Black Diamond Speed 40 Pack
This tried-and-true Black Diamond alpine pack gets an update. It's new fabric stands up well to abuse. The updated back panel and redesigned shoulder straps offer better comfort on the approach.
- Featuring an updated BD X-rip 210-denier fabric with UTS™ coating, the new Speed is built to withstand season after season of mountain abuse
- The pack is fully strippable with a removable waistbelt, lid and framesheet for minimizing your setup
- Comfort is improved with a moisture-wicking, updated back panel and redesigned shoulder straps of dual-density foam for better load distribution on the approach
- Ice tool PickPockets™ now feature a new custom metal dogbone ice tool attachment, boosting ice tool security
- Surface-mounted, glove-friendly main hood buckles are a new addition
- Drawcord skirt provides easy access and keeps out spindrift and light precipitation
- Welded front abrasion patch for improved protection against rock, ice and crampon spikes
- Includes removable, snag-free 20 mm crampon straps
- Use the tuckaway rope strap to secure a climbing rope
- Features a top-loading design with a removable lid and drawcord skirt closure
- Raincover not included
Imported.
View all Black Diamond Climbing Packs| Best Use | Climbing |
|---|---|
| Bag Style | Backpack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame |
| Ultralight | Yes |
| Gear Capacity (L) | 40 liters |
| Gear Capacity (cu. in.) | 2,440.95 cubic inches |
| Hipbelt | Yes |
| Fits Torso Length (in.) | S/M: 16-19 inches M/L: 18.5-21.5 inches |
| Fits Waist/Hips | S/M: 26-40 inches M/L: 28-45 inches |
| Material(s) | Body: 100% nylon; liner: 100% polyester |
| Frame Material | Aluminum frame stay with polyethylene framesheet |
| Pack Access | Top |
| Raincover Included | No |
| Dimensions | S/M: 22 x 11 x 10 inches M/L: 24 x 11 x 5 inches |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Weight | S/M: 2 lbs. 6 oz. M/L: 2 lbs. 7.3 oz. |
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First Alpine pack- LOVE
I bought this for my first mountaineering excursion. A nearly 9000 foot elevation in Patagonia of Cerro Creston. Held my crampons and ice axe perfectly during the 1 hr+ hike to the base of the mountain and super comfortable to wear. Love the attached gear loops around the waist band. Side straps held my mountaineer boots very solidly until needed. Functional, lightweight, simplistic, and efficient.
Pretty Fair Design; Pretty Poor Durability
I rate the design at 4/5; durability at 2/5. The drawstring system for getting into the top of the pack is unnecessarily fussy. The crampons straps don’t have fastex buckles, which means that the only thing that secures crampons to this pack is compression; you can’t thread the straps thru crampon bales, so the crampons are constantly at risk of slipping the grasp of the straps. Nobody wants to experience dropping their crampons off the back of this pack in the backcountry. On the topic of durability, I like the lightweight design of this pack, but I wore thru the bottom of the back pad in about a year of use, principally cragging, and now the bottom corners of the plastic back sheet (stay) are poking out of the bottom of the back pad and are digging into the back of my hips. The Mission line’s fabric might be a better choice for this pack.
Solid pack for alpine climbing
Great pack for weekend trips. Definitely feels like it carries more than 40L. I love the ice tool carry, it works way better than the loops that a lot of other packs use. The crampon straps are excellent as well. I think it really carries the weight nicely and climbs super well. 35# feels great, I over loaded it to 45# and it was still super comfy and relatively maneuverable. I left it on very wet ice for 2 days in a row and it stayed dry (though I don’t think it’s fully waterproof). The only criticism I have is I would love some sort of external hip pocket and water bottle carry. I think I’m going to strap a soft flask to the shoulder strap, but it’d be nice if I could access a smart water bottle on the outside.
Worth the wait
I had been waiting to update my climbing day pack but nothing fitted my requirements until the Speed 40 came along. I wanted something big enough for ice climbing in the Canadian Rockies and short backpacking trips, yet be adjustable enough for small loads. It had to accommodate ice tools easily. It needed to be hardy enough for climbing and scrambling on granite (the downfall of my last pack). This is an extremely versatile pack, in the short time I've had it I've used it for ice climbing, backpacking in Patagonia and snow-kiting. I love it!
Upgrade over the previous version
I bought a Speed 40 early 2021 and used it about 40 times. It served me well. Light, comfortable and roomy enough for a full day. But there are a few things that bugged me: 1. The fabric on the belt came out from under the stitching quite early, a minor thing but annoying. 2. Not as waterproof as other packs 3. No good way to attach snow pickets or tracking poles and I lost a pole as a result. A small pouch below the side compression straps would be great. 4. The backing on the crampon patch delaminated completely 5. The attachment straps for the lid are too far apart and the lid slides over the back stays 6. Axe attachments is a bit awkward 7. The S/M size is just a bit tight for an overnight All that said I'm buying the 2022 Speed 50 which address all those points but for 1. and 3.
This is an excellent backpack
This is an excellent backpack — exactly what I needed. It’s lightweight, and the material looks durable and sturdy. Perfect for working on the route. The only downside is that when it’s fully packed and you have a helmet on, it’s hard to look upward — but that’s an issue with almost every backpack when it’s fully loaded. My recommendation: this backpack is perfect for its intended purpose. I like that it doesn’t have unnecessary pockets or straps — it’s wonderfully practical.
Perfect all around for long day hikes
This is the perfect all rounder backpack. I am extremely impressed with the quality and thought that went into every accessory on the pack. The speed 40 is not meant for multi-day function, but the speed 55 would be perfect. This pack performs perfectly on any mountain condition. It’s comfortable, super light, and easily adjustable to fit your body type. I would highly recommend, I feel that the speed series is one of the best packs black diamond has ever produced.
Used to be a great pack, redesign ruined it for us.
Wife and I each have older 40L and 50L speed packs which have been our goto packs for years for alpine climbs. But the hipbelts have always been horrible so we always swap in padded hipbelts customized to rack alpine gear on. But this new design made the hipbelt slot about an inch narrower and our custom hip belts can't be fit into the new pack. Would have given it a 5 star if they hadn't screwed up the hipbelt slot.
Great All Around Backpack
This backpack has so many features and is awesome overall. I will say, one issue is how low the bottom back frame goes. It rests on my lower back making me worried to carry a lot of weight in it. I tried adjusting the straps to make it sit better, but it’s just a little too long. I compared it to my osprey and the bottom of their frames is rounded up and shorter to prevent lower back rubbing.
Smaller bodied people should not buy this pack. 1 month of use and my pack started falling apart.
Both the fit and the quality of this pack has been really disappointing to me. I do not think it was designed with women in mind- I have the smallest size and the frame fits my body poorly. I cannot carry more than 15 lbs before this pack becomes extremely uncomfortable (especially in comparison to other packs I have used, like those made by ULA). For reference, I am not really that small- 5'5" 135 lbs but the frame feels too large. Also, when I tighten the load lifters my shoulder strap buckles and folds over on one side (not the other though, cannot figure out what is going on). My pack also started falling apart immediately. After less than one month of use the plastic frame started ripping out of the fabric. It's sharp and digs in to my back at times. It's now completely ripped through and sticks out a few inches from the fabric. I know other people have liked this pack but it does not work for me.