Black Diamond  Speed 40 Pack

This bag is delightfully simple. The main compartment is large and spacious, fitting a rope, harness, shoes, and a single rack. The most motivated can find somewhere to shove a water bottle as well, though the helmet has to live on the outside. The fabric seemed durable and relatively water resistant, but I did not have a chance to put it through the wringer. I returned this pack because both the shoulder straps and the hip belt did not fit me very well. There were strange pressure points that no amount of adjusting could fix, and I found that the belt rubbed uncomfortably on my somewhat bony hips. Also, the gear loops are kind of lame. You can put a couple pieces on them, but they seemed flimsy and the gear did not clip smoothly when cleaning.

Got this pack for snowshoeing, winter hiking, and 1-day mountaineering. Don't think I could pull off an overnight. I wish REI stocked the 50L version or I would have got it. Pros: Very simple, lightweight pack. Its basically a main body and a brain. Totally comfortable even loaded full of winter layers and snowshoes. Material is lightweight and, so-far, very durable. Adequate amount of attach points, and I love BD's ice axe attachment. Cons I'll start with the one real problem I have and then move on to personal preferences. The buckles collect snow and are then impossible to close until they've thawed out. Usually holding them in my hands for a few minutes will do the trick. I am now very careful to never set the pack down in snow strap side down. Now the preferences. I do not like the crampon straps - I wish it had a pouch like the similar BD Mission packs. I would gladly take the little bit of extra weight. I also do not like the slide-through compression straps. Cute idea but its just a hassle.

Just like to say great job black diamond on the speed 40 pack! Wish I could of found the reactive system speed 40 pack but I'm still completely happy with my purchase. The pack holds all my gear I need for outdoor climbing and adventure. Straps are great love the load hauling straps help take the weight off the shoulders. I was going to buy the hyperlight 3400 but they don't have load barring straps so it was awesome that black diamond thought about this when designing it. Love all the features pack has just enough of everything from the h20 port, how your able to carry crampons and ice axes during winter, has enough storage for 70 meter rope,trad gear, harness,shoes, chalk, and much more. Im glad I went with my choice of Black Diamond speed 40 compared to competitors.

This bag is amazing. It’s comfortable even when super heavy, can fit my whole rack, and has a rope strap on top. Small enough to take as a carry-on. Simple and perfect for what I need.

Got a S/M and it was extremely uncomfortable on the shoulders. Thought getting a M/L would fix this but it didn't. The features are great, you can strap on crampons, axes and poles without a problem. At the end of the day if I'm carrying all that, I don't want to feel like I'm carrying 40 lbs instead of 20. The buckles are also annoying to undo

Bought for my budding young alpinist son. He has used it for a number of climbs. Also uses it for trips to the grocery store since he walks. Very versatile! It has been a good size for one day multi-pitch snow and ice alpine ascents, carries tools, rope and rack well. He loves it. One of my better purchases!

Covers all the essentials with no wasted weight. The go to bag for faster lighter approaches and stripped down summits.

The backpack is not very practical as it only has one way in, from the top. I would recommend getting one that could be opened from the side.