Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Alpha FL 45 Backpack

I know this pack was designed for elite alpinists hauling exquisite rock climbing gear. I'm just a backpacker, but the combination of light weight, tough fabric and a waterproof bag was appealing for backpacking. I just did a 6-day trip in the Wind River Range with the pack and it performed very well. It is very tough and definitely waterproof. It is sensitive to balance issues, since the hipbelt is so minimal. Once I got it balanced, it was very comfortable. I started with 30 pounds and ended with about 18. Somewhere around 25-26 pounds would probably be the optimal place to start, but 30 was ok. The water issue is one I'll change next time. I used a small carabiner to attach a .5L Platypus to the chest strap (I stabilized the bottom of the Platypus with a little shock cord and used a tool that went around the neck of the Platypus and offered a loop for attaching the carabiner) and that worked ok. I had two 1L Platypus water containers at the top of the pack (outside the dry bag and under the overstrap). That created some of the balance sensitivity, so I'm going to figure out a way to put those on the outside of the pack using the attachment points and some velcro. That will make the water accessible enough and help with balance. While everyone else was worried about their pack covers, I just smiled and kept hiking. It was very nice!

Using for last 6 months and happy until recently saw the outside cord was cut and couldn't find the replacement .

I am a huge Arc’teryx fan and their products never let me down. The build quality and design is always top notch. I’ve purchased from a lot of outdoor companies and they hit the high bar, above most others. I was looking at 3 packs in this range for alpine and ice climbing. This is a very specific and light pack and I feel best suited for mostly alpine style climbing, hike in, rack up, bottom to top climbing with pack, hike or rap down. It is designed for that as the pack is a 45L, but designed to be loaded up to 45L, extended at the top, then rack up and bring the pack down to its standard size around 32-34L. Arc’teryx calls this a 45L for that specific purpose. At the smaller size it’s a bit small for me, thin in profile, and stripped. This is really how it’s designed and is excellent for that. I do mostly crag climbing with a fair amount of multi pitch routes and usually pack a small BD 11L lead pack. It is very comfortable, buckles and straps work very well, crampon bungee is nice, top tool holders are fair, bottom metal tabs are great, top folding piece is white and drops inside to light the pack (also can bunch up inside pack if not using, then have to pull it out once you realize you need more room), also has a dry bag roll and clip at top. A great pack for its specific design and use. Hope this helps.

J'ai t trs surpris de la tenue du sac sur mon dos. La simplicit du sac m'effrayais un peu mais en fait il s'est parfaitement positionn sur mon dos me laissant libre de mouvement. Le rehaussement du sac peut parfois gner quand le sac n'est pas entirement remplis et que celle ci est l'interieur du sac car des objets peuvent si accrochs quand on reprends des affaires du fond du sac. Trs bon produit pour l'alpinisme.

The 45L pack size is the hardest pack for me to fill in my quiver. I bought this pack to replace an Acrux and I pull the hip pads off the Acrux and put them on this. It worked well for a long hike into the Sierra with climbing and camping gear as well as the Tetons. It also works well carrying Indian creek loads. I came to be disappointed when using it for ice climbing. The bungee system for modern ice tools gets sloppy quite quickly and I ultimately sold the pack due to this. I think that if there was a more secure ice tool attachment system, this would be a five star pack. Alternatively, if you don't plan on carrying ice tools, it is a fantastic pack!

I found the pack to be everything advertised. Both good and otherwise. The material is durable but has it's limits. Once those limits are exceeded you loose the benefit of the material as it's no longer waterproof. I hit into a brief section of sharp rock once and now the side is a sieve. I've been hesitant to use it ever since. I believe there has to be a way of supplementing the material without compromising what makes it great. An integrated lattice of fibers at an angle offset to the current grid enforcement? An integrated "netting" that creates strategic high spots to bounce off of surfaces? I don't know. This is a great pack but it does have an obvious Achilles heel.

I found the pack to be everything advertised. Both good and otherwise. The material is durable but has it's limits. Once those limits are exceeded you loose the benefit of the material as it's no longer waterproof. I hit into a brief section of sharp rock once and now the side is a sieve. I've been hesitant to use it ever since. I believe there has to be a way of supplementing the material without compromising what makes it great. An integrated lattice of fibers at an angle offset to the current grid enforcement? An integrated "netting" that creates strategic high spots to bounce off of surfaces? I don't know. This is a great pack but it does have an obvious Achilles heel.

