Mystery Ranch Gallatin Peak 40 Ski Touring Pack?

[Poser]

I'm in the market for a new backcountry ski touring pack as I hate all 3 ski specific packs that I own: Black Diamond Dawn Patrol 32, BCA Float 42 and a Scott airbag. They don't fit me that well, they lack capacity and don't carry weight well at all. I tried to make the SG Avail work as well, but the A frame carry loops aren't wide enough for my splitboard in ski mode, no helmet attachment and lack of dedicated pocket for avy gear is questionable from a safety standpoint.

Looking at this MR Gallatin Peak 40. https://www.mysteryranch.com/gallat...TaJl1wMWdcQhAS8VUa44F0p6uPVFqhagTngm4EldBmD4c

Anyone have experience with this pack? There are some mixed reviews on it, but having positive angle load lifters and a pack designed to actually transfer weight to the hips is a huge plus that this entire market lacks.

I ride a hardboot splitboard setup so need to be able to attach my binding plates to the pack while skinning. This pack has a lid which would seem to work well for securing the bindings. Capacity seems right.

​

 

[TradArcher]

I use Jones packs and find they carry weight well for me.

For splitboarding that is.

 

[grainhog]

I used the original saddle peak for a season, then sold it and wrote a review on their website, which I can't find now. This was like 2018. It was a great pack, and at 25 L, I could do almost anything with it that I didn't need to spend the night on. They integrated most of my suggestions into the next generation (better alligator clips, helmet carry, bumped up the volume slightly, dedicated ice axe attachment), but somehow it was just more cheesy and heavy and contrived, so I sold that one and never bought another MR pack.

That was the last dedicated ski pack I bought, other than the 22L BD Cirque vest i wear. For dawn patrol up to half days, I wear the Cirque, and beyond that I use a bare- bones 40L HMG pack that I rigged my own cross carry and ice axe attachments to. I attach my helmet with a single piece of shock cord (that I thread through vent holes in the helmet and attach on a daisy loop on the other side with a tiny carabiner).

In my opinion basically all dedicated ski packs are contrived and over-engineered and heavy and otherwise inadequate in some way. I think my modified hmg pack solves most problems, except that dyneema ultimately doesn't hold up to cross carry forever, and there are no dedicated avy tool compartments.

Also, I'm never buying any pack ever again that doesn't have vest-style storage in the front and elasticized stuff pockets like all the ultralight backpacking packs have now (looking at you, stone glacier).

 

[TradArcher]

I used the original saddle peak for a season, then sold it and wrote a review on their website, which I can't find now. This was like 2018. It was a great pack, and at 25 L, I could do almost anything with it that I didn't need to spend the night on. They integrated most of my suggestions into the next generation (better alligator clips, helmet carry, bumped up the volume slightly, dedicated ice axe attachment), but somehow it was just more cheesy and heavy and contrived, so I sold that one and never bought another MR pack.

That was the last dedicated ski pack I bought, other than the 22L BD Cirque vest i wear. For dawn patrol up to half days, I wear the Cirque, and beyond the I use a bare- bones HMG pack that I rigged my own cross carry and ice axe attachments to. I attach my helmet with a single piece of shock cord (that I thread through vent holes in the helmet and attach on a daisy loop on the other side with a tiny carabiner).

In my opinion basically all dedicated ski packs are contrived and over-engineered and heavy and otherwise inadequate in some way. I think my modified hmg pack solves most problems, except that dyneema ultimately doesn't hold up to cross carry forever, and there are no dedicated avy tool compartments.

Also, I'm never buying any pack ever again that doesn't have vest-style storage in the front and elasticized stuff pockets like all the ultralight backpacking packs have now (looking at you, stone glacier).

You just reminded me of the Whatvest I have for front country splitboard laps, not really for longer tours though. Yeah vests are comfy to ride in for sure.

 

[grainhog]

You just reminded me of the Whatvest I have for front country splitboard laps, not really for longer tours though. Yeah vests are comfy to ride in for sure.

Huh, crazy, never seen those before, pretty cool.

 

[Poser]

Glad to see some responses on this. I ended up getting this MR pack on a Black Friday deal and I really like it. It carries weight close to the body and transfers weight through the hips very well. 40L capacity is perfect for me and I even upgraded to a larger shovel (Mammut Alugator Pro Light/Hoe) since I have more room to work with.

