What’s in Your (BCA) Pack?

The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

“What’s in your pack?” presentations are a consistent staple of avalanche courses and backcountry awareness nights, but there’s often a disconnect between what we know should be in our packs versus what’s actually there. Luckily, I had sort of a weird ski season that didn’t end until late July, so my pack was still set up with everything I’ve been carrying. The one exception is snacks–I have to make sure to get old snacks out of my pack ASAP so that my dog doesn’t eat through the pack in an effort to get some forbidden chocolate. So I added back in snacks and water for this demonstration.

This is just what I carry. There’s plenty of room to carry more, for the very prepared, or less, for the fast and light crowd.

About the Pack

Yes, this is Intro to Backcountry Week - Presented by BCA, and yes, this is a Backcountry Access Stash Pro 22L pack. Full disclosure: I received the pack from BCA to review, with no strings attached, last winter, long before this article series was even an idea, and I absolutely loved it. I think it’s a really good do-it-all ski pack, and I’ve been reaching for it on most backcountry days. So yes, BCA is sponsoring this article series, but I’d have lots of nice things to say about it, even if they weren’t.

The Stash Pro 22L has a really nice pocket and feature layout, carries loads nicely, and has plenty of capacity for all-day tours, without being too bulky. Yes, there are lighter and more technical packs, and we’ve got some nerdy content about those coming soon, but for everyday skiers looking for a pack to do it all, the Stash 22L is pretty great.

On the Outside

There are four items I like to have readily accessible on the outside of my pack: a radio, a satellite communication device, a multitool, and a Peak Designs Capture Clip.

The radio is a BCA Link 2.0. I’m fairly agnostic on what brand and model of radio I use, but the Link 2.0 makes a lot of sense since it’s the most common backcountry radio, which means more people are likely to be familiar with how it works. And it integrates really nicely into this pack. I'm pretty interested in trying out the new BCA Link Mini since I actually prefer an all-in-one radio, as opposed to one with a remote mic.

The satellite communication device I’m using right now is a Motorola Defy. I’ll have a full review up this winter. For now, all I’ll say is that anyone making a satellite comms device should be really thoughtful in how they place the SOS button. Accidental activations waste first responders’ time. I do not like the Defy’s button layout. If you have a 3D printer and some spare time, hit me up, I’ve got a project for you!

I’ve had this little three-way wrench for ages, I don’t know where it’s from originally, maybe a 22 Designs repair kit? Regardless, I like to keep it somewhere I can get to it without having to take off my pack, for quick adjustments to boots, bindings, or poles.

Finally, every pack I’ve used for the last seven or eight years has had a Peak Designs Capture Clip on the shoulder strap. It’s the best way I’ve found to carry a camera, and you can also mount a GoPro, a light, or even your phone in the clip. No, it’s not cheap, but my original from 2015 is still going strong after years of abuse. We’ll have a full article later this month on hauling cameras into the backcountry, but for now, check out the Capture Clip, it’s worth every cent.

In the Avy Gear Pocket

Because I was spring skiing in relatively stable conditions when I last used this pack, I’ve got a relatively small and light shovel and probe in it. The Dozer 1T UL shovel and Stealth 240 Carbon Probe are awesome for tours where you’ve very confident you’re not going to use them. For more average touring, I’d recommend bumping up to the Dozer 2D or 2H, and the Stealth 330 Probe. Shaving weight on avalanche rescue gear only makes sense when you’re skiing very late in the spring or summer.

I’ve also got a bunch of Voile Straps in that pocket. My rule is that I carry five straps, minimum, in my pack. I favor the practical 20” length. I also usually have another strap on my ski pole, along with a big donut of Gorilla Tape, and another in the thigh pocket of my pants. Seven total.

I don’t think it’s possible to carry too many Voile Straps. Cinch up a broken boot, limp out a broken binding, splint a broken pole, make a rescue sled, make a shelter, make an impromptu dog leash, the possibilities are endless.

One thing you’ll never find in my pack is my beacon. I’m a little superstitious about this, mostly because of a few fatalities where folks had their beacon in their pack, turned off. I don’t even like the “on at the car, off at the bar” mentality. My rule is that I turn my beacon on when I’m putting on my outerwear at home. That way I can make sure it’s working, and check the battery while I’m in the comfort of home. Then I still do a trailhead beacon check, but I’ve got just an added level of surety. Check your beacons early and often people, and don’t ever put them in your pack.

Repair Kits and Accessories

Inside the main compartment I’ve got a few repurposed bags with what I consider my essential repair items. I use the zippered pouch from a BCA Snow Science Kit and the stuff sack to a long-since-popped sleeping pad, but any old bags will do.

The core of this kit is a Leatherman Skeletool with an extra bit set. So many boots and bindings use random hex or torx sizes that normal multitools don’t have. The Skeletool has a bit for every fastener on my kit, including Pozi screw heads. It’s invaluable. Its pliers and knife are also handy.

Rub-on skin wax is always a given, as is a roll of vet wrap. There’s another roll in my med kit, one for people, one for gear. Supplementary ibuprofen, just in case–feel free to swap with your painkiller of choice. Double and triple A batteries, for headlamps or beacons. Extra batteries are just useful. A pointed plug end for a Black Diamond Whippet that converts it into a sort-of ice ax lives here too, just because I’m paranoid about losing it. Finally, I’ve got a few yards of tarred bank line. A buddy turned me on to this–it serves the same purpose as paracord for equipment repairs, and sled and shelter building, but weighs less and is easier to work with.

