Well I decided to pull the trigger on a new avy pack. (no pun intended)
I’ve been running the BCA’s since I started wearing an avy pack and wanted to try something different. After looking around and having the chance to ride with Dan Adams recently, I decided to try an Ortovox, ABS Base 20.
Here is a link to the pack itself,
http://www.ortovox.com/4496-base-20-abs-3.html
I purchased the pack and the M.A.S.S. (Modular Airbag Safety System) together and the activation unit separately, in order to save a little. On a side note, if you are looking into ABS avy packs, just make sure you get all three as all three are needed to make the system fully operational.
The pack itself is actually a really nice, well-built back pack that can be used as the avy pack or a standalone backpack, if you remove the airbag system. The straps are wide at the top and pre-curved for added comfort. The back panel comes with six evenly spaced pads for your back, plus it adds an area for air to move through. The chest strap is adjustable for height, and the buckle comes with a built in whistle.
The waist strap is a little different as it buckles towards the left side instead of the front. The buckle is basic and to release it you need to depress the red button and slide back. For larger guys this may prove to be difficult, if you choose to use your right hand and reach over. I found that it was the easiest to just release the buckle by reaching down with my left hand and doing it with my left hand. Keep in mind, you may have to pull a glove off, depending on the type you are wearing. The leg strap comes sewn on and has a large re-enforced loop for the, waist strap to go through.
The compartments consist of two main compartments and two smaller pockets, one on the right side of your waist and the other on the top of the pack. The two main compartments have two different colored zipper pulls. Your avy gear goes into the pocket with bright red pulls while, the other compartment has black zipper pulls. This little feature could potentially save seconds in an emergency, by telling riding partners, to open the red zippers, to get gear.
The avy gear compartment is the largest and offers quite a bit room. In fact I have my avy gear in there with some other “extra” stuff in zip lock baggies at the bottom, out of the way. On the back side of this compartment you will find another zipper which accesses the air bag system itself. Inside this compartment is where the M.A.S.S. will be installed, with Velcro and then finally zipped shut. Once it’s zipped shut, it’s completely out of the way of anything else.
The second outside compartment is a little smaller than the first. Keep in mind this pack is slightly smaller than the BCA Throttle 22 (which is what I just came from) but slightly larger than the BCA Float 18. Now for me, I think this should work just fine for what I need as I don’t carry a ton of stuff on my back, just the essentials and the rest goes into my tunnel pack.
Inside each of the two main compartments you’ll find a zippered pouch for small items as well. With these two small pouches, you also have the small pouch at the top of the pack along with the pouch on the right side waist strap as well.
Now onto the M.A.S.S. unit and activation unit that is needed to make this pack an avy pack. The M.A.S.S. unit installs in the pack with a system of aluminum hooks and color coded Velcro. Once it’s installed its secure and no need to worry about it. The activation hose can be ran through either of the shoulder straps for preference. Obviously most riders will probably run it through the right side but in the event your personal needs, dictate it needing to be on the left side, you can. The other thing that is nice about the having both shoulder straps open is the ability to run a radio should mic through the opposite side. This way you have communications right there ready to go.
The activation unit itself consists of the nitrogen bottle and the activation T handle. ABS does offer two bottles, steel and carbon but the carbon is NOT available in the U.S. at this time. Trust me, I even tried to get one out of Germany and Spain but no go. They assured me that the carbon bottle will be available in the U.S. but they did not know when. The biggest bonus on the carbon bottle is obviously the weight; it’s half the weight of the steel bottle. Not to say the steel one is a tank, but every little bit does help by the end of the day.
Once the activation handle is in place it does offer a little adjustment with the plate that it is mounted to. It can be canted a little if needed or you can keep it straight. You can also adjust the height of where you want the handle, which is nice as well. When the pack is not in use there is a bright red safety cover that covers the handle, to protect against accidental discharge. When in the field, the cover unsnaps, swivels up and around and out of the way.
All in all the overall quality of the pack and the accessories is top notch!! The fit and feel is good but I need some time riding with it to make the best determination.
For comparison, these are set up ready to go weights as advertised,
Ortovox ABS Base 20 Carbon 2835 gr.
Steel 3070 gr.
BCA Throttle 22 2624 gr.
