Osprey MUTANT 38 Climbing Pack

I was hesitant to purchase this because I'm much more of a hiker than I am a climber, and it is designed to be a climbing pack. But I found such a good deal on it "used," I pulled the trigger.

Now that I've spent a few short trips backpacking with it, I've completely fallen in love. You couldn't convince me to choose a different backpack for a 2-day cascadian excursion.

It's lightweight, strong, and pretty minimalist as far as pockets and places for clipping things. The exterior has features obviously designed for ice axes and other tools which I repurpose slightly for other gear. The compression straps consolidate the items in this pack into a slim, black, 38-liter adventure-sausage.

I was worried about the hipbelt not being comfortable enough for those 10+ mile hikes, as the pads on this pack are much thinner than the large ones I've seen on other backpacks. I know osprey even has a custom-molding hipbelt service for some of their hiking packs. If you've had similar thoughts, fear not; even with my slim figure and bony hips, I feel like I could go on forever wearing this thing. It also helps that the backing and shoulder straps are constructed with a durable and breathable mesh.

This backpack is inspiring me to investigate ice climbing, as I'd like more excuses to wear it. You'll have to pry this backpack from my cold, dead hands before I use another one.