Ski/Snowboarding bags.

Ichu_sl said:

I know there are some avid skiers/snowboarders on this forum. Anyone have any recommendations for a backpack on the hill?

I've just been using my school bag and it's bulky and shifts around on my back. I don't carry a lot. Mostly a few sandwiches and a bottle of water for me and my GF plus the odd gloves or scarves.

Any comments on chest strap backpacks compared to shoulder?

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I use a Dakine backpack. It is probably 12+ years old so you won't find the exact model that I use, but what I like is that it has a place to keep a hydration bladder and a good system for strapping either skis or snowboards to it for backcountry stuff. Still small enough to where I can use it at the resorts for hauling around some layers, lunch and maybe a camera without seeming to cumbersome.

If I had a bunch of money I would get one of theseNorth Face Avalanchepacks, but I don't. They run around $1,200 but if you are regularly in the back country then I think it is a must have.

How much is your budget? Do you need back country features? I'll second the Dakine recommendation. The Dakine blade is a great pack. That said, there's lots of great packs on the market.

Dakine's one of the better brands out there. I've got one that must be approaching 10 years old and it's still in pretty good shape. That said, I don't use it a whole lot as I really prefer to not ski with a backpack because of obnoxious Aussie lifty fucks making me take it off. And it screws with my balance. When I go back country I use a cheapo MEC bag I picked up because the Dakine bag isn't very big, and the ski retention system isn't big enough for today's super fat skis.

I'm personally not a fan of the air bag systems. If you're doing mechanized skiing, I can see why the operation would want you to use one for liability reasons. Otherwise if it's self-powered backcountry riding, you shouldn't ever be putting yourself in a position where you'd need to use it, they're dead weight, and they can give an inflated sense of security to people.

Eomer_sl said:

I'm personally not a fan of the air bag systems. If you're doing mechanized skiing, I can see why the operation would want you to use one for liability reasons. Otherwise if it's self-powered backcountry riding, you shouldn't ever be putting yourself in a position where you'd need to use it, they're dead weight, and they can give an inflated sense of security to people.

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You could make the same argument for helmets. You shouldn't ever be putting yourself in a position to need a helmet, but accidents happen. Or avalanche beacons for that matter. If you are going to be in the back-country you cannot 100% eliminate the risk so the more safety equipment you have the better. You know, in case an accident/miscalculation/etc happens.

I do agree with the inflated sense of security though (and also chuckled at the unintentional pun). You shouldn't ever ski anything that you wouldn't otherwise just because you have the airbag system.

Ichu_sl said:

I've never had staff members tell me to take off my backpack, though I've been out less than 20 times. It's annoying having such a bulky bag while riding the chair though, and because it's so big everything shifts in it while I am riding.

I have to admit I haven't done much research yet. Do these bags have any specific features that would set them apart from a daypack or regular backpack? I have just seen that you can strap equipment onto the back, but that isn't a big deal for me. Do they have specific straps inside the bag itself for keeping stuff from rolling around?

I just want something that is smaller, will keep food/drink from shifting around too much, and stays centered on my back.

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If you aren't worried about hiking around with your skis/snowboard strapped to it or anything like that, something as simple as a Camelbak should work for you. The Camelbak HAWG should be plenty of space to carry your lunch plus an extra layer of clothing.

Ichu_sl said:

I've never had staff members tell me to take off my backpack, though I've been out less than 20 times. It's annoying having such a bulky bag while riding the chair though, and because it's so big everything shifts in it while I am riding.

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I haven't skied with a backpack in a few years, so maybe they've backed off a bit on it. I know at Louise and Sunshine a few years ago they were fucking militant about it, to the point of stopping the lift if you ignored them and didn't take it off before sitting down. The main reason they do it is to prevent people getting caught on chairs with straps getting wrapped around things. Hilariously, that actually did happen to me at Marmot one year. One of the loops at the end of a strap managed to go under a the chair and get caught on a bolt. It was on the old Caribou chair where you go down a ramp after getting off the chair and it keeps going for another 30 feet before turning around. When I went to get off I felt a tug, and ended up suspended 6' off the ground by my backpack. I had to stand on the lifty's shoulders, unstrap the backpack, and fall to the ground.

Still though, that was an old shitty chair with plastic slat seats and bolts everywhere. Modern chairs it never happens.

I have to admit I haven't done much research yet. Do these bags have any specific features that would set them apart from a daypack or regular backpack? I have just seen that you can strap equipment onto the back, but that isn't a big deal for me. Do they have specific straps inside the bag itself for keeping stuff from rolling around?

I just want something that is smaller, will keep food/drink from shifting around too much, and stays centered on my back.

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As far as compartments inside, possibly. Some of them are made to integrate well with shovels and probes and have compartments for them. The alternative is just getting some smaller zipper bags that you can store stuff in. That's what I do when I go BC hiking to keep things organized. Past ski/board retention systems, the only other thing I can think of that comes to mind is some will have insulated sleeves for hydration packs so the line doesn't freeze. That's about it.

Just go to MEC, Atmosphere, or some ski shops and take a look around. There's about a million options out there, and especially for backpacks they're something you should probably try on in person before buying.

haha yeah, that was me pretty much.