Alpinism in a Cold Cold World....

[Dane]

I am an old fart for sure, well past the flat bellied stallion stage creeping on into my crouchity godger fifedom. A sexist for sure but a romatic as well. With little patience for something that doesn't work as advertised or intended.

 

So where is this story going you ask? Sit your ass down and give me some of your precious time and you might well learn a thing or two Somewhere back in the mid '70s I bought a Chouinard, soon to be Great Pacific Iron Works and for the youngsters aboard the roots of Black Diamond, a climbing pack or climbing "ruck" as we refered to them then.

 

1976, with my then almost new Chouinard "Fish" pack on the way to Mt Deborah, Alaska. Anchorage train station I think.

Ray Brooks photo

 

This one was called the FISH pack. Not the FISH company you know and love today but a "fish" pack because the then new balistics grade nylon smelled distinctly like a FISH....more like a long dead fish to be exact.

 

Chouinard and the rest of us thought the name fitting I suspect.

It was tough. But not perfect. I shortened the lid stap, added a 2 liter top pocket to the lid. You had to put a piece of foam in it to save poking holes in your back...but at least the nylon was untouched by misplaced ice screws and tools. Did I mention it was a TOUGH pack.

 

We figured out long ago that 30% of your body was all you wanted to pack on your back for very far. If you wanted to actually climb with a pack on better cut that down to 15 or better yet 10%. So a long approach was good for 55# if you really had to. Climbing? More like 20# better yet less.

 

You need at least 2 quarts of water in the pack for a long day alpine route. Lid is a handy place for two 1L bottles then and now since hydration blatters never work in the cold anyway.

 

Belay jacket, extra hardware, tat line, gloves, simple, tough, haulable, foam pad for comfort and to sit on during a bivy. And the pig bastard must fit. No turid sausages here. Thsi is a real honest to gawd climbing sack.

 

The ancient FISH pack from Chouinard was able to fill all those rolls for some 20+ years. Dead of course at around 10 years but it kept going and going until I worried about it actaully rotting apart. The FISH pack went everywere with me, a big handful of Canadian North faces, more ice than I can recount, expeditions to Alaska, Nepal, SA, rock climbing, El Cap, ect. Used as luggage, climbing, hauling and storage. Finally got to the point I just couldn't get rid of it for sentimental sake.

 

Of course I tried other packs, dead bird, cilo, wild things, and others I can't remember. But at around 30/35L, and did I mention tough it was hard to replace.

 

Then a buddy mentioned Randy Ratcliff's...wood cut prints.

That would be Randy Ratcliff, of Twight fame with climbs like Reality Bath, hard ice, and mixed, ect., ect., ect. Besides climbing really, really hard, Randy carves wood blocks and makes stunning prints in his spare time. He is an artist and a craftsman. That spills over into his other business, Cold Cold World, where he sews climbing packs. Old school craftsmanship, old school more like original Wild Things quality meets the Alpinist, Joe Brown and Karrimore, kind of old school for those closer to my age.

 

 

http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/intro.htm

 

Randy recently took on a project for me and sewed up a custom Ozone with a few minor mods. Production level is stunning. No loose thread, no bs gadgets, shipped on time and nothing extra. It is like finding your life long sweetheart again after a 30 year seperation. I am in love again!

 

For those that don't get "it", no worries. For those of us that actually intend to use this stuff as intended I suspect you can easily see your own needs met here as well. I might surprise myself but if this one lasts even 10 more years of hard climbing on my back I'll be pleased. Cost? $121.00 delivered. Which is a steal! My "Fish" pack was at least $50 back in the '70s. And that was the best money I had ever spent on gear till, now!

 

 

 

 

[Dane]

Here is the "money" pic for the fish pack.

 

 

Although the new CCW pack is great I have asked Randy to do something similar on a new pattern for a couple more packs he is going to make for me. I suspect that pattern "cut" in the fish pack is why the pack rides so well for such a simple design. Basic pear shape with a wrap around bottom panel makes a real differenece in this style pack.

 

I'd sent Doug Robinson an email asking if he had any influence in the GPIW pattern...suspecting he did. Haven't heard back yet.

[thelawgoddess]

That 1976 photo is sweet as all get out! Thanks for sharing.

[Chad_A]

Tough packs to be sure. Still have my Chernobyl; going on 6 years old and I imagine it'll be around for another six.

 

Neat design- how many cubic inches is that CCW that he built for you?

 

Cheers,

Chad

[Dane]

Funny that...long time ago. I could just barely drink legally in WA when it was taken. Wife loves it.

 

Pack is a slightly larger version of the Ozone. Bigger top pocket to fit two, 1L bottles easily and 2" longer in the body to fit my back. This one is about 30/35 liters. Randy lists the Ozone at 2300cu inch.

[WageSlave]

I picked up a used Valdez pack and love it quite a bit. It has a bit more attachments for stuff on the outside, so I guess I usually fail the EuroCool standard. According to CCW's website, its also a few ounces lighter than the Ozone.

[Dane]

Cool packs for sure. I wanted the ballistics nylon of the Ozone for durability while hauling. That is the weight difference over the Cordura of the Valdez which offers a lot more options over the Ozone.

[Dane]

The perfect second's pack on Canadian water ice

 

 

 

[superbum]

sweet! Eagerly reading everything I can on Cold Cold world packs...Have a Cilogear that does not fit me well, and a BD that has been GREAT but is well on its way out after 4 years of abuse. I want a Chernobyl sized pack, but w/ a few changes, namely ice tool loops instead of pick sleeves/buckles, and perhaps some spectra ripstop instead of balistics? Gotta shoot him an e-mail before the summer ramps up. Maybe I've found my Ruth Gorge pack???

