Arc'teryx has just dropped the latest in its line of Alpha climbing backpacks, and if you're a climber or mountaineer, you're going to want to sit up and take notice.
The Arc'teryx Alpha SL backpack is a 30L pack intended for rock, ice, and alpine climbing, and the big story is its astonishing strength-to-weight ratio. The Alpha SL is made using a material called Graflyte fabric, developed by Aluula Composites in Canada, that claims to be eight times stronger than steel for its weight and 100% recycle-ready.
The Canadian climbing brand says this slightly translucent white pack (not totally different in vibe to The North Face Phantom 38), has an unrivalled strength-to-weight due to unique construction layers of ultralight, ultra-strong polymer films. Aluula Composites says it fuses the films at a lower melt temperature, which makes bonding faster and more consistent, resulting in a waterproof and non-air-permeable material.
How light?
So, how light is it? At 15.7 oz (444g), it's considerably lighter than any 30L pack we've tested. There's simply no comparison, so we ended up weighing various household items and discovered that it's heavier than your phone but lighter than a Yeti Rambler 18oz water bottle. Perhaps more helpfully though, it's more than 8oz (200G) lighter than the Alpha FL 30.
For the weight, it's also eight times stronger than your stainless steel bottle, but clearly your ice axe or pocket knife could more easily puncture this. We don't recommend you test this out, but if you do, the pack can reportedly be easily repaired with a provided self-adhesive patch.
What else is good?
That means when you go climbing, all you'll feel on your back is the weight of your gear, and that's a good thing too, since this pack is built to carry serious kit: think ice axes, cams, crampons and rope, not just an extra layer and your sandwich on a hike.
A roomy cylindrical main compartment holds the bulk of your gear and can be accessed from the top or via a handy side zip, and an integrated mini-lid automatically flips to cover it when closed to protect your gear and provide a secure rope carry. On the front are six lash points for external carry, and if you want to bring it on board for an adventure vacation, it will fit in the overhead locker without any pushback from the flight attendants.
Arc'teryx lists it as water-resistant rather than waterproof, but there's an external waterproof zippered pocket with a key clip for your phone and other electronics.
When you're ready to start your approach, lightly padded thermoformed shoulder straps and back pane help ensure a comfortable carry and if your mission goes awry, a built in RECCO reflector helps search and rescue locate you – which is a good thing because with the current colorway, you'll blend in with the snow.
Several Arc'teryx ambassadors have been testing the pack out for the past six months, with climber Ines Papert calling the strength of the fabric "mindblowing" and Paul Mcsorley sharing an image of him hauling it up a granite rock face and reporting "it held up to the test."
The Arc'teryx Alpha SL backpack is available now in white for $400 / £350 from Arc'teryx.
