Why is a ski touring backpack so important ?
Like carrying your home on your back, your ski touring backpack carries all your essentials while you are on the slopes. Whether it's for a day trip or over several days, conditions change quickly in the mountains, especially when you gain altitude.
Your chosen route can also mean you have to take more equipment (rope, ice axe) and lead to you carrying your skis or your snowboard. So your ski touring bag must let you carry everything you need while ensuring maximum freedom of movement so as not to hinder you, uphill or downhill.
Volume, ski or snowboard attachment, ergonomics and storage : find out everything you need to think about when choosing your ski touring or freeride ski backpack.
How to choose the right ski touring and freeride backpack : key criteria
The right volume for your ski activities
You will have different needs depending on how you prefer to ski, so you will need a different backpack volume. The overall priority for a freeride ski backpack is compactness and lightness. For a ski touring backpack, the duration of the trip greatly influences the choice of bag.
Backpack volume for ski touring
With warm clothes, avalanche safety equipment, food and hydration : your ski touring backpack is quickly filled ! A 25-litre ski touring backpack is the best compromise for a day trip.
For a longer outing, on more demanding expeditions, or over two days, for example, a 35-litre ski touring pack is ideal (aim for a capacity between 35 and 50 litres). Your multi-day touring backpack must enable you to carry all your belongings.
Backpack volume for freerando
For freerando use, a 25-litre backpack is sufficient.
Backpack volume for freeriding
A 18 to 20-litre backpack is ideal for a freeride ski trip. You should choose a freeride ski backpack that is as compact and close to the body as possible so as not to hinder your freedom of movement.
The volume is important, but the features can also make all the difference between one bag and another.
A ski or snowboard attachment system
Carrying skis sideways (A-Frame) is particularly suitable for wide skis and spreads the load on the backpack more evenly. For even more stability, we recommend you use a strap to fix the top of the skis together and spread the heels.
Carrying diagonally : these backpacks are ideal for carrying a snowboard. Easy and quick to use, these snowboard carrier backpacks are increasingly common and allow you to carry skis.
Many ski touring and freeride backpacks offer both carrying systems, providing greater versatility.
Practical storage pockets
In addition to the main compartment, your ski touring pack may contain one or more other storage pockets. Storing your safety equipment in a dedicated compartment is ideal for immediate access.
Pockets in the waist belt can also keep accessories within easy reach.
Other small pockets on the front can be used to store your ski goggles, for example, and are therefore very practical.
The main compartment can also be accessed from the side or from the back, making it easier for you to put things away or take them out.
The correct back lenght for comfort
Your bag is directly in contact with your back and so must be comfortable to carry throughout your trip. So a thermoformed or foamed back is ideal.
Another criterion: the length of the back. Depending on your height, too long a backpack can quickly hinder your progress. We recommend that you go for :
-a back length of 36 to 44 cm for a person measuring between 150 and 175 cm
-a back length of 42 to 50 cm for a person measuring between 170 and 195 cm
-a back length of 47 to 56 cm for a person measuring between 180 and 210 cm
Similarly, a women's ski touring backpack will generally offer a shorter back length
Extra accessories
“The little details that make all the difference”. In addition to outer belt-type pockets, Daisy Chain rings allow you to attach a multitude of accessories, an ice axe, for example. Other bags offer multi-function carrying straps for attaching snowboards, ice axes, ropes and other equipment.
Some straps may also be equipped with a zipped sleeve to protect the pipette connected to your water bag from the cold and keep it out of your way.
Finally, most backpacks are compatible with the addition of a helmet for your helmet, so you can carry it more easily when climbing.
Durable and recycled materials
Durable materials are essential, bearing in mind the conditions in which you will be using your ski backpack. Using Ripstop fabrics and high-performance zips ensures that your backpack will be able to survive the years under normal use.
Also, more and more backpacks are now made from recycled materials. For example, we use recycled polyester for our Calgary recycled backpacks range.
So opting for a recycled or even recyclable backpack is gradually becoming a real factor in your choice. With this in mind, we are working towards using 100 % recycled fabrics across our entire range of backpacks by 2025 (progress : 55 %).
A versatile design for both mountain and everyday use
Why not use your ski backpack all year round? Our ARVA backpacks feature a sleek, modern design, as suitable for going to the mountains as they are for going to town or to the office. And what's more, the majority of our backpacks are equipped with a laptop-compatible compartment.
Our ARVA backpacks for ski touring
Our ARVA backpacks for freerando
Our ARVA backpacks for freeride skiing
Our ARVA backpacks for snowboarding
All our backpacks can carry a snowboard
