Aarn Packs for SAR

I’m a member of our local SAR group and my packs are the HMG Southwest in various sizes.  The 2400 is my daypack and the 4400 is my overnight pack.  I have shoulder strap pockets for my GPS, phone, InReach.  I sometimes use a fanny pack for other things I want to keep handy.  I don’t care for chest packs because I am usually wearing binoculars.  The external pockets are great for other stuff I want handy.

Used a Coaxsher FS-1 for several years of wildland fire and rescue but it’s about half the volume you’re looking for in a pack.  Really liked the modularity, even if it was heavier as a pack design.  I don’t think they have anything in larger volume.

I don’t know much about SAR or what you’re carrying, so it’s hard to give input. But the Peak Aspiration is quite a pack. The full, “pelvic form” hipbelt on it pivots and allows essentially normal movement in all directions. There’s nothing else on the market that allows such freedom of movement.

You can get front packs from 6 (3+3)L (compact) to 18L (expedition) sizes to accomnodate different loads and volumes. The Natural Exhiliration does not have the pivoting belt and I didn’t like it as much because of that.

Yes, Aarn packs are heavier than UL packs, but carry so well that they are worth the weight. If I were carrying 10-15 pounds on every trip, I might not bother with Aarn. But once I get to 20 pounds, dividing the weight between back and front makes 20 pounds feel like a 10 pound load in a conventional pack, so from my perspective the extra pound of pack weight is totally worth it. The front packs excel for carrying either very dense items (dense foodstuffs, metal tools, water, etc.) or things that you need to have handy (bear spray, doodads, etc.).

When considering volume of Aarn packs, keep in mind that their external pockets are not meant, as many UL packs are, to carry lots of stuff. The front and side pockets on the Peak Aspiration, for example, are large but not designed to puff out and allow for stuffing all sorts of gear in them. They are stretchy but meant to keep a small number of objects close to the main load. I suppose this is because the front pockets are where you have your ‘extra’ volume. Everything with Aarn is about ergonomics and load bearing comfort.

Aarn USA has the pervious generation Peak Aspiration. There is a newer version that is a bit lighter, although I found the pack body to be wider than the older version, and the new version can only be bought from overseas retailers.

For your daypack needs, yeah, the Peak might be a bit big, but it compresses pretty well and carries a small-volume load extremely well. But you might feel like you’ve got too much pack on your back, nonetheless.

You might order both the Peak and the Natural Exhiliration and keep one or both;)

Michael, good point about the binoculars. I will probably stow them in the front mesh pocket for easy access though.

The Caoxshers look fun for modularity, but they probably don’t have enough capacity, especially for in the winter up here. I will take a look though!

Stumphges, thanks for the feedback. I think the Natural Exhilaration is the right one, but yes, the lack of the ergonomic hipbelt is a definitive drawback. A half empty Aspiration SAR day pack is not the end of the world and might be good because it will allow for better gear sharing. I guess I should be prepared to be the workhorse!

SAR people with more experience than me: how empty should I keep my pack before checking in to account for gear sharing? In your experience, anyway.

Also, Stumphges, are the new and old Aspiration the same volume? It’s sold out on Aarn’s site, so I can’t tell how big it is. The US site says the large is 50 L. And is the old Aspiration worth it? Weight savings is not as big a deal with SAR, so I might just pull the trigger on the older model.

I am a hard-core fan of the Aarn bodypack concept, and in my view it’s the most comfortable and healthy way to carry any non-trivial load.

But for SAR work, just a heads-up that the way Aarn implements the front pockets they can get in the way if you need to scramble and climb on steep ground.

So if you simply need to lug loads and access your gear easily on the trail, the Aarn is the way to go.

If you might need to work on technical ground with your pack on, the Aarn may not be the right choice.

Thanks for the heads up about climbing, Geoff! I have thought about it a little bit…there are not many hikers/climbers in my area actually (surprisingly), so I think it would be quite rare to do a mountain rescue. On those rare occasions, however, I would probably leave the balance pockets in the car.

I guess they could be a little annoying going through brush, but I am thinking the accessibility of gear is more important to me.

Thanks for the help everyone! Definitely helped.