Ich hab ihn gekauft da er mir einfach gefiel und nicht explizit fr gewisse Touren. Die Robustheit fllt sofort auf, ebenso der Wasserdichte Seesack. Auch die Schlichtheit fllt auf und das aber nicht nur zu meiner Freude. Als Allroundtalent fehlt im die Skihalterung. Aber durch robuste Befestigungsschlaufen kann man die mit Reepschnren und etwas Basteln recht gut nachrsten. Wenn der Rucksack in seinem vollen Volumen ausgebreitet ist (Seesack draussen), ist er trotzdem noch schlicht und aufgerumt. Die Aufhngung fr die Eisgerte funktioniert gut, aber nicht weltbewegend. In die kleine Reiverschlusstasche an der Auenseite bringt man ein Handy, einen Autoschlssel und fertig. Fr eine normalgroe Stirnlampe ist allerdings kein Platz. Der "Rckenpolster" ist minimalistisch, passt sich aber gut an den Rcken an. Ich wrde ihn aber keinem "Sensibelchen" empfehlen. Die Trger sind wiederum sehr bequem. Fazit: ein Rcksack fr alles wenn man ein Hndchen zum Basteln hat. Ob klettern, Eisklettern oder Mehrtages-Skitouren. Ich nehm ihn fr Alles her, das mindestens einen Tag andauert. Da bleibt nur noch die Frage, wie die 30 Liter Version da steht.

Ich hab ihn gekauft da er mir einfach gefiel und nicht explizit fr gewisse Touren. Die Robustheit fllt sofort auf, ebenso der Wasserdichte Seesack. Auch die Schlichtheit fllt auf und das aber nicht nur zu meiner Freude. Als Allroundtalent fehlt im die Skihalterung. Aber durch robuste Befestigungsschlaufen kann man die mit Reepschnren und etwas Basteln recht gut nachrsten. Wenn der Rucksack in seinem vollen Volumen ausgebreitet ist (Seesack draussen), ist er trotzdem noch schlicht und aufgerumt. Die Aufhngung fr die Eisgerte funktioniert gut, aber nicht weltbewegend. In die kleine Reiverschlusstasche an der Auenseite bringt man ein Handy, einen Autoschlssel und fertig. Fr eine normalgroe Stirnlampe ist allerdings kein Platz. Der "Rckenpolster" ist minimalistisch, passt sich aber gut an den Rcken an. Ich wrde ihn aber keinem "Sensibelchen" empfehlen. Die Trger sind wiederum sehr bequem. Fazit: ein Rcksack fr alles wenn man ein Hndchen zum Basteln hat. Ob klettern, Eisklettern oder Mehrtages-Skitouren. Ich nehm ihn fr Alles her, das mindestens einen Tag andauert. Da bleibt nur noch die Frage, wie die 30 Liter Version da steht.

This pack is fantastic. It is light, it carries well, and it climbs well. It is simple, streamlined, and almost perfect. Now that that's out of the way, here are two nitpicks: The sternum strap is both too short and it would be nice if it had a bit of elastic so that it could expand when I'm breathing hard. Some of us have either breasts or muscles in our chest, and the strap is almost too short for me to use. It's downright uncomfortable when I'm breathing hard. The shock cord is not very durable at all. Ice tool blades and crampons destroyed mine fairly quickly. It works great. It just didn't last. Regardless, the pack is still close to perfect. I have both the 30 and the 45, and I'm tempted to get another 30 for my wife as a crag pack.

I've had this pack for around a year now, so I feel like I've spent enough time with it to give a well-rounded review. This pack is great and terrible for one reason: how specific to alpine climbing it is. It is light and durable, and makes for a great climbing pack. However, it has a few downfalls. The pack is uncomfortable if you load even 10-15lbs in it. The shoulder straps are super light, which makes the pack feel light, but then the load feels heavy. After half an hour of wearing the pack with moderate weight, the shoulder straps feel like they are really digging into your shoulder. The light straps make climbing easy, but carrying gear on the approach brutal. Secondly, this pack is terrible when it rains (surprising for a pack designed in Vancouver). The body of the pack is "weather resistant" which means it's fine if it showers a bit. The worst part is that water will pool in the opening to the main compartment which is right on top of the pack. This pool of water will leak into the pack through the thin cover, even if the bag is cinched tight. Rain obviously falls down directly to the top of the pack, not the sides where the weather resistant material is. My suggestion would be to add a removable top part to the top of the bag (a light brain) that is waterproof, or include a rain cover for the pack, or stop billing it as "highly weather resistant". Otherwise, the pack looks clean, performs well when loaded lightly in dry conditions. I wouldn't recommend this pack to people who would like to do other things with it other than light and fast climbing.

I am an avid fan of Arc'teryx products being the proud owner of many. I purchased my FL45 in Chamonix for a mountaineering course last July. It worked well but we had good weather. Then I returned home to the Lower Mainland where it rains the pack started to disappoint. I am going into K2 on a trek this July and I was thinking this would be my pack for the approach and exit walk. Three times I have been out and got caught on a good, moderate West Coast rain event. My gear and clothes were soaked plus I had an inch of water in the bottom. The problem seems to the main bag is waterproof, but the extension collar and closure fabric are at best lightly water resistant. My solution has been to buy a pack cover. The second issue is the size. This is not a 45 litre pack. It is a 30 litre pack with a 15 litre extension. The distinction may splitting hairs for some, but with your Altra and other lines the added volume provided by the extension collar is stated. Just not like Arc'teryx. I was not concerned that the pack has less hip belt padding than light backpacking packs. Pack it right and the pack is comfortable, at least for me. It does have to be more thoughtfully packed if you are going to use it for trekking Paul. I have put several consecutive days of 6-8+ hours with about 25 lbs. it was fine - for me.