CiloGear or Cold Cold World packs for hiking

A friend of mine let me borrow his CCW Chernobyl 5-6 years ago before I had really got into UL backpacking. Carried my 40lb load amazingly, and at $190 it is not too pricey either. Good people to deal with too.
I have no experience with the Cilogear packs, but have heard they are great.

For the past two years I've mostly used a Cilogear 45 liter Worksack, the standard fabric (Dimension Polyant VX21/VX42) pack not the holycow-is-that-badarse W/NWD Dyneema, and generally like it. For alpine backpacking I give it a 3.9 out of 5.

Fit: I love the harness. It's simple and feels very natural to wear. The hipbelt is similar in that it's not overly done and forms around by hips and locks the pack in place. The belt slips behind a lower slim lumber pad and is attached with Velcro, which can be adjusted a couple of inches up or down to fine tune the length of the torso a bit.

Once you bend the stay/framesheet to your curves you don't feel this pack on your back. For me, the fit of this pack is its best attribute.

Features: I don't use the lid. I prefer the draw cord closure style of packs over the ever so popular dry bag style. Cilogear does the draw cord closure well. It has a spindrift extension to the collar, which I like. The cinch cords are offset from the center of the pack a bit which is a really good idea.

The fact that you can pretty much set up the compression straps any which way you like is pretty cool, but in practice I only configure it one way. I do like to have the option for lashing poky and bulky items to the exterior of the pack though.

There are no pockets on the exterior of the pack. I had Zimmerbuilt make a couple of VX21 side pockets for water bottles that work very well. I don't always use them, but for trips that require more carried water they rock.

The small interior "ninja" pocket is very useful for things like your cash, ID/cards, keys, headlamp, knife, lighter, etc.

The ice axe/tech tools attachment is the best I've used on any pack. What's more, when not carrying tools they're very low profile.

I love that I can strip down the pack, especially the frame components, in a matter of seconds. The framesheet padding pulls out and completes my ground insulation. It's nice for sitting on cold hard rock, snow, and ice too. Many of times I've ditched the framsheet, collapsed the pack, removed the hipbelt, and used the pack as a simple summit pack. Perfect for setting up camp in that high alpine basin and then scrambling to a nearby peak with a jacket, water, and dinner to watch the sunset.

Carry: I've probably never carried more than 35 lbs in the pack, so I haven't exactly tested it's limits, but it was absolutely fine at that weight. I'm normally carrying around 20-25 lbs at the start of a trip and it feels great. It has all the standard adjustments (i.e. hipbelt stabilizer straps, load lifters, chest strap) so you can shift things around if needed. I think that fact that you can custom bend the stay to hug the curve of your back makes a huge difference. The pack doesn't want to slide down, since it's contacting the curve of your spine and not just being suspended on your hips. The pack feels very stable on your back when scrambling.

Size: The 45 liter is HUGE. I store a medium length Ridgerest inside the pack, with a BV450, no lid, solo, and still have room left over when carrying high Sierra shoulder season gear. While the pack never feels "bulky," I wouldn't mind it being a tad smaller in depth. The collar, and futher spindrift collar, allows over stuffing if needed.

Durability: It's burly enough for rough mountaineering and absolutly bomb proof for backpacking. Essentially overbuilt for on-trail backpacking. I beat the crap out of this pack on Sierra granite and it looks new. I've used it for airline/train/bus travel and it still looks new.

While it's a respectable weight for a burly mountaineering pack, it's heavier than what most would need for backpacking. I'm constantly trying out lighter options with the most recent being an Exped Lighting 45, but I'll probably end up selling it soon to try out a HMG Porter. If that doesn't work out I'll still have the trusty Worksack.

i have a bog-standard 40l that’s my high-percentage go-to pack and couldn't be more happy. stripped-down the pack bag weighs under 2# and while that might not be the lightest 40l pack out on the market it's not too shabby for a pack that's as ruggedly built and as versatile as the cilogear worksack.

