Helly Hansen Ullr 40
Best features in a backpack from the Fall/Winter 2018 Gear Guide.
Unlike most packs, which are ideal for one sport and passable at the rest, the Ullr aced every adventure we took it on. “It hugged my body like a shadow while I hucked cliff bands, stayed comfy during extended skinning and hiking, and is compact enough to fit under a plane seat,” one tester said after a winter of traveling that took her to three continents. On steep drops off Chamonix’s Aiguille Du Midi, the pack’s contoured foam backpanel and 1.5-inch- wide hipbelt webbing kept it close to her body, while a plastic framesheet and an aluminum stay (plus foam hipbelt wings) handled loads up to 30 pounds. “When I hiked the 12-mile high route between Saas-Fee and Grächen, Switzerland, I appreciated the side-entry zipper to access snacks and layers on the go,” our tester adds.
THE DETAILS
A removable, floating lid lets you overstuff the Ullr—nice if you’re carrying a rope or sleeping pad. It has a dedicated pocket for safety tools, but shovel blades larger than 1 foot wide don’t fit. An insulated drinking tube sleeve served our tester well on alpine starts.
TRAIL CRED
“The horizontal webbing straps are easy to configure for carrying skis or splitboards, so I was able to do both during a week of day tours out of Mission Ridge, Washington, without having to switch out my pack,” a tester says.
Weight: 3 lbs. 8 oz.
Volume: 40 liters
Size: one size
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See more Backpacks for Winter 2018
See the entire Winter Gear Guide
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