DAKINE Blade Backpack - 1824 cu in |
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Retail Price: $99.95
Sale Price: $89.96
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Buy Blade Backpack - 1824 cu in at Backcountry |
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| The DAKINE Blade is on the larger side for mid-size winter packs, with 1824 cu in of volume, but smaller than full-blown multi-day packs, making it perfect for big sled days, long summit ridges, and all-day peak bagging. Zippered side access is quick and easy. A clear map pocket keeps you headed in the right direction, and an external integrated shovel/snow tool pocket keeps necessary gear close by. Skiers love diagonal ski carry, so you're not kicking them as you boot up the mountain. Snowboarders appreciate vertical AND horizontal board carry options. These details make for comfortable backcountry touring: an insulated hydration sleeve for a water bladder, quick draw ice axe/shovel handle holsters, and compression straps for a nice, taut pack. |
DAKINE Blade Backpack - 1824 cu in |
Bottom Line: Great for the fast and light crowd that prefers streamlined space for a dialed backcountry routine. |
Reviews:
Good Pack
I like this pack a lot. It holds a lot of gear in all its nifty little compartments. My only complaint, and you don’t see it in the picture, is it has a ton of straps hanging all over it. Be prepared to do some cutting because they get annoying hanging everywhere.
pretty darn good
This pack is awesome if you are going to use it for what it is meant to be used for. Which is not how I'm using it. I wanted a medium-sized top loading pack for day hikes and traveling. I got a fully loaded everything you could ever imagine snowboarding/skiing pack, which is what I expected and as close as I could get to what I wanted. All in all it’s well made, it has a lot of useful pockets and I really like it. It also fits my body. I'm rather petite but I've got a really long waist. Two drawbacks, its freaking heavy, and it doesn't expand much. But how can you beat an insulated sleeve for your CamelBak tube?!
A weighty argument
This is a very sophisticated pack design. For a snowboarder like me the back panel access is a godsend, as is the ripstop nylon. I fall on it a lot! However, being 'sophisticated' doesn't necessarily mean it wins me over. Socrates would dismiss the poor arguments of some of his contemporaries as 'sophistry' - a term meaning merely being clever with words. I'd argue that this pack is a little too heavy, weighed down by its many clever features. I sense the pack would lose a lot of weight and only a little functionality by Dakine adopting a more minimal bag design. Smaller componentry could be used for weight shavings too. An Occam’s razor for Pack design is needed!
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