Powder Review: BCA Float E2-25 Avalanche Airbag
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In a Nutshell
The BCA Float E2-25 is a really well designed ski touring pack that happens to have an avalanche airbag system built into it. It’s a pleasure to use, and easy to live with.
Stated Capacity: 25 liters
Pockets: 9
Features:
Weight: 2930 g
Size Tested: M/L
The BCA Float E2-25 is available now.
Intro
For many North American skiers, we instinctively associate avalanche airbags with BCA. They made some of the first airbags to truly reach market saturation in the US, and have really helped push acceptance of this technology. But, their newest avalanche airbag, the Float E2-25 is a far cry from the old, heavy, somewhat clunky BCA packs many of us are familiar with.
It uses Alpride’s E2 tech, which harnesses a capacitor and fan to fill the airbag, instead of the cartridge of compressed air that has long been the norm. This means you can safely fly with the E2-25, and that you can practice deploying it without having to refill a cartridge. I spent a bunch of days in the E2-25 this winter, and am excited to break down how it performs both as a backcountry ski pack, and as an airbag.
Size
The Float E2-25 comes in two sizes M/L and S/M. I’m solidly a M/L in pretty much every other pack I've used. I have a longish torso, and am 6’1” and the M/L Float E2-25 fits me nicely.
Weight
Avalanche airbag weight is always a bit of a touchy subject. Sometimes it can be challenging to figure out how much of the weight is coming from the airbag system, and how much of it is just a product of the pack’s design choices. Luckily, I’ve also been spending time in BCA’s Stash Pro 22 pack, which feels pretty close to a non-airbag E2-25. The E2-25 weighs 1760 g more than the Stash Pro 22. Stated weight for just the Alpride E2 system with batteries is 1191 g, which leaves 569 g to account for the diaper strap, extra zippers, anchor points, and material it takes to accommodate the airbag.
My favorite way to think about pack weight is in cans of Tecate. A full 12 oz can of Tecate beer weighs 370 g. So wearing the E2-25 is the equivalent of using the Stash Pro 22, while carrying 4.8 cans of Tecate. Would I notice five extra beers in my pack? Yes. Would that ruin my day? No. And the E2-25 is much more likely to save my life than five cans of Tecate.
The weight range for inflation systems is not actually that big. Most systems fall within a couple hundred grams of each other. Pack weight has a bigger impact than inflation system weight in most instances, and BCA isn’t out to make the lightest packs. Instead, they’re full-featured and durable. We’ll dive into how to prioritize airbag pack weight at some point, but for now, I really appreciate where BCA put their priorities with the Float E2-25.
Features
The Float E2-25 is a feature-rich pack, which makes a ton of sense at this size and application. It’s designed as more of a short day tour, or sidecountry pack, not a big alpine adventures pack. BCA makes the Float E2-35 for that. So there’s no reason to try to save weight by cutting features.
The E2-25’s helmet carry is one of my favorites. It’s easily stowable, for streamlined descents, but actually does a good job of keeping the helmet in place, and is secure and smooth to use.
The E2-25’s diagonal ski carry is robust and easy to use. I do wish that there was a way to anchor the top buckle of the ski carry to the back panel of the pack, under the airbag compartment, instead of having it pull on the airbag zipper when loaded. I’ve seen too many folks' airbags start to droop out of their packs on big bootpacks because their skis yank the zipper and pull it open.
It’s easy to carry two axes on the E2-25. Their picks slot nicely into it, and you can use the included velcro strap, or your own ski strap.
I really like BCA’s Sidestash system. I’ve used something similar on a few other packs, but BCA’s version is especially well executed. I can get my skins in and out of the pack, without taking it off, which makes for quick, smooth transitions. There’s plenty of room for skins, plus a water bottle in this pocket. And you can easily open it up so that it’s part of the main pocket.
I really appreciate that the Float E2-25 uses a carabiner system on the diaper strap. I’ve added my own ‘biner to previous packs, I’d much rather be able to clip and unclip it than have to open up the waist to slot it on.