Downsides:
-No ability run a bladder hose through the shoulder strap. I have a winter bladder and hose, but even the insulated hose will freeze if not inside of a pack strap. When touring, I need water readily available. I ended up putting a SG bottle holster on this MR pack and have been using a steel double wall bottle and that's been working pretty well -doesn't freeze up on me, water is always readily available and I can take big gulps with a wide mouth bottle.

-Does not integrate well with a radio + mic. If I place the radio i my pack, the mic wire doesn't snake super well to mount on the chest harness, particularly when I open the pack from the back panel.

Our snowpack in the Southwest is currently horrically dangerous with a significant faceted layer. I probably won't get out again for at least 2 weeks, but I have gotten out in the backcountry about 10x so far this season.

 

[Poser]

I use Jones packs and find they carry weight well for me.

For splitboarding that is.

I looked at them, but the lack of adjustable torso never works out for me. Its difficult to imagine that they would fit any differently than the BD packs. I do own 2 Jones boards though and love them. I've been riding the Freecarver 9000 a fair amount at the resort (weekdays only, though as that sidecut radius is not what you want when it comes to dodging Texans on the weekends). A lot of folks are really hyping the Butterfly splitboard as potentially the best splitboard ever designed. Of course, $1700....

 

[Poser]

You just reminded me of the Whatvest I have for front country splitboard laps, not really for longer tours though. Yeah vests are comfy to ride in for sure.

I look at vests and can't see how they couldn't be stupid hot on the uphill. I'm sure they are great for heli drops, though.

 

[Poser]

I used the original saddle peak for a season, then sold it and wrote a review on their website, which I can't find now. This was like 2018. It was a great pack, and at 25 L, I could do almost anything with it that I didn't need to spend the night on. They integrated most of my suggestions into the next generation (better alligator clips, helmet carry, bumped up the volume slightly, dedicated ice axe attachment), but somehow it was just more cheesy and heavy and contrived, so I sold that one and never bought another MR pack.

That was the last dedicated ski pack I bought, other than the 22L BD Cirque vest i wear. For dawn patrol up to half days, I wear the Cirque, and beyond that I use a bare- bones 40L HMG pack that I rigged my own cross carry and ice axe attachments to. I attach my helmet with a single piece of shock cord (that I thread through vent holes in the helmet and attach on a daisy loop on the other side with a tiny carabiner).

In my opinion basically all dedicated ski packs are contrived and over-engineered and heavy and otherwise inadequate in some way. I think my modified hmg pack solves most problems, except that dyneema ultimately doesn't hold up to cross carry forever, and there are no dedicated avy tool compartments.

Also, I'm never buying any pack ever again that doesn't have vest-style storage in the front and elasticized stuff pockets like all the ultralight backpacking packs have now (looking at you, stone glacier).

The lack of a dedicated avy gear pocket is a bit concerning. If the SHTF and you're not thinking clearly, I could see that being a potential organizational issue. Even the Cody Townsend series HMG packs lack that feature which is surprising.

 

[Poser]

We need to organize a Rockslide split fest some each Spring. I'm down i the San Juans and have a couple of bigger lines I want to do this season.

 

[grainhog]

The lack of a dedicated avy gear pocket is a bit concerning. If the SHTF and you're not thinking clearly, I could see that being a potential organizational issue. Even the Cody Townsend series HMG packs lack that feature which is surprising.

Yeah it doesn't bother me, I'm at least as concerned about a zipper failing on an avy tool pocket as I am about somehow not being able to get to my shovel and probe, which I pack in exactly the same accessible way on every tour. But yeah I don't recommend it in general.

 

[Macintosh]

The lack of a dedicated avy gear pocket is a bit concerning. If the SHTF and you're not thinking clearly, I could see that being a potential organizational issue. Even the Cody Townsend series HMG packs lack that feature which is surprising.

