Blue Ice Firecrest 28L Ski Pack Review

On paper, the Blue Ice Firecrest 28 seems like the perfect pack for everyday touring. At 840g with ski carry parts (they are removable, you can get the weight down to around 750g for a summer configuration) it is a very competitive weight, it has options for A-frame and skimo-carry, a nice side-entry zipper, several pockets for organization, and running vest-style shoulder strap pockets. The execution, however, doesn’t quite nail it. My main complaint is that the pack doesn’t have enough structure. If you aren’t carrying much, this might not be an issue for you, but if you are carrying beefier skis and heavier gear inside the pack you might want to consider something else. You have to be conscious with how you pack the pack to make sure the weight is evenly distributed, which I don’t have to worry much about with some similar options. The shoulder straps are somewhat thin and sewn in wide onto the pack, so they have a tendency to slip down the outside of your shoulders while you are skiing. The avalanche tool pocket on the pack is not the most accessible, you have to unbuckle the top flap, then open up the cinch at the top of the pack before you can get to the avy tool pockets. I like having the zippered shoulder strap pocket on the left side, but the hydration pocket on the right side is mostly useless to me. It is too short to securely hold any soft flask that I own. Perhaps there are shorter flasks available somewhere, but I haven’t noticed them. You can fit a smaller hard-sided bottle in, but the shoulder strap is so thin that the bottle will bulge uncomfortably against your chest. I just use the pocket to hold trash. This isn’t that big of a deal to me because I prefer to ski with a soft flask inside my jacket pocket which keeps it from freezing. 


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