 

I'm sure you'll chuckle at this, but would you venture to guess that reaching into a chalkbag while wearing a Chernobyl would be problematic? Can't do it w/ the Cilogear or Wild Things (hangs too long/low in the ass end. Bad for scetchy butt scooting down-mantling too!!)

 

 

[keelanmj]

Nice looking packs. After being frustrated with the over-designed commercial packs out there, I decided to sew my own last summer. Its inaugural trip was the complete north ridge of Stuart. I even hauled the thing up that one flaring chimney-like pitch and nothing crapped out on me. Since then it has been on many other trips including packing ski's on an attempt of Rainier. It actually looks very similar to these packs; just with dual gear staps/axe loops on the back and no top lid. The thing is made out of 1000 cordura but is still super light and even has a luxurious removable back size bivy pad in it. I think simple is best. Many commercial packs try and cater to too many activities or comfort levels without excelling at anything. CCW looks like they make the kind of packs I like. Maybe I can get some ideas for my next design (very slightly bigger, balistic nylon, dedicated ski slots, ice tool holsters, top lid, etc).

 

Anyone have an opinion on tool holsters (with buckles) vs traditional ice axe loops? (Remember, I want to be able to haul all my packs without too much trouble ie. stuff breaking or getting caught on ledges/trees, etc.)

[Matt Kidd]

Anyone have an opinion on tool holsters (with buckles) vs traditional ice axe loops? (Remember, I want to be able to haul all my packs without too much trouble ie. stuff breaking or getting caught on ledges/trees, etc.)

 

Probably the traditional loops are less likely to get damaged while hauling, but if you have curved tools like Nomics you'd like to carry on the outside of your pack the trad loops won't work for you... Those straight tool slots with buckles on the bottom never seemed that sensible to me - extra material and no versatility IMHO. Better the slot in the center that catches the picks with the buckles to pin them in. At least they can carry any tool and are low profile... Dane has a CCW pack with this system, pic?

[keelanmj]

Ya, I am leaning toward the slot in the middle with buckles (that's what I mean to describe by "holsters", not those POS things on dakine packs for the shovel). I will even make sure the buckles are behind the slot (hidden) so they don't get scratched up easily and end up breaking. Wish there was a good buckle-less system... maybe I will have to use some ingenuity.

[RafalA]

Instead of the slot, how about one thin pocket across the bottom of the pack that the whole head of the tool would slide into? Think of the side-pockets on big expedition backpacks, although not with so much volume, and on the back of the pack instead of the side. A simple cinch strap above this, and the usual velcro or cinch-strap for the shaft, should keep the tools secure.

 

I've been struggling to attach Nomics to an Arcteryx Khazri 35 pack, and this is the idea I came up with. Now I just need to sew it on...

[Matt Kidd]

Actually that's exactly what I had sewn on my pack. It's not bad, but if I were doing it over I would probably do the slot. When your pack is really full you have to really stuff the tools in, and I wouldn't want to make it more loose for all the time that they aren't on my pack at all. Works though, and I couldn't get the slot sewn on my pack because the crampon pouch comes to low.

[Dane]

I have used a Khazri 35 some. Nice pack but I really wanted to take a knife to all the straps. I decided the entire ice axe attachment thing was silly on a basic climbing pack that I might actually haul or have to climb in. So I had dbl rope straps added on top of the pack and lay my tools across the top and strap them down along with anything else that needs to go there, rope and crampons are common as I run out of room. But the helmet and crampons usually go inside the pack. Works with any 50cm tool easily.

 

If you are using Nomics...they can go shaft first into the pack with the picks out the top and off to the side. Perfect size for me walking into long one day technical climbs and most importantly to climb in if I am not bringing bivy gear.

 

Lids are removeable. Same packs different materials.

 

 

 

 

 

[RafalA]

Yeah, stashing them under the lid, inside the pack or just otherwise attaching them in a way that Arcteryx did not provide for seems to be best. Not to mention that the little gold-toggle attachment thingy doesn't play well with Nomics either... gotta say, first piece of their gear that I'm finding under-designed. Nice little pack otherwise, though.

[keelanmj]

Ive got Awax's so they will be easier to mount than nomics. How about 2 sets of slots (just a piece of 3/4" webbing sewn wide enough for the shaft to slide through) on the outside of the pack (2 for each tool) and then just slide the tools through with the heads on the top? With a lid on top of the pack, the axes should stay down tight. (make sense?)

This way there would be no need for buckles for the axes at all (except for the ones on the top lid which are already there) and there wouldn't be too many dangling modifiers hanging off. I would, however, have to attach one traditional axe loop for the large straight shaft mountaineering axe because if it's head was at the top, the end of the shaft would stick below the bottom of the pack. Talk about a pain in the ass...

[Dane]

Anything that works. Your idea sounds good to me. I like to use a system that will work for any of my tools and not be tool specific.

 

Nomics and some of the newest tools can be an issue.

This is a bigger custom Chaos Randy recently sewed up for me and Nomics or Fusions carry fine in it as would any traditional axe.

 

[AlpineJustice]

Dane,

 

I recall there being a page on this forum somewhere that looked very similar to this but discussed modifications you requested for the Ozone. It was a pack that you'd added more 'bell' shape to the top. One picture still depicts it above in-part, but the details you had included no longer seem to be available. Is that info online anymore?

[Dane]

AJ, sorry I missed your question earlier. A few have asked so I just rewrote the info you are likely looking for.

 

Link below.

 

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-climbing-pack.html