This is preference, not science. Everyone who’s done it for a while develops a preference on type of pack, how they organize it, where they want pockets to be, etc. Those same features are deal breakers for other people. I worked for a ski pack manufacturer (mammut) for over 20 years. Worked with a lot of exceptionally good skiers and snow pros to help design packs the way they wanted. None of them want the same thing!
finally got them to make a pack the way I like, which, of course not a ton of other people did. That pack is at least 10 years old now, still using it happily! It’s 30 L top loader, very light, does not carry weight well because I don’t like to carry weight, and it does not have a zippered pocket for Avy gear. I say as long as it’s always in the same place and doesn’t shift, and you don’t create a yard sale getting it out, you’re good to go. Part of my job was visiting professional customers of ours who used our avalanche equipment, and training them on our stuff. I saw so many different ways to carry shit around, but they all work as long as people practice. That’s the key, it’s not where you carry it. It’s how you practice with it.

 

[Poser]

This is preference, not science.

Certainly. And, of course, snow professionals (not necessarily athletes, but SAR, forecasters, guides, ski patrol etc) are going to be much more rehearsed with their equipment and processes. That being said, on the recreational front, if you consider that many or even most people will function at their baseline level of training when SHTF, I can certainly see the case for eliminating steps in the process. Its probably only a small percentage of recreationalists doing any regular training at all, much less with enough frequency to operate at a skilled level.

Personally, I'm not incredibly organized when it comes to packing a backpack. I wouldn't say I'm unorganized, but the inside of my pack would hardly cut the mustard at Ranger school (I say that because having seen the inside of a former Ranger's pack, my mind was a bit blown by the level of organization). All that to say, I suppose I want to be confident that my partner isn't going to be fumbling for his probe while moving with, what I hope, is a great sense of urgency. But, yeah, overall, I get what you're saying, I just haven't observed a whole lot of confidence inspiring rescue skills in your average backcountry user so they may be better served by having the "dumbest" option available to find their tools and be able to deploy them. Its sort of akin to the hunter who maybe (or maybe not) zeros their rifle once a year and calls it good for hunting vs. the guy who shoots thousands of rounds per year. If you are going to shoot once a year, don't be out there trying to dial your turret for a 600 yard shot with a cross wind.

 

[Macintosh]

100%. Only issue with that is people comsidering the aid of a pocket to be “enough”. What ive seen is that organization is irrelevant if people DONT practice ie the small additional advantage is nowhere close to “enough” to turn a shitshow into a successful rescue. Conversely what might look on the surface like relative disorganization is also irrelevant if people DO practice. The message is that its the practice that matters, not the tool. Personally Id be far more worried about partners with a lack of practice (and team practice) than I would about what pack they use. If you dont KNOW what that persons level of practice is then thats a bigger risk imo than how they carry a probe or shovel. Ultimately its about avoiding trouble in the first place, as even in the best case a burial or being carried has high odds of high consequence in most places. No issue with a shovel pocket, just making the point that worrying about that and not worrying about whether your buddy is going to leave their entire pack behind when they pull out a probe, communicate, probe efficiently or dig efficiently, is putting the emphasis in the wrong place.

 

[grainhog]

Certainly. And, of course, snow professionals (not necessarily athletes, but SAR, forecasters, guides, ski patrol etc) are going to be much more rehearsed with their equipment and processes. That being said, on the recreational front, if you consider that many or even most people will function at their baseline level of training when SHTF, I can certainly see the case for eliminating steps in the process. Its probably only a small percentage of recreationalists doing any regular training at all, much less with enough frequency to operate at a skilled level.

Personally, I'm not incredibly organized when it comes to packing a backpack. I wouldn't say I'm unorganized, but the inside of my pack would hardly cut the mustard at Ranger school (I say that because having seen the inside of a former Ranger's pack, my mind was a bit blown by the level of organization). All that to say, I suppose I want to be confident that my partner isn't going to be fumbling for his probe while moving with, what I hope, is a great sense of urgency. But, yeah, overall, I get what you're saying, I just haven't observed a whole lot of confidence inspiring rescue skills in your average backcountry user so they may be better served by having the "dumbest" option available to find their tools and be able to deploy them. Its sort of akin to the hunter who maybe (or maybe not) zeros their rifle once a year and calls it good for hunting vs. the guy who shoots thousands of rounds per year. If you are going to shoot once a year, don't be out there trying to dial your turret for a 600 yard shot with a cross wind.

If you're skiing avalanche terrain with people who don't know what they're doing, having their tools in a special pocket isn't going to help you if you get buried or strained.