Couple of years ago, we helped Ultimate Direction to make their first ever skimo racing oriented packs. It was a great experience for both parties and the packs became the most popular selling packs on Skimo.co – specialized ski mountaineering gear store.
For this season, UD is launching their newest skimo oriented pack, the Skimo 20. Again, we had a chance to test the prototypes and provided them with feedback.
While light enough easy-to-use for skimo racing it can also be used for backcountry skiing when you don’t need to bring too much clothing. The 20 litre capacity is perfect for carrying a proper avalanche shovel, probe (up to 47cm long when folded) and spare clothing and food.
The new Skimo 20 is very versatile and comes in two sizes for best fit. The fit can be further adjusted with chest and waist straps that can be easily moved to the most suitable position. To prevent sliding around while skiing or bending down, the shoulder straps feature rubberized stripes that “grip” to your clothing keeping the pack in place.
The pack features a ski hook attachment system that lets you attach skis without removing the pack, easily accessible dedicated boot crampons pouch, water flask or bottle pocket, and a water proof phone pocket.
Another great feature is its mesh back panel with zoned padding. This improves ventilation when you are working hard yet provides enough structure to keep the pack on your back.
While the pack can be further stripped down to reduce its weight and eliminate some features, we believe UD made the right choice and it’s great that you can have just one pack that works equally well for racing, ski touring, or even mountain running or cycling.
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