Mountain Hardwear  AMG 75 Pack

I’ve used this pack for over a year now, and overall, it’s treated me really well. It’s supported me through more than 50 days in the Alaskan and Canadian backcountry on multi-week expeditions. Through my work, I regularly toss crampons and ice screws into the carry pocket, and it’s held up impressively — no rips or signs of wear. The fit is excellent, even with multiple layers on, and the pack is incredibly comfortable to wear for long days in rugged terrain. I particularly appreciate the well-designed and purpose-built pockets — they’re thoughtfully laid out for quick access to essential outdoor gear. I’m a big fan of that detail. One minor concern: I wish the waist belt adjusted down a bit smaller, but it’s not a dealbreaker. I’ve even dropped this pack down rocky talus fields, and it’s come out just fine — a testament to its overall toughness. Unfortunately, the biggest issue I’ve encountered is with the shoulder straps. They use a foam insert that tore at a stitch point, and that failure has rendered the pack unusable for me. It’s a major disappointment, especially considering how well the rest of the bag has held up under harsh conditions.

Great bag, the external tool and sharps pockets work brilliantly and everything else is as you would expect from a high quality technical bag. However rather than using normal buckles on all of the straps a unique buckle with an odd action is used. The issue is two fold, they are hard to use with gloves on (and also without) but they also break easily (I broke one on the first use). Outdoor gear breaks that is part of the game, but MHW say they have no spares to replace it and want me to return the bag for a repair (multi week wait). Still working with MHW to solve the issue, but the warranty process has left me thinking MHW are a company to avoid.

Bought this pack for winter backpacking and overnight ski mountaineering trips. It's an almost perfect pack IF it can fit your frame. I am 6ft, 170lbs, ~19" torso. Torso on the M/L was too long and was unable to properly engage the load lifters. Torso on the S/M fits much better, but still, I am almost at the shortest torso setting to get the pack to fit my torso length properly. So, size down if you're in between torso sizes. Shoulder straps fit surprisingly wide (on the very outside of my shoulders) and trying to narrow them with the sternum strap seems to add overall tightness/pressure on my shoulders and chest that can feel a bit uncomfortable at times. Yes, a 40-50lbs load will never feel entirely 'comfortable', but there seems to be less natural load distribution to my hips compared to some of my summer packs. Also, there is a generous amount of padding on the hip belt, which at first glance seems nice, but I notice that I really have to crank on the waist belt to get it to wrap around my hip bones, maybe (hopefully) this will break in over time, but I really notice just how tight I have to strap this thing down on my skeleton, almost uncomfortably so, compared to some other packs I've owned. Crampon pouch and dedicated space for shovel and probe are fantastic, and the primary feature for purchasing this pack over others. Just wish the fit and carry worked better for my body. Pack in every way feels burly and I haven't noticed any wear and tear from normal use. One moderate complaint is the size/design of the ice axe attachment loops. They are BARELY large enough for me to fit my Petzl trig-rest handles through and I feel like I really have to wrestle it in. This pack is clearly well thought out in every other way, and with so many other quick attachment options out there (or adding literally a few extra millimeters of webbing on the loops), I feel like this is a major (yet mini) design oversight. All straight/non-technical axes will fit in the loops no problem. Very mild complaint is the size of the flap covering the cinch top when carrying the pack without the lid. I think it could benefit from being just a touch larger to make sure the opening of the bag is fully covered. I've experienced a bit of snow build up inside the cinch folds while out on a storm day without the brain on, which ultimately led to extra moisture inside the pack. Just enough moisture that I always keep the brain attached to keep the extra weather protection. Not a huge deal, but an ever so slightly larger internal flap would prevent this issue.

I’ve used this pack for multi day winter trips in the Colorado Rockies and also as a Porter for a 5 day trip to Gannet Peak in the Wind River Range. As a Porter I had to carry my own gear (which is very UL example: tarp, foam sleeping bad cut down to smaller size and Western Mountaineering 20oz sleeping bag) but also mountaineering gear for the guests (harnesses, ice axes, boots size 11 and 12, locking carabiners, 40 meter rope, their food and 2 helmets. I had to get creative with carrying bulky gear but it all worked out. 2 of the 5 days it rained all day, although I was able to rig up a rain cover out of heavy duty trash bag it didn’t completely cover the entire pack. But, my gear stayed dry. The pack weighed 80 pounds and carried well on my back once I was able to lift it off the ground. Also the dedicated pocket for avy shovel and probe is very nice. Yes, I recommend this pack! Just buy it. :)

This pack is not only at home mountaineering with Big Loads! It carry’s All my gear for Alpine Climbs and even going out over night to backcountry crags! All in Comfort! The MH AMG 55 and 75 have everything I need and nothing I don’t ! If MH ever makes a AMG 45 I’ll be the first in line to buy it!

I bought this backpack for a mountaineering trip to Mount Baker and Mount Rainier. On Baker I had a little over 51 pounds in it, and I managed to strip that down to about 42 pounds when I did rainier. This pack carried everything well, and for mountaineering I had an ice ax, crevasse rescue pick, and my LaSportiva cubes mounted on the outside for the approach to base camps; all of these items stayed securely in place with the available straps. For summit days I appreciated the removable brain, and enough interior pockets on the smaller outside compartment to hold the minor things that were convenient to have access to. The only thing I could fault this backpack for is the low horizontal strapping designed to hold onto foam sleeping pads: with my foam sleeping pad at the base of the backpack glicades were very difficult. Other than that it worked beautifully for me and was easy to adjust and readjust to keep comfortable for me.

Very well thought out bag. Just completed an ascent of Mt Rainier with it, and couldn’t praise it enough. The multiple cinches, the easily detachable brain, the reinforced crampon pouch, and quick adjustable frame all had their moments to shine.

I searched hard for the perfect backpack for longer ski missions and ultimately decided this was it! Although it’s not the lightest bag, it is very well thought out. Every time I grab this bag with gloves on I’m glad the handles are sized large enough and things are so easy to zip. Love the amount of straps to attach things externally. Plus this is the only bag of its size I could find that is ski-friendly with the a-frame carry option a dedicated avy pocket. Also love the crampon pocket that’s durable and accessible, and the removable brain. Took it out for an overnight ski trip and it held up after getting snowed on all day. Seems pretty waterproof but I already have a small hole developing so might not stay that way which is disappointing for the price. The hip thing takes some getting used to, fell over at least once because I’m not used to the weight shifting, but seems like it will be useful if I were to scramble with it on. I am a 5’10 female at 165 lbs and the s/m works for me. Overall love this bag and can’t wait to use it for volcano season this spring!!

What a great backpack. I’m 6’, 200 lbs and got the M/L. Very little adjustment necessary right out of the box. The material feels durable and all of the compression straps snug the load right up against my back. The pack is a bit heavier than some of the others I’ve tried but you can’t have durability without heavier material so I’m good with that. There are not a lot of creature comforts in this pack so fewer things to fail. Not a lot of zippered compartments so you will have to live without those features. Just a large durable compressible pack that will hopefully be my last. It will work for everything from local backpacking trips with my son and grandchildren where I carry more than my share of the gear to summits on Rainer, Shasta, etc. i test-fit all my winter gear and everything carries well. Thank you Mountain Hardware for manufacturing a great, simple, mountaineering pack.

I purchased this pack primarily for mountaineering expeditions but have been able to also use it for many other purposes due to how well it can cinch down with smaller loads. The material is beefy and the storage is well thought out and abundant. This is truly a Swiss Army knife of packs!