Here’s a crampon bag hack I’ve been utilizing for the previous few years to guard the entrance mesh pocket of my winter pack from the sharp crampon and microspike enamel. It requires the usage of a easy poly bubble mailer (these white padded envelopes used for Amazon prime packages) that’s giant sufficient to carry your crampons, path crampons, or microspikes. I discover that the graceful exterior of the poly bubble mailer slides simply into the cosy mesh pocket on the entrance of my pack and the bag’s ease of use is without doubt one of the chief advantages of this method. These mailing envelopes are amazingly sturdy and I normally get a complete winter climbing season out of a single one. Should you like you may as well punch a gap within the backside to assist it drain if snow adheres to your crampons or spikes and melts.
Moreover saving cash, utilizing a poly bubble mailer can even prevent some gear weight which is a much bigger deal in winter as a result of your climbing gear, traction and flotation aids, sizzling water bottles, meals, and layers are normally fairly heavy. For instance, a repurposed poly bubble mailer prices nothing and weighs 1 oz. Examine that to a Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s Prism Crampon Bag ($59) which weighs 4 oz (113g) or a Black Diamond Crampon Bag ($25) which weighs 5.5 oz (156g). On high of that, a poly bubble mailer doesn’t have a zipper, in order that’s one much less level of failure.
I don’t think about the usage of a poly bubble mailer as a crampon bag to be that extraordinary, however I used to be just lately winter climbing with some mates they usually had been fairly shocked that I carry my crampons and microspikes in poly bubble mailers as a substitute of utilizing crampon bag. It simply goes to indicate, that a few of the greatest climbing gear just isn’t climbing gear in any respect.
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