A Piece of Kit No Traveling Climber Can Do Without
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This gear and more like it are now available in the new Outside Shop, where Outside+ members receive a $50 discount on qualified purchases of $100 or more*. Learn more about Outside+ here.
A dear friend of mine has an issue with packs. Or, rather, a lack of them.
We spent five weeks living out of his Subaru Outback one summer, driving from Squamish, BC to Joshua Tree and back, trying to climb as much as we could. The lifestyle was great, the accommodations not so much. Preparing our bed each night was a process: seats went forward, climbing gear chucked on top, and then we’d excavate a narrow cavity to knock out for the night.
I, like any organized, sane person would do, brought a large duffel bag to stuff my gear. My friend? He brought eight yellow milk crates to do the same task.
Allow me to skip the part where I explain why this was a bad idea, why his Outback became a junk show for those five weeks, and why, ever since, our friendship has been just a little bit strained. The point of this flashback? To tell you about the piece of gear he should have had: Black Diamond’s Stonehauler 90L.
The Stonehauler is as featured as a duffel bag can get: it has a Haul-loop carry system (“a continuous, bomber tubular webbing loop that wraps the entire duffel and is tested to 2kN”), a “DirtBag storage system” that provides an integrated way to stow dirty laundry and separate it from the rest of your clothes, and the duffel is wrapped with 5 millimeters of closed cell foam for puncture and fabric abrasion resistance. Unlike stuffing your belongings in eight musty milk crates, the Stonehauler is easy to keep organized with two generous interior pockets and another two exterior accessories pockets, as well as a mesh ID pocket for easy identification while on the move.
–Anthony Walsh
Want to hear more? Check out the Stonehauler 90L in the new Outside Shop, where Outside+ members get a $50 credit on qualified purchases.
*For complete details see Program Terms. U.S. mailing address only; inventory quantities limited.
