Avalanche airbag packs used to be an elusive beast; a rarely seen mountain specimen. But now, airbags are almost as common in the backcountry as beacons, shovels and probes. The packs are still expensive, but prices have been climbing down, and many more companies are getting into the game… including Osprey. This season is the debut of Osprey’s first avalanche airbag-compatible pack: the Kode ABS 22 +10 (as well as the larger Kode 42.) Osprey has proven to make top shelf mountain bike and backpacking bags, but do they hit one out of the park in the airbag realm?
The Osprey Kode ABS 22 +10 features:
- ABS-compatible detachable back panel
- Expandable main compartment
- LightWire frame with HDPE suspension
- Thermoformed back panel
- Contoured EVA shoulder harness and EVA hipbelt with zippered pockets
- Diagonal ski carry, horizontal or vertical snowboard carry
- Insulated hydration hose sleeve
- Ice tool loop
- Stowable helmet carry
- Scratch-free goggle pocket
- Wet/Dry gear organizers
The ABS Vario Base Unit, which is sold separately, was not available for testing with the pack, so this review will only focus on the Osprey pack itself. However, if you do have the ABS Vario Base Uint, it’s super easy to attach. You simply unzip around the Osprey back panel, remove it, then zip on the ABS back panel. Viola! The Osprey Kode 22 +10 is now an avalanche airbag pack.
After multiple uses in the Wasatch backcountry, I found the pack to have everything I could ask for – compartments for avalanche gear and other stuff like extra layers, food and crampons, goggle pockets, helmet carry, burly front panel for protection from ski edges… everything. Let’s break it down:
Construction. The Kode 22 +10 is obviously built with quality in mind. I would expect nothing less from Osprey. They also clearly had small details in mind to make this bag function as a true backcountry pack. The arrangement of the pockets, diagonal ski carry system, hip belt pockets for snack storage, and insulated hydration hose sleeve are nice to see. But my favorite thing is that the pack expands from a 22 liter to a 32 liter. If you’re planning on a longer day and need extra space for more gear, you simply unzip the zipper that encircles the whole pack, and the back panel pushes out to create 10 liters more space. I found the 22 liter configuration for be adequate for almost all day tours, but it’s nice to know that extra space is there.
Comfort. The back panel, shoulder straps and hip belt are among the best designed and ergonomic I’ve experienced. With the KODE 22 +10 fully loaded, weight distribution was very good and I never felt weight shift badly when skiing down. Adjustment systems are the bomb. I love the ErgoPull™ hipbelt where you can adjust the width by pulling on both sides of the hip belt, which makes it really easy with gloved hands.
Function. There are so many zippers and compartments in this pack, I felt like there should be a user guide sent along with it! This is a good problem to have. The main compartment is back panel access, so you can get into the pack to retrieve something without getting the back panel covered in snow. The helmet carry location is perfect and keeps your lid out of the way and secure. The avalanche safety compartment has organization slots for shovel, probe and snow saw. The goggle pocket is lined with scratch-free material. Zipper loops are large and easy to operate with gloved fingers. Thick, adjustable straps on the top and bottom give the pack a huge amount of versatility for diagonal ski carry, vertical snowboard carry, or any other thing you can think of using them for. A hydration bladder slips into a separate compartment with hose access into the right shoulder strap. While it never got so cold during testing that I was afraid the water in my hoe would freeze (a common backcountry occurrence.) Previous backpacks I’ve reviewed had similar features and those worked well unless temps dipped below 0-degrees F.
One gripe I do have about the pack is that to fully open the back panel to get into the main compartment, you have to undo the load-lifter straps that connect to the shoulder straps at the top of the pack. This is annoying and I pretty much just threw my hands up and opened only one side of the pack to get into it to save steps. The clips for the load lifters are also very small, and not easy to undo with gloved hands (and I hate taking off my gloves when it’s cold.)
The Good: Quality construction, functional and clean design, every feature a backcountry skier could want or need, comfortable shoulder and hip straps, compartments and pockets galore, expands from 22 liters to 32 liters when needed.
The Bad: Back panel access is hampered by load lifter straps.
Final Word: The Osprey Kode ABS Compatible 22 +10 pack is the ultimate backcountry skiers bag with the added bonus of easy ABS on-and-off. While it’s not perfect, the overall design and function makes me ready to replace my BCA Float 32.
The Osprey Kode ABS Compatible 22 +10 pack retails for $199.95 and the ABS Vario Base Unit ($949.95) is sold separately. You can purchase both at Backcountry.com