Preparations

Started packing for my trip to Mt. Washington this weekend.

I spent an hour trying to properly fasten my ice axe.

I love my pack, but I’ve never been impressed with its ice axe restraint. It’s like an afterthought. The bottom loop that holds the head is too flimsy and the shaft loop is loosely attached to the lid strap. If/when you have to access the inside of the pack and unclip the lid strap, the shaft loop slides down and your axe falls away. Very inconvenient.

I added an extra strap between the side compression straps. Not really ideal as it pulls the compression straps when I pull it tight. Should probably work though when the compression straps are pulled tight.

Just seems like a marginal improvement for all the effort.

The other issue is my snowshoes.

As you can see they have some gnarly lateral crampons. If I strap the crampon side against my pack, I’m worried the crampons will wear holes through my pack. If I strap them crampons out, they don’t stay on as well and I run the risk of the crampons chewing through the compression straps.

Basically I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

Other options include making some kind of protector for either the compression straps or the pack, or leaving my snowshoes behind and using those of the outfitter’s which don’t have such aggressive crampons.

Eh. Can’t decide.

Between these little complications, obsessing about the weather in New Hampshire, and our product launch this week, no wonder I’m randomly breaking out in hives.

– b