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i'm hoping to do some hut trips this winter and am wondering what you guys recommend. do you guys bring a big pack to lug gear to the hut and then a smaller one for day trips from the hut, or just use one pack for both? i'm leaning towards the latter option. what size do you guys suggest? i'm not looking to do any real outdoors winter camping, just hut trips, so no need for room for a tent.

right now, i'm considering:

dakine guide:
http://www.backcountry.com/dakine-guide ... -3380cu-in

dakine poacher:
http://www.backcountry.com/dakine-poach ... -2746cu-in
although i'm not sure if this is big enough

osprey kode 38 large (41L):
http://www.backcountry.com/osprey-packs ... -2500cu-in
again, not sure if this is big enough

it seems like it's hard to find a big pack that has both snowboard and ski mode. any/all suggestions are welcome.

I just bought a cilogear 45l for this season, with a shovel pocket ( holds shovel and straps board to bag. )

plan to do a bit of overnights this season wanted something big enough to fit all my gear while still being able to compress it down for day rides.

They have a ton of movies about there packs go watch.

Id look at the 30L or the new 30:30 for hut trips as i assume you would be packing fairly light,

I have the dakine guide. Love it except some of the stitching is suspect. I'd buy it from backcountry so you can always return. I returned my first one and a few straps are beginning to come unstitched on my second one. Other than that the pack has all the bells and whistles and tons of room. Carries great in board and ski mode. Cinches down small for 1 day tours and the back zipper is the best feature everrrr.

I have an older version of the Deuter Guide 45+and a Deuter Glide 35+. Very happy with both for suspension, performance and features. Only gripe is the zipper on the lid tend to separate if the pack is full and you pack the lid to capacity. The versions that I have carry well in both A-frame and solid configuration. I am not sure if the current version of the Guide can do a solid carry, but if that's not a 'show-stopper' I would recommend you give Deuter a shot.

I like the CiloGear stuff, and have several skier partners that use their product with good satisfaction. I do not however know of any splitters using any of their offerings. Would really love one of their Dyneema 45L packs...right after I win the lottery.

As for your question about a 2nd pack, for an overnight hut trip I would most definitely go with a single pack.

I also rock a Cilogear pack for winter overnighters. It compacts down enough that you can do day tours with it and it holds enough gear for camping. Not to mention you will be hard-pressed to find something more durable.

thanks for the input. never heard of cilogear. i'll have to check them out.

bgnight, nice to hear that you're happy with the dakine guide. relative to some of the more hardcore mountaineering brands, it's pretty affordable

I have the osprey kode. It is no problem with space for an overnighter, but the carrying system is not designed for heavy loads. If you pack this full i would NOT recomend it.

Take a look at BD's new mountaineering packs. For example the BD epic 45
Super good carrying system.

just checked out BD. the only snow specific large pack i could find was this one: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en ... alung-pack

doesn't look like it has a board carrying mode.

ive been real stoked on mountain hardwear's packs recently. i have the south col 70 for overnight mountaineering and the wayback 30 for day trips. they have a 45 liter diretisemma? that looks to be a perfect size for hut trips. i had dakine for a while but decided they were uncomfortable and a bit heavy.

Kaston:
Good to see you over here. I have used Rome's Insurgent pack. Plenty of cubic inches and practical. They have recently redesigned it and renamed into the Blitz. It may been downsized a bit. Not sure.

Try the Nirvana Pro 35L from Mammut. Should be fine for an overnighter, I use it. For huts though.I don't think its overly light compared to some, but it fits so nice you don't notice it on.

Has a really good board and ski carry system on it. It is a little small, but its fine, just strap your sleeping bag to the outside for the walk in. If you can make it through this strange video, it shows you the features. I don't even know what half the straps do on mine, but it holds my lunch real good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0aEhH45 ... re=related

The osprey variant is a good option. Only really carries a split in A frame, although you could maybe carry a solid horizontally with the shovel flap.

everyone i've talked to seems to say that you need at least a 50L pack for overnight trips, but lots of you guys seem to be getting away with <40. 40 does seem pretty small for shred gear plus stove, food, etc for camping...