Darkness had fallen as two buddies and I stumbled by means of the final third of a bushwhack to a late spring ski line hidden deep inside Colorado’s Gore Vary. After collapsing into camp many hours later, it dawned on me — I hadn’t died of hip and shoulder ache from carrying such a heavy load in an ultralight backpack.
In fact, my legs felt the heavy payload, however the pack itself, the Blue Ice Stache 60 ($300), had disappeared onto my hips, shoulders, and again.
Given the Stache’s ultralight design, minimalist padding, and aggressive price ticket, relative consolation is just not what I anticipated. However over the course of a number of months carrying heavy hundreds into the mountains, that first impression carried by means of.
However ultralight and average worth comes at a value — often sturdiness. After a number of tiny holes shaped in high-wear areas, I couldn’t assist however ask myself, did Blue Ice go too far in its pursuit of shaving weight?
Briefly: The Blue Ice Stache 60 checks nearly all my packing containers for an ultralight backpacking and mountaineering backpack. Massive open tube? Detachable lid and body? Competent rope, ski, and ice software carry? Verify, examine, and examine. However the place the Stache 60 actually stood out was its capacity to increase to engulf days’ value of substances after which pare down into a lightweight and quick day pack.
All that, and did I point out it’s ultralight? Nearly alarmingly so at 862g. There’s a sturdiness tradeoff there, however by chopping again on frills and options, Blue Ice put collectively an actual contender of a lightweight and quick mountain pack for folk who wish to journey deep into the mountains and are prepared to deal with it with some degree of care.
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Materials
210D Robic nylon ripstop - Inner pouch for bladder or oxygen
- Detachable lid
- Inner zipped accent pocket
- A-frame ski carry choice
- Detachable spring metal body
- Helmet holder appropriate
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Weight
920g/700g summit weight - One dimension again size
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Ultralight -
Comparatively comfy minimalist padding -
Easy and streamlined -
Versatile design
Blue Ice Stash 60 Evaluate
Format & Supplies
The Blue Ice Stache 60 is about so simple as it will get. It’s a tube with a number of well-placed straps, minimalist padding, and refined but practical options. Along with the large most important compartment, the pack sports activities two inside pockets. There’s one that may maintain a 3L water bladder (or an oxygen bottle for these customers who discover themselves on 8,000m peaks). Then, there may be one other beneficiant necessities pocket proper under the opening.
The principle 210D Robic nylon ripstop material could be very gentle. After a number of in a single day backcountry ski journeys in Colorado’s Gore Vary, the pack was wanting removed from new. It didn’t assist that I used to be purposefully dealing with sans take care of testing functions. Some scuffs began to point out on the skin, and a ski edge had reduce into the aspect.
Did a smidge of concern cross my thoughts whereas I used to be packing for a 3-day ascent of Mt. Rainier a number of weeks later? Positive. I may image a situation the place all 40+ kilos of substances burst out of the pack from that small tear, scattering throughout glacial ice and dooming the climb. However the Stache hadn’t let me down but. And I didn’t significantly consider that it could fail catastrophically with out giving loads of apparent warning indicators.
Shapeshifting Physique
So I discovered myself within the parking zone of one in all Mt. Rainier’s Japanese routes, stuffing the Stache to its absolute restrict. Sleeping equipment in first — Western Mountaineering’s Alpinlite sleeping bag and Out of doors Vitals’ Oblivion sleeping pad. Subsequent went my large puffy North Face Pumori jacket, additional layers, and range. Then, all my meals for the subsequent 3 days.
Many kilos of glacier climbing gear piled on subsequent, adopted by 3L of water, meals, and the whole lot else, plus bonus meals that I wasn’t certain I’d have room for. The principle compartment was maxed out. The higher overstuff skirt equipped the additional quantity that I couldn’t have gone with out.
As soon as it was stuffed, I began lashing gear to the skin utilizing a beneficiant array of loops, straps, and anchor factors: rope below the lid, picket below the compression straps, mountaineering boots connected on the entrance and tucked below a strap. Final, I used a helmet internet from a unique Blue Ice bag to safe my mind bucket.
After a number of miles of mountaineering to the one backcountry camp we may reserve on the route, I dumped the gear, arrange basecamp, and repacked the Stache 60 with gear our crew of three would wish for the 15-hour summit try starting at 9 p.m.
That equipment took up considerably much less area, however the overstuff skirts folded downward and tucked into the pack. I eliminated the lid, which made it seem like a 40L pack of an analogous type. Three compression straps on both sides helped cinch down the load and additional cut back the pack’s quantity.
The Blue Ice Stache 60 may be stripped even additional for the gram counters by pulling the 74g wire body and foam sheet out of the again panel, dropping the load to 636g. You lose some construction and carrying consolation. However severe alpinists and ultralight backpackers will admire the minimalist choice.
Carrying the Stache
I’ve examined many ultralight backpacks over the previous few years. If I’ve realized something, it’s that padding is the very first thing to go when designers are chopping weight. The Stache 60 isn’t any completely different. The hip and shoulder straps are completely Spartan, however surprisingly, that didn’t make the pack uncomfortable.