BCA Turbo 25 2984 gr.
I’ve been running the BCA’s since I started wearing an avy pack and wanted to try something different. After looking around and having the chance to ride with Dan Adams recently, I decided to try an Ortovox, ABS Base 20.
Here is a link to the pack itself,
http://www.ortovox.com/4496-base-20-abs-3.html
I purchased the pack and the M.A.S.S. (Modular Airbag Safety System) together and the activation unit separately, in order to save a little. On a side note, if you are looking into ABS avy packs, just make sure you get all three as all three are needed to make the system fully operational.
The pack itself is actually a really nice, well-built back pack that can be used as the avy pack or a standalone backpack, if you remove the airbag system. The straps are wide at the top and pre-curved for added comfort. The back panel comes with six evenly spaced pads for your back, plus it adds an area for air to move through. The chest strap is adjustable for height, and the buckle comes with a built in whistle.
The waist strap is a little different as it buckles towards the left side instead of the front. The buckle is basic and to release it you need to depress the red button and slide back. For larger guys this may prove to be difficult, if you choose to use your right hand and reach over. I found that it was the easiest to just release the buckle by reaching down with my left hand and doing it with my left hand. Keep in mind, you may have to pull a glove off, depending on the type you are wearing. The leg strap comes sewn on and has a large re-enforced loop for the, waist strap to go through.
The compartments consist of two main compartments and two smaller pockets, one on the right side of your waist and the other on the top of the pack. The two main compartments have two different colored zipper pulls. Your avy gear goes into the pocket with bright red pulls while, the other compartment has black zipper pulls. This little feature could potentially save seconds in an emergency, by telling riding partners, to open the red zippers, to get gear.
The avy gear compartment is the largest and offers quite a bit room. In fact I have my avy gear in there with some other “extra” stuff in zip lock baggies at the bottom, out of the way. On the back side of this compartment you will find another zipper which accesses the air bag system itself. Inside this compartment is where the M.A.S.S. will be installed, with Velcro and then finally zipped shut. Once it’s zipped shut, it’s completely out of the way of anything else.
The second outside compartment is a little smaller than the first. Keep in mind this pack is slightly smaller than the BCA Throttle 22 (which is what I just came from) but slightly larger than the BCA Float 18. Now for me, I think this should work just fine for what I need as I don’t carry a ton of stuff on my back, just the essentials and the rest goes into my tunnel pack.
Inside each of the two main compartments you’ll find a zippered pouch for small items as well. With these two small pouches, you also have the small pouch at the top of the pack along with the pouch on the right side waist strap as well.
Now onto the M.A.S.S. unit and activation unit that is needed to make this pack an avy pack. The M.A.S.S. unit installs in the pack with a system of aluminum hooks and color coded Velcro. Once it’s installed its secure and no need to worry about it. The activation hose can be ran through either of the shoulder straps for preference. Obviously most riders will probably run it through the right side but in the event your personal needs, dictate it needing to be on the left side, you can. The other thing that is nice about the having both shoulder straps open is the ability to run a radio should mic through the opposite side. This way you have communications right there ready to go.
The activation unit itself consists of the nitrogen bottle and the activation T handle. ABS does offer two bottles, steel and carbon but the carbon is NOT available in the U.S. at this time. Trust me, I even tried to get one out of Germany and Spain but no go. They assured me that the carbon bottle will be available in the U.S. but they did not know when. The biggest bonus on the carbon bottle is obviously the weight; it’s half the weight of the steel bottle. Not to say the steel one is a tank, but every little bit does help by the end of the day.
Once the activation handle is in place it does offer a little adjustment with the plate that it is mounted to. It can be canted a little if needed or you can keep it straight. You can also adjust the height of where you want the handle, which is nice as well. When the pack is not in use there is a bright red safety cover that covers the handle, to protect against accidental discharge. When in the field, the cover unsnaps, swivels up and around and out of the way.
All in all the overall quality of the pack and the accessories is top notch!! The fit and feel is good but I need some time riding with it to make the best determination.
For comparison, these are set up ready to go weights as advertised,
Ortovox ABS Base 20 Carbon 2835 gr.
Steel 3070 gr.
BCA Throttle 22 2624 gr.
BCA Turbo 25 2984 gr.
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