Finally, I really like the E2-25’s “Backstash” This is a long, four headed zipper that stretches down each shoulder strap and back, around the back of the neck. This makes it easy to swap which side the airbag deployment handle is on, and also run a hydration hose, or radio up and around for easy access. It’s not surprising that the company selling the ubiquitous radios with wired mics has figured out a great way to integrate them into their packs.
Capacity
This is a big 25L pack. The Alpride E2 system doesn’t take up too much space, and the E2-25 is laid out in a way that makes it easy to make the most of its capacity. The goggle pocket is big, plenty of space for goggles and spare lenses. Same goes for the tool pocket. You can easily fit a full size shovel, along with your skins and other tools if you so desire.
The Sidestash is pretty massive. I appreciate that it seems designed for North American skin sizes, I can easily fit skins for 120 underfoot, 190 cm skis, without having to fold them carefully.
BCA says that the Float E2-25 is designed for shorter days and sidecountry skiing, but I have no problem fitting everything I need for a day of ropeless ski mountaineering into the E2-25. And, even though it doesn’t have side compression straps, it never feels unwieldy or floppy when it’s less packed. That’s a pretty cool combination, I can pack strategically for ten hours in the backcountry, or keep it light for short stints out the gates.
In Use
I have not always gotten along with BCA’s packs. I’ve felt, at times, that their packs sacrificed their quality as ski packs in order to accommodate avalanche airbags. That is not the case with the E2-25. This is a very good ski pack that happens to have an airbag system in it. I really like the direction BCA is taking their packs with this, and the Stash Pro 22. They’re just good ski packs, with smart features and layouts. So I don’t have to decide if I want to bring an airbag, or a pack that I actually get along with. That’s refreshing.
The E2-25 carries weight comfortably, and is nice and secure on the way down. It doesn’t disappear quite as well as my Black Diamond Cirque 22 vest, but it’s completely inoffensive.
Yes, the E2-25 is heavier than a non-airbag pack as well as more minimalist airbag packs. But light weight isn’t the point of any airbag pack, and I’m not convinced that trying to cram airbags into lightweight alpine packs should be a huge priority. The weight is what it is.
The Alpride E2 Airbag System
What has, so far, been conspicuously absent from this review, is any discussion of the E2 airbag system. I really like that I can fly with the E2 system, and that I can do multiple practice deployments without having to get a cartridge refilled. I think the combination of USB charging and AA batteries makes a ton of sense. I like everything about how this system functions, but I have some user interface frustrations.
The “brain” of the E2 unit sits in a mesh pocket inside the main compartment of the pack. There’s a small status LED visible from outside the pack, but its main controls are all in that compartment. They’re not that accessible. You have to unload the main pocket of the pack, fumble with a zipper, push stuff around so that you can see the LCD screen, and fiddle with the sort of weird switch to turn the E2 on and off. I’m sure there are a bunch of fair and valid reasons that it’s designed this way, but I found it unintuitive and frustrating to turn the pack on and off.
It’s just more of a process than I’m used to with airbag packs. With canister packs, I just pull out the trigger and put it in the ready position. With Black Diamond Jetforce packs, you can turn the system on and check the status from the trigger handle. I’m used to readying the airbag portion of my pack without taking the pack off. And with the BCA, even with the pack off, getting it going can be a bit of a pain.
It’s not a huge deal, the pack is still great, but I’d love to see Alpride’s E3 system get some major UI updates. Because right now, it’s way too easy to accidentally leave the pack on, and drain the capacitor and batteries. I get that it’s designed as more of an “on at the car, off at the bar” system, but it’s still not that convenient to activate and turn off.
What sort of skiers will the BCA Float E2-25 Avalanche Airbag work best for?
BCA’s Float E2-25 is an easy pack to recommend to a lot of skiers. It’s compact enough to ride chairs with it on, and duck out for quick out of bounds laps. But it has plenty of capacity for bigger day tours. It’s a great choice for anyone looking for one pack to do it all, that incorporates a smart, travel-ready airbag system.
