I don't have a car, but Deuter backpacks have created a way for me to have an easy commute, no matter where I am going. The packs allow me to stay organized, comfortable, and active. My daily needs vary, but with a minimum of three different packs, and a luxury of five, I am able to easily travel to the next adventure.
My go-to pack is the Cruise 26 SL. It easily accommodates my daily working needs for a long day away from home. On a recent week day the Cruise accommodated my needs for the day. I was bringing my laptop for work, a change of clothes for the climbing gym, climbing shoes, my harness, and my six course lunch, which included fruits and veggies for juicing. It is comfortable to wear during a bike ride into town where I work. Most of the time I take the bus- and the hip buckle has a perfect pocket for my bus pass.
This ski season was my first season of backcountry skiing. I often found myself playing hooky and heading to the backcountry to go skiing, bringing the Cruise with me. Earlier this year I had an epic day in Rocky Mountain National Park with some good friends. My temperature varied considerably, and I needed lots of room for my AVY gear and layers of clothing I peeled off after a few minutes of skinning. Thankfully there were perfect interior pockets for my shovel and probe, leaving plenty of room and good interior organization, within the pack, for my clothes. This was my first year of back country skiing and I ended up skinning up a hill too steep and need to post hole my way down (sigh). Luckily I was able to easily slip my skis onto my pack with the outer loops. I also enjoy the option of a hydration bladder or exterior pockets for a water bottle. During my first season of backcountry skiing I found that it was much too cold to have a water bladder- less you want to dehydrate due to frozen water. In the past I have fought with other packs- digging through the depths of my gear to find my water bottle. The two exterior pockets on the Cruise allow me to quench my thirst efficiently during the uphill-skin-hustle.
Ski season ended very early this year in Colorado. This left me bringing out my Deuter Guide 40+ SL to head out climbing in early March! After some outdoor training in Boulder, I headed out to Indian Creek with a good girlfriend to run up some cracks! It snowed. So we headed to Shelf Road to play on some sport routes. Fortunately the Guide accommodates for any climbing adventure, and I was easily able to switch from trad to sport gear. The pack is conveniently set up have either one large compartment or be divided into two. I typically divide the pack via the internal middle zipper. This leaves the top compartment for my rope and helmet, while the bottom holds my shoes, harness, and mini rack. The top zipper holds my guidebook and house keys. Also on the top flap, there is a hidden compartment underneath for valuables. This is a great place for my headlamp, wallet, and emergency shot block. If I am stuck carrying the rope and the rack- I simply (slow down considerably) put all the gear in the body of the pack and clip the rope on top.
If I'm not commuting to the crag, I bring the Guide for my jet setting to Alabama, Massachusetts, or California to visit family and friends. In a recent trip to Boston, I had no trouble fitting everything I needed for my five day excursion. The top zipper is great for my ID, boarding pass and ziploc filled with 3 oz. of liquids. If I have to pay to check my bag, I usually carry it through the airport and count the additional load as training. When I board the plane the Guide fits easily in the overhead bins. And when I need to pull out my running shoes for a quick zip around downtown Boston, the side zipper allows me to easily sift through my layers of luggage and pull out what I need.
Stay tuned for my next post on about the ACT Trail 20 SL, Speed Lite 15, Compact Air Exp 8 SL which I bring along on other types of daily commutes.
–Alana Russell (Core Ambassador)
Keep bipedal travel – by bike, ski, or foot – organized and efficient!
- Learn all about the technical, performance driven Guide 40+ SL at Deuter.com
- Pick one up from Backcountry.com
- Grab your own at Rock Creek
- See how the Cruise 26 SL keeps you organized in town and on the trail at Deuter.com
- Buy one from Backcountry.com