Ever on the lookout for a place to keep my stuff, I was intrigued by Mountain Hardwear's Splitter crag pack. Packed full of rock climbing features, the frameless 2,150ci Splitter makes a few odd design choices that are easily overlooked if what you want is a tough, capacious gear slut of a bag that you'll take to a climb but not necessarily up it.
The Splitter is thusly named because you can zip it fully open so it lies flat with all its innards gloriously exposed. There are pouches for harness, shoes, chalk bag and other stuff. Better are the triple gear loops for organizing your rack and the compression pouch that snugs your heavy rope against your back. Best is the generous nylon tarp that flips out to protect your lifeline from the dirt. A single center daisy chain terminating in a gear loop dresses up the workmanlike exterior, as do the oversized metallic zipper pulls that are a blessing for clawhand operation after a day of power crimping.
Externally there are two mesh pockets and a single slash zipper to a pocket running the entire front of the pack, but it's not bellowed so if the main compartment is full the pocket won't hold anything bulky. There's also a zippered hydration pouch accessible from the top. The odd design choices are the ice climbing features: dual ice tool loops instead of haul points on the main bag, and four ice clipper sleeves on the waist belt instead of gear loops. If you're looking for a roomy rope-bag on steroids that carries a lot of gear comfortably and will stand up to some serious abuse, the Splitter will serve you nicely.
One response to “Mountain Hardwear Splitter pack”
Want. So bad.