i for the most part camp when it's cold and there’s snow on the ground and will periodically go on alpine adventures in the spring through the fall, so there’s always a little more gear involved than simple 3-season camping. for trips of 3 to 5 days, having one (relatively) light pack that can comfortably carry a 35# (plus if needed) load and after camp is setup strip-down to a sub 2# pack that still carries nicely is a great compromise for me.

while alex may choose to go brain-free, to me the removable lid on the pack is one of the things that make it so versatile. the space between the lid and the pack body is a great spot to keep a jacket with easy access, a sleeping pad or a rope. its got two separate pockets that give easy access to snacks/lunch, sun glasses/goggles or a headlamp. i also keep thing in the lid that i want organized and up by my head when sleeping.

i too have custom bent my framesheet/aluminum stay. Having the framesheet fit to your back makes the pack carry very well. and while alex makes mention of the vertically adjustable hip belt, this feature needs to be highlighted. there’s no need with a worksack to buy a pack that’s kinda close to your back length (give or take a couple of inches). With the worksack you buy the size that covers your back measurement and then if you choose, can adjust the hip belt right where you want it. sure it might add an ounce or two to make the hip belt adjustable, but i’ll take that hit to have a pack that fits me. one suggestion is that after you’ve dialed-in the hip belt placement you make a mark so that you can put it back in the sweet-spot.

I periodically try another pack, but come back to my cilogear.

Thanks all for the helpful feedback. Richard, you have the 40L worksack? Is that the one with the access zipper on the front? Because technically there is a 40L and 40B and the 40L has a zipper that lets you access the main compartment from the front of the pack.

Do you guys find the central compression strap to be integral to the packs load carrying ability and comfort? Also, from what I've read, CiloGear packs seem to have more carrying capacity than indicated. You find that to be true? That is one reason I am thinking of the 40 size over the 45L, that and I like the crampon pouch and from what I have heard, the 60L pack is ginormous.

I am hoping the 40 will work well for 1-3 nights, even in the winter / shoulder season.

but realized pretty quickly that i don't need it, while i know some who think it's great. i'd think of going up to the 45l for just a little more room, and the 45l is built a little lighter. the 60l is really big. it's the perfect pack if you want to bring way too much stuff for a couple of days. i'm thinking for 1 to 3 days camping (no need for helmet, rope, harness or rack), the 40l would be more than sufficent (for me). as a note, for trips in the 4-5 day range i'm typically not bring any spare layers (other than socks ang gloves)of what i'm wearing and i plan to sleep in everything but my heavy insulation layer (unless i have to). here's my prior post of what fits in a 40l, for 4 + 1 days in the alpine at 0*f:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=55176&nid=466402&print=1

sorry – you will need to cut and paste – i don't remember how to create a link.

"Do you guys find the central compression strap to be integral to the packs load carrying ability and comfort?"

I always use it per Cilogear's recommendation so I don't have the alternate to compare it against, but it does "tighten" up the load quite a bit.

"Also, from what I've read, CiloGear packs seem to have more carrying capacity than indicated. You find that to be true?"

I've only carried about 35 lbs. in mine and it felt absolutely fine. The stiff fabrics, solid frame sheet, and aluminum stay all really indicate to me that you can load this thing up quite a bit without total collapse of the suspension or shape. Conversely, the dense bivy pad back padding and relatively thin and dense padding on the shoulder straps and hipbelt, which are also pretty pliable and not overly stiff, don't appear like they'd be very comfortable under a really hefty load.

***Edit***

I just realized that you wrote carrying "capacity," not capability. Yes, the capacity is larger than any other 45 liter pack that I've used and feels more like a 55 liter pack. Furthermore, I think that the shape of the pack bag (larger at the opening)is the main reason for this.

Here are a couple of pics of the side water bottle pockets made by Zimmerbuilt for my Cilogear 45L Worksack:

Thanks, Alex, for adding pictures of the Zimmerbuilt pockets. Those are pretty sweet! Its nice to see some ideas on expanding the worksack's carrying options. At the moment, I'm also considering a HMG 3400 Porter in the mix! I need to decide on a pack soon…