GearFlogger

Mountainsmith Basecamp Travel System

More stuff to hold your stuff! How can you go wrong with that? Hell, even Martha Stewart used Mountainsmith gear to carry all her crap to prison. If it will hold her face paint you can be sure it'll handle a few racks of climbing gear. But hey, she was entrapped.

Anyway, Mountainsmith knows how to build burly stuff and the Basecamp Travel System is no exception. It's similar to the Modular Hauler System in that it's a duffel with size-appropriate packing cubes, but it's different in that the cubes are not all the same size. Much like, say, gear in real life. The BTS has four color-coded cubes: two small 1/4 cubes, one medium long narrow cube (same size as the two small ones combined end-to-end) and one large flat cube (same size as two medium cubes side-by-side).

Sure, you could use a duffel, but if you crave organizational features the BTS will turn your crank: compression straps, haul handles (on both cubes and duffel) and tie-down points, flat front pockets and one of my favorite innovations for storage gear, a high visibility yellow interior. Think of it as a backpack for your car.

$128.95 at Backcountry

Mountainsmith Ultra lumbar pack

Welcome to the bestest in lumbar packs. The Mountainsmith technical series includes the Epic, Ultra and Sprint. The primary difference is how they carry water: 32oz bladder, dual 22oz bottles and a single 22oz bottle respectively.

I tested the Ultra because I wanted the dual bottle pockets for their versatility. I can carry two bottles for myself if I need that much, or if I do something stupid like the Crow Pass Crossing backcountry marathon I can carry one bottle and a filter pump. I can also substitute a can of bear spray or a medical kit: "Paging Doctor Daniels, Doctor Jack Daniels."

The suspension is so comfortable you will forget you're wearing it. Two plastic stays in an "X" configuration keep the pack suspended away from your nasty sweaty self. The mesh waist belt is both comfortable and breathable. All the usual smart features you expect from Mountainsmith are there too: reflectors, headphone port, high-visibility interior, shock cord for external carry and a four-point compression system. There are even two pockets on the waist belt, one with a velcro lid and one open for gel shots or a can of butt sweat: they taste about the same. Very minor quibble: the bottle pockets could be tilted forward for easier access.

$90 at Moosejaw

Mountainsmith Recycled Day lumbar pack

Mountainsmith has forced me to add a new category to GearFlogger: Green. Not as in jolly toking giants, but as in recycled. Mountainsmith's Recycled Day lumbar pack uses 25 plastic bottles (!) in its construction. Kudos to Mountainsmith for doing something with all my old malt liquor empties.

I've beaten it up pretty well over the past month, including carrying it comfortably with over 20lb for some double-digit mileage days. Bottom line: Mountainsmith has mastered this form factor. I'm not surprised, since I got my first Mountainsmith lumbar pack over 20 years ago and it was bomber then. The Recycled Day pack is even better: yellow interior for better visibility inside, plenty of compression straps to snug it up and two big water bottle pockets that will take 32 ouncers.

For urban/travel use there are reflectors, a ticket pocket, shoulder strap and tuck-away waistbelt, making the Recycled Day pack a great airplane to alps partner. Mountainsmith also makes a strap-on; who knew? Oh wait, that's a "strapette" which is a not-nearly-as-fun-but-more-practical shoulder harness. Sorry kids! Note: models earlier than 2008 used fewer bottles and the product packaging may use old (lower) numbers.

$80.00 at REI

Mountainsmith Ivy pack

The SheFlogger is pleased, and for good reason. She caught me ogling her Mountainsmith Ivy pack, and the irony that men now have to covet women's gear did not escape her.

She has plenty to crow about. The Ivy is a 2lb 10oz alpine screamer "designed for the woman carrying skis, climbing gear and backcountry tools." Let's just read that again: now that is my kind of woman. The Ivy manages to maximize both form and function; despite its good looks there is nothing on this pack that doesn't do something for you.

Where this pack really excels is going vertical. The 1,770ci capacity can be extended using the sleeve to almost 2,000ci, ensuring plenty of room for long gear-intensive day trips and ultralight overnights. You can carry skis in vertical, A-frame or diagonal mode, and a snowboard vertically.

Hydration compatible with gear loops on the back, front and inside the detachable lid that doubles as a fanny pack. The rear tool loops even tuck away. I don't know why that's cool, it just is. The overall geometry of the pack is compact to facilitate arm-swing, so whether you're climbing up or skiing down you won't have to worry about the Ivy cramping your style. It just figures I finally find the technical alpine day-pack I've been looking for and my pesky Y chromosome gets in the way.

$99.00 at Summit Hut