Even with cushier packs, just like the Osprey Mutant 52, I’ve come away from mountaineering journeys with bruises on my hips from carrying heavy hundreds over lengthy distances. However after 20 whole hours of mountaineering over two days on Mt. Rainier, nothing.
In truth, throughout on a regular basis I’ve carried this pack with heavy hundreds, I haven’t been perturbed by discomfort or straps digging into the meat of my shoulders and hips. That’s outstanding, contemplating simply how little padding this pack makes use of. Blue Ice did so much with slightly on this one.
I continued to understand how properly the pack carried over tough terrain. My stability wasn’t thrown off fairly like it’s with bulkier backpacking packs. I felt agile whereas scrambling over rock.
A part of that levity comes from the detachable spring metal body. That does a very good job of distributing the load and giving the pack good kind, even when loaded down. Plus, it has load adjuster straps, which aren’t at all times included in ultralight packs, to assist stability the load. The entire thing is low profile and rides near your physique, too.
Detachable Lid
The pack’s 75g lid is attention-grabbing. I’d name it “refreshingly easy.” Others may see it as an afterthought. Regardless, its 2-3 L of capability was simply sufficient for my toiletries, headlamp, sunscreen, sun shades, and on-deck snacks. Good factor, too, as a result of it’s the one exterior pocket on the pack.
Like loads of different packs, it’s designed to separate from the remainder of the pack. It stays on theme right here, too. It shuns cumbersome buckles and as an alternative depends on two double hooks that connect with loops on the skin of the pack. A 3rd loop accepts the rope strap from the primary a part of the pack, which has loads of slack to accommodate a full loadout with a rope draped below the lid.
When the overstuff skirt expands to engulf most hundreds, the lid attaches greater up on the pack’s physique. It by no means restricted the quantity.
The lid is barely floppy when the pack isn’t full, although. Happily, the Stache capabilities and appears utterly regular with out the lid on high. After I didn’t want the additional capability or the primary physique was solely partially full, I’d merely take away it and toss it in the primary physique of the pack or go away it at camp. It’s so gentle that I didn’t thoughts conserving it in there as an inside organizer compartment.
Sturdiness
Blue Ice targeted on making a lightweight, versatile pack with the Stache 60. As I anticipated after my first double-take on the low weight, that comes at a value of some sturdiness. Don’t get me flawed, the Stache survived many multiday mountain outings. The mountains have begun to take their toll, although.
The pack’s 210D nylon ripstop physique confirmed indicators of abrasion pretty rapidly as I dragged it over rocks whereas totally loaded, particularly on the underside and the entrance. One small gap shaped on the skin the place my avalanche shovel was pressed towards the within of the material. And my sharp ski edge didn’t have bother slicing the nylon when the pack was totally loaded. A little bit additional reinforcement in high-wear areas wouldn’t be the worst revision.
Whereas the pack’s physique was considerably weak, I appreciated Blue Ice’s buckle and hook technique. They used metallic hooks rather than buckles in every single place besides the hip belt, that are much more sturdy than plastic buckles. The continual webbing loops across the pack gave me confidence that I wouldn’t expertise a catastrophic blowout on the route even when the material suffered a significant tear.
Tiny Gripes
Whereas alpinists and climbers gained’t fear about it, ultralight backpackers will most likely be irritated with the hip belt’s lack of pockets. The profit is that the hip belt can wrap across the backpack and primarily disappear or be worn with a climbing harness with out being annoying. That additionally means your snacks might want to discover a journey elsewhere.
My final tiny gripe is with the ice software carry — the dogbones are too chunky to suit by means of the attention of my Grivel G1+ ice axe. They work wonderful with my Petzl Nomic Ice Instruments, they usually’ll accommodate the overwhelming majority of instruments on the market, however nonetheless, there isn’t a purpose I can consider why these dogbones shouldn’t be slimmed down to suit all ice instruments and piolets available on the market.
Conclusion
So, did Blue Ice go too far with this one? On paper, I assumed they could have. However as soon as I began hauling a bunch of substances into the backcountry day in and day trip, I felt otherwise. The Stache isn’t a sturdy workhorse of a backpack — if that’s what you’re after, take a look at the Osprey Mutant 52.
I additionally wouldn’t name the Stache 60 a quiver-of-one backpack for all outside adventures. It’s actually versatile, however there are higher packs for day journeys; for instance, extra comfy and feature-rich packs for backpacking, and extra sturdy climbing packs are on the market. However, the Stache 60 can deal with all these actions remarkably properly at an unimaginable weight and a aggressive worth.
Backside line: I like this pack so much — much more than I anticipated. The Stache 60 is an ultralight mountaineering and alpine climbing pack that may additionally do double obligation for backpacking. It swallows an infinite quantity of substances, pares down for the summit, has the minimalist options you want and nothing you don’t, and carries very properly for its scant weight and padding.
