A longtime favorite in the Patagonia line, the Cragsmith (which comes in 32L and 45L) is the brand’s largest climbing bag—and it’s gotten some updates.

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Our Thoughts

There are two types of crag people: the buttoned-up psychopaths who somehow manage to limit their belongings to a single discrete pile in an out-of-the way corner of the crag, and slobs like me who explode across the base of each cliff, discarding gloves here, draws there, and half-empty water bottles on every flatish surface. I am not proud of this. But even though I’ve consciously worked to be neater (and by extension more respectful of my fellow crag denizens), I still tend to arrive at the cliff, get psyched, and yard-sale across the base. But when Patagonia sent me their updated Cragsmith 45L pack last August, I realized something interesting: part of my problem is that I’d somehow never before owned or tested a bag that didn’t load solely from the top.

Turns out: panel access packs are awesome

Great gear accessibility and ease of storage

The problem with top-loading packs is that you only have easy access to the things you most recently placed in them, generally lighter or more fragile items like gloves or sandwiches. But if you want to get at your heavier items (rope, draws, water bladder), you’ve got to take all that lighter stuff out first, which is one reason why slobs like me end up distributing everything we own across 100-square-foot sections of cliff base.

Panel access packs on the other hand can load either from the front (the side without straps) or the back (the side with them), which allows you to lay your pack down and access gear from the bottom or top or middle of the pack without disturbing the rest of the ensemble. You can take what you need right now and leave the rest securely inside your bag.

Patagonia’s Cragsmith series has the best of both worlds: both rear panel and top access. The rear panel allows you to lay the pack down with the straps up (i.e. out of the dust or snow or mud) to access your gear. The top panel allows you to reach in for your windbreaker or sandwich without unzipping the whole pack. The semi-stiff walls and tub-shaped opening, meanwhile, give the pack walls more integrity than a typical pack, creating a spill-resistant pouch for gear (or dogs) even when the back panel is open.

That same stiffness, however, decreases the pack’s malleability: You can’t simply tighten the pack down into a smaller footprint if you haven’t filled it to the limit. That makes it a poor option for those craggers who also want to carry it up the occasional multi-pitch—though the reinforced handles make hauling an option.

The pack also has a nicely sized lid pouch—large enough for a guidebook—with an interior zip pouch with a key-chain hook for mustn’t-lose items like keys, wallets, and wedding rings.

Should you get the 45L or the 32L?

I tested the Cragsmith 45L, not the 32L, so I can’t provide a detailed breakdown of how the latter pack might support my climbing days. But I can say that the 45L was quite large—and that I like the size. It comfortably fits my 70-meter rope, 15 quickdraws, grigri, harness, two to three pairs of climbing shoes, chalk bag, extra chalk, tape, brush, kneepad, gloves, shorts, long underwear, extra jackets, down booties, a four liter water bladder (the desert sucks me dry), lunch, and snacks—and without having to play a frustrating amount of Tetris or strain the zipper to get all in there.

That said, the 45L might feel unnecessarily large for climbers in seasons or climates where the temperature doesn’t swing from 25° to 55° and back to 25° during an eight-hour session. Similarly, if you carry your rope outside your pack (it can support a rope draped over the top), the 45L may be a bit roomy for your needs—so you might want to give the 32L a spin.

Comfortable for heavy loads—but make sure you get the right size

The Cragsmith is a very comfortable pack, but make sure you get the right size for your body. Ridiculous though it sounds—and despite having carried it to numerous sport crags around the U.S., including some with hour-long approaches—the longest “hikes” I’ve done with my Cragsmith 45L were in the airports. Last November I was in Salt Lake City, on my way to the Siurana Climbing Festival in Spain, when my flight was delayed by three hours. Knowing I was about to spend the rest of the night in the air and most of tomorrow waiting for my now-rescheduled connection to Barcelona, I started walking—carrying a rope, draws, shoes, chalk, a week’s worth of clothes, two books, a notebook, a computer, and several liters of water I’d stockpiled for my overnight leg, probably about 50 pounds in total. I walked five miles in the airport, then flew 10 hours to Amsterdam, where I spent another seven hours walking around while waiting for my thrice-delayed next flight. By the time I arrived in Barcelona, I’d done something like 12 miles and my hips were chafed raw thanks to the waist harness… But it wasn’t the Cragsmith’s fault!

My problem was that the sample I tested is a large, but I’m not even 5’9”, and I have an ittybitty torso, so I’d be better off in a small or a medium. The large means that I can’t get weight on my shoulders and my waist at the same time—which isn’t exactly ideal for long high-weight walks. But my 5’11” friend tried the pack out, it fit him perfectly. Not all stories have morals but this one does: Make sure you consult Patagonia’s pack-sizing guide before purchasing.

The Cragsmith is relatively versatile—but it’s best for cragging 

The Cragsmith 45L is the single best crag pack I’ve ever used, but it’s not an especially versatile backpack. While I did use the Cragsmith 45L as my main bag during that trip to Spain last fall, it was a bit too small to serve as a true international travel bag, forcing me to carry some spillover items in a smaller backpack carried on my chest. Meanwhile, as I noted above, the stiff outer structure means that the pack doesn’t condense when it’s under filled, which makes it annoyingly bulky for most multi-pitch excursions, or for those lucky days when your buddies offer to carry both the rope and the gear. Still, I’ve never had a better crag pack. And I’ve been recommending it to everyone—you included.

Related:

• Scarpa’s Newest Shoe Made Me Feel Like a Con Artist

• Why This Quickdraw Should Be in Every Sport Climber’s Pack

The post Patagonia’s Cragsmith 45L is the Ultimate Crag Pack appeared first on Climbing.