Ortovox Haute Route 40
Most stable backpack from the Fall/Winter 2018 Gear Guide.
The Haute Route changed the game for our photographer tester, who, until now, had to ski with pared-down camera kits for better mobility in steep terrain. “It skis like a pack half its size, even when I filled it with 35 pounds on a shoot in Chamonix,” our tester says. “It’s not a camera pack, but I carried everything I needed—including a telephoto lens, extra batteries, and ice screws—without losing stability.” The key is a dense, padded foam backpanel: A cutout in the middle lets your body settle into the hollow, allowing the pack to move with you on downhills. The Haute Route also sports a flexible, aluminum perimeter frame that distributes weight over the hipbelt, while a tapered shape keeps the pack narrow at the hips for better mobility in the steeps.
THE DETAILS
The panel-loading design prohibits overstuffing and facilitates A-frame ski carry. Backpanel access is useful for opening the pack in deep snow (or loading camera lenses).
TRAIL CRED
“The chunky, glove- friendly zipper pulls were easy to operate in a gale-force wind at the top of the Aiguille Verte in France,” our tester says.
Weight: 3 lbs. 5 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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