Mountain Hardwear Wayback Pack
September 12, 2009
FINALLY this pack is available to the masses. Wait – damn, this means I’m no longer going to be the only one who has it. I’ve been using it since last fall and it has quickly become my go-to for just about everything. I love it for backcountry skiing because the avy gear pocket is big enough, the main compartment has tons of room, and the fit is good even for smaller skiers. I have ample space for skins, snacks, water, camera, extra clothes – everything you need for a full day in the backcountry. And, best of all, the pack has rear-panel access, which is the only way to go, really.
The Wayback is tough, really tough, which it needs to be to tote around shovels, probes, saws, and other avy gear. The fit is the new-ish style that carries the load down lower than we’re used to; but we like it because of the resulting low-pro fit and the stability of the pack. What really makes me favor the pack, though, is the combination of the roomy avy gear pocket and the bottomless main compartment. It’s a rare pack that can hold a 15″ shovel plus a 300″ probe and leave any space in the main pack to put things, but the Wayback has space to spare. I carry a good deal of stuff when I ski and I’ve yet to max out the pack. Two top pockets and two waist belt pockets round out the pocket selection, including a padded fleece google top pocket. The waist pockets can actually be accessed while you’re wearing the pack so no more pesky dislocated shoulders from trying to reach your camera!
Technically this isn’t a women’s specific pack but it seems to recover well from this deficiency by fitting well, thanks to MHW’s careful attention to detail. The waist belt can cinch small enough for us wee folks and most importantly, the chest strap can be adjusted high up for comfort. Chest straps are supposed to be higher than most people think, but for women this is even more vital for what should be obvious reasons. Evidently the pack comes in “regular” and “long” so perhaps the varied sizing helps fit a greater range of bodies. I’m pretty sure mine is the “regular” size which works fine for 5′5″ me.
The one detail lacking is the emergency whistle buckle that for a while seemed to be standard on chest straps. I like this detail mostly for whistling for my dog, but it would also be great in an emergency so it’s a nice thing to include. Not sure if they’ve just fallen out of favor or what, but I endorse them so it’s obvious no one asked ME before making this vital industry decision. Other than that, the Wayback is all I ever wanted in a ski pack – and a hiking pack, a search pack, a climbing pack….
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