL CHANGES, THE REST IS ABOUT FITTING INTO CHANGING NICHES AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO. WHERE MOST COMPANIES ARE BUSY TRAILING WHAT THE USERS SAY THEY WANT, BLUE ICE IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW CATERING TO WHAT CAN ACTUALLY DO NEXT. THEY DON’T DO LIGHT IN ANY MEANINGLESS FORM, RATHER THEY LOOK AT WHAT’S NEEDED AND CUT AWAY WHAT ISN’T.
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SO, NOT MANY COMPANIES MAKE DEDICATED 90L ALPINE PACKS ANY MORE. MOUNTAINEERING PACKS, SURE, WHERE THE SIZE IS NEEDED, BUT BIG PACKS FOR REALLY CLIMBING AGAINST GRAVITY IN, THERE’S ONLY A FEW. BLUE ICE HAS CHOSEN NOT TO BUILD A 100L HAULER TO COMPETE WITH THINGS LIKE THE ALPINE LUDDITES KARAKORAM CAMEL, BUT HAS MADE WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR VERY NIMBLE HIGH ALTITUDE USE.
THIS THING IS LIGHT, NARROWLY TOEING THE LINE WITH TOO LIGHT IN WAYS THAT MIGHT PRECLUDE IT FROM BULK CARRIES OF 40kg DOWN A GLACIER. IT PROBABLY WILL DO IT, PROBABLY TWICE, BUT IT WON’T DO IT WELL AND MAY NOT LAST MANY TRIPS.
WHAT THE STACHE 90 PACK IS FOR IS TAKING LARGE LOADS VERY HIGH, OVER TERRAIN THAT DEMANDS PROPER CLIMBING, Y’KNOW, WITH TWO TOOLS AND EVERYTHING. IT WEIGHS ABOUT 900g, AND DROPS ANOTHER 200g IF YOU DITCH THE LID AND FRAME SET. THAT IS REAL MONEY AND SKIMPS ON NOTHING, THOUGH A GOOD PAIR OF SCISSORS WILL REMOVE ANOTHER 100g IF YOU REALLY WANT. IT DOES THIS WITHOUT BEING JUST A FLACCID SACK WITH STRAPS, AND HAS A GOOD CLIMBING SHAPE NEITHER TOO HIGHLY STACKED NOR TOO WEIRDLY BALANCED, VERY MUCH LIKE THEIR SMALLER PACKS. FOR LARGE OPEN MOUNTAINS WHERE YOU WANT YOUR WEIGHT CENTERED AND COMPACT, THIS IS A RARE CONCESSION TO TECHNICAL DEMAND RATHER THAN PLODDING LIKE A DRAUGHTHORSE UP FIXED LINES.
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THE EXTERIOR FITTINGS ARE ALL MINIMAL WITHOUT BEING FLIMSY, AND THOUGH YOU WOULDN’T HAUL WITH THEM THEY COPE WITH NORMAL CLIMBING BLING. THERE AREN’T THINGS LIKE SKI STRAPS, WAND POCKETS, CRAMPON PATCHES OR BUNGY CORD, BUT THERE’S A SERIES OF LOOPS THAT WILL RIG ALL SORTS OF SOLUTIONS.
THE LID ISN’T REALLY A LID AND SORT OF WORKS AND SORT OF DOES’T, AND REALLY IS JUST A POCKET MADE TO SPEND MORE TIME REMOVED THAN IN PLACE, WORKING MOSTLY JUST AS PART OF THE ROPE STRAP. IT’S AWKWARD BUT NOT USELESS, AND THE SHAPE AND SIZE IS GOOD, BUT IF YOU REALLY FIXATE ON HAVING THE SORT OF LARGE LIDS MOST PACKS DO THEN IT’S NOT GOING TO SATISFY. WHEN REMOVED THE ROPE STRAP HAS NO WHERE TO GO, SO NEEDS HOOKING SOMEWHERE AND YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS OURS.
THE SUSPENSION IS BEST DESCRIBED AS REFINED. IT DOES AROUND 25kg WELL BUT IT ISN’T HAPPY BEYOND ABOUT 30 WHERE THE FOAM STARTS TO COMPRESS. THE BELT IS LIGHT AND ALL STRAPS ARE CLEAN AND SIMPLE WITH STREAMLINED AND RIGID PADDING, WITH NOTHING TO GET IN THE WAY OR CLOG UP WITH SNOW. THINGS FEEL STRONG, WITH EXTRA SEW INS WHERE APPRECIATED, AND BLUE ICE HAS BEEN ADULT ENOUGH TO NOT CONFLATE MASSES OF PADDING WITH COMFORT.
NOT UP TO THE RIGORS OF AWFUL LOADS, THIS PACK DOESN’T PRETEND IT IS, AND FORGOES ALL THE COMPRESSION STRAPS THAT WOULD GO WITH THAT. IT HAS THE TOKEN NEEDED TO STRAP THINGS LIKE PADS TO THE SIDES, BUT THE LITTLE G-HOOKS ARE HOPELESS AND ARE BETTER TAPED IN PLACE.
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MATERIAL-WISE IT’S A DYNEEMA RIPSTOP SO HAS MANY ADVANTAGES FROM THAT, AND THE ENTIRE THING IS ALMOST MADE FROM IT SAVE SOME INTERIOR STUFF THAT IS NYLON. SOMETHING NICE IS THE CHANGE FROM THE LARGEST ITEM YOU CARRY BEING CAMOUFLAGED WHITE, AND THE ORANGE IS APPRECIATED ACROSS THE DISTANCES THIS THING IS MADE TO BE USED FOR, THOUGH SOME RETROREFLECTIVE BITS WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE.
IT IS STILL SIMPLY NOT AS RUGGED THOUGH AND ANYONE TELLING YOU DYNEEMA RIP STOP IS JUST AS TOUGH IS WRONG. WE PUT HOLES IN THIS PACK WITH TWO DAYS, DOING THINGS FULLY WOVEN UHMWPE WOULD LAUGH AT FOR YEARS. IT WILL LAST BETTER THAN STRAIGHT NYLON BUT IF YOU COME FROM FULL UHMWPE USE GET USED TO THE FRAGILITY.
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WOULD WE USE IT ON OUR TRIPS? YES, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. FAST FORAYS IT WILL BE GOOD, BUT NOT FOR THE CARRIES OUR TRIPS ARE KNOWN FOR. IT IS EASILY LIGHT ENOUGH TO PACK ALONG ON MOST TRIPS BUT IT CERTAINLY WON’T HANDLE BEING STRAPPED TO A HORSE OR ABUSED BY HERDERS. IT WILL THOUGH FIT OUR CAMEL SAFE CRITERIA AND GO INTO THE BLUE BARRELS.
OVERALL THE STACHE 90 IS MADE FOR HARD USE BUT NOT ABUSE, AND FILLS A NICHE THAT WE WANT BUT DOUBT TOO MANY OTHERS WILL. IT’S IS FOR CLIMBING WITH A WEEKS WORTH OF CUTTING-EDGE STUFF WHERE PERFORMANCE MATTERS, AND THOUGH NOT LAMBORGHINI FRAGILITY, FEELS LIKE IT IS. IF WE HAVE ONE WISH IT’S THAT A FULL UHMWPE VERSION WILL COME.