Inside the sleeping pad stuff sack I keep a ziplock bag containing a few yards of toilet paper. It’s not really for my butt, I prefer using snow, but it’s a nice fire starter. There are also two lighters, one with extra tape wrapped around it. Extra lighters have never hurt anyone. Completing my fire starter kit are a bunch of chunks of bike inner tube. They light easily, stink like hell, and burn tenaciously, perfect for getting wet wood to catch. There are plenty of other fire starters you can carry, this is just my preferred kit.

Finally, there are a few extra fasteners and T-nuts, in case something comes loose on my boots, a big wad of zip ties for the same reason, moleskin for blisters, and a bunch of extra contacts. It doesn’t matter how much rescue gear I have if I can’t see to use it. Extra contacts are invaluable.

Some folks bring pipe clamps, epoxy, and a hand drill bit setup in their kits. Those are all good additions that I’d bring on a multi-day trip, but don’t think are essential on day tours.

Med Kit and Shelter

These two items are essential, and what I bring really varies on the trip. Most recently, I was doing really chill day tours, so this Adventure Medical One Day Kit is adequate. What your med kit looks like should depend on your level of experience and exposure. EMTs going deep into the hills will carry (and know how to use) more gear than folks with a basic WFA dropping out of bounds at the resort. Regardless, a CPR mask, if you’re skiing with folks you don’t want to make out with, and a whole bunch of Vet Wrap are essential. Trauma shears are also really handy.

The same flexibility goes for your shelter. I carry a few different bivvies, depending on the season and planned exposure. This SOL one is the smallest and lightest I have. It’s definitely one-time use only–you’re not getting it back into that bag after using it. At the very least, I always have a space blanket in my pack. For bigger days, a lightweight tarp, and/or an insulated bivy make a bunch of sense. I haven’t found a favorite lightweight tarp yet, so feel free to email me your suggestions!

If I’m going out to look at the snowpack or practice rescue scenarios, I’ll slip a chunk of foam sleeping pad in there as well, just so I’ve got somewhere warm to sit or kneel.

Layers and Glasses

I’m a big fan of the OSP or Oh Sh!t Puffy. That’s a big, really warm puffy jacket that packs down small, and you rarely use. I try not to transition my insulating layers too much in the backcountry, but I always feel better with a really warm puffy in my pack, just in case I or a friend become immobile for any reason. Right now I’m packing the Rab Mythic Ultra Down Puffy. Review coming soon, but it’s great. Consider upsizing your OSP so that it can fit over your shell.

I also like to carry spare gloves, socks, facemask, and beanie. The gloves I’m rocking right now are massive Flylow Super D Lobster mitts. They’re easy to get on and off, and super warm. I don’t really ski with them, but, again, they’re in my pack just in case. Similarly, I never ski in a beanie, but this wool one from my grandmother-in-law makes a big difference if I’m immobile. A BlackStrap facemask is a nice extra layer of insulation, and a mismatched pair of spare socks rounds out the kit. It all stuffs into an old Pomoca skin bag.

Finally, I have a “two sets of eyewear” rule in the backcountry. Usually that means a pair of goggles and a pair of glasses. Sometimes it means two pairs of glasses. Regardless, if something malfunctions, or I lose one set of eyewear, I want to have an extra. I made that rule after skiing a few thousand feet of blower pow, while it was dumping, with nothing over my eyes because my goggles fogged unfixably, and I had no glasses.

Snacks and Water

Anneka will have a more in-depth “packing snacks for backcountry skiing” piece soon. I like to carry a nice mix of sweet, salty, and savory food. Usually that means sour candy, jerky, and something chocolate. Real food, like sandwiches or miso soup, is great too.

I’m fully sold on soft flasks for the backcountry. They resist freezing better, and pack down smaller as you drink your water. I usually carry one of these small Camelback ones for day tours, and two if things are looking long and sweaty. I always make sure to keep filling it back up with snow as I drink from it as well. Last year I carried a bunch of Yoohoo chocolate beverage and Capri Sun fruity drinks in the backcountry. They’re a nice hit at the top of a line, and the trash packs down small.

Odds and Ends

I always carry two headlamps, preferably with interchangeable batteries. A spare headlamp doesn’t weigh much more than spare batteries alone, and is a lot more useful. I also like to carry a power bank, with the appropriate cord for my phone. Right now I’m experimenting with this Knog rechargeable bike light with an integrated power bank, but I’ve used everything from fancy Goal Zero to cheap Amazon power banks in the past with no issues. I can’t wait until I get a USB C phone, so that everything I carry can use the same cord.

For Now

I think the amount of safety gear we carry in our packs ebbs and flows with our risk tolerance, experience, and objectives. When I’m really fit, the snow is stable, and the weather is good, I’ll triple check all my gear, and carry a lighter kit.

When I’m headed into a multi-day situation, whether in a yurt, hut, or tent, I’ll generally bring a lot more gear. There’s no one right answer; instead the contents of our packs grow and shrink. But the gear I’ve listed here is a good starting point, and is the product of a bunch of years of saying “dang, I wish I’d brought…..” So, what’s in your pack?