Avalanche Pack Cost of Ownership

[ZRrrr]

Lots of different manufacturers coming out with avalanche packs, some with new technology. Looking at some of them on the internet I began to wonder about long term cost of ownership. For instance, Scott has one with their AlpRide technology that uses disposable cylinders, one CO2 and one Argon I think. Cost to replace the cartridges seems to be about $65CAD. They are sealed, so not sure they would leak and therefor no need to do a yearly test/refill (have that question in with Scott).

So I was wondering about long term cost of ownership and these questions came to mind:

Do you own/carry a second/backup cylinder?
Do you actually test yearly?
What is your average cost to refill?
At what point will you completely replace the cylinder?

 

[Big nasty]

Minor cost for a little added safety and the price of sleds. I test yearly and if it cost $100 no bigger, gives me a little piece of mind.

 

[ferniesnow]

ABS replacement cylinder is $40-45. Take in old cylinder and exchange for new. All the cylinders are factory filled and tested. Not to worry about it being done correctly. I test at the beginning of every season, repack the bag, check all the straps, and repack all the survival gear that I carry. When I go to look at new gear in the late fall, I take the spent cylinder with me and drop it off for exchange.

So, $40-45 annual cost.

 

[vodoo103]

I lucked out on my last bag. Fired it 3 times for testing and barely cost me anything.
1st year - Centratech re-filled for free when they replaced the guage as part of warranty recall.
2nd year - Centratech re-filled for free when I took my bottle along with all my Fire Extinguishers from work to get re-certified.
3rd year - Only charged me a box of donuts + $20.00.

I think they charge $40.00 normally

Initial purchase price / how many years you expect to get out of the bag is the biggest cost of owning.
$1200 bag / 6 year life expectancy (?) = $200 / year + one re-fill annually = $240.00 / year

 

[altaredneck]

Anyone have experience with those battery bags. Look very interesting. Aside from the price they look like they would serve the porpoise well being able to use them multiple times a charge. Thinking you can't put a price on safety

 

[snochuk]

I lucked out on my last bag. Fired it 3 times for testing and barely cost me anything.
1st year - Centratech re-filled for free when they replaced the guage as part of warranty recall.
2nd year - Centratech re-filled for free when I took my bottle along with all my Fire Extinguishers from work to get re-certified.
3rd year - Only charged me a box of donuts + $20.00.

I think they charge $40.00 normally

Initial purchase price / how many years you expect to get out of the bag is the biggest cost of owning.
$1200 bag / 6 year life expectancy (?) = $200 / year + one re-fill annually = $240.00 / year

I have had my ABS bag 10 years and it is good for another 5 at least. I take care of bag and don't just toss it in the back of tuck or in the trailer with other gear.
Bag only sees about 15-20 days of use per year though.
Worth every penny and I have never ever ridden without bag since purchase.

 

[AGGRESIVEZEBRA]

Have a bca bag. Set it off 1 time forsure cost 30 dollars to fill and that's all. Never had an issue and think it's worth every penny plus some. I know it's not a guarantee it's going to help but I would love every last bit of help in the case of an avalanche. As for the electric ones I think they are super cool for sure more money but in the case of multiple falls would be nice to know it will keep inflating. Only issue I see is a little more room for human error as in oh **** I forgot to plug it in. And at that point your pretty much running a heavy backpack unless you have a spare battery.

 

[moyiesledhead]

My Snowpulse vest has cost me nothing in maintenance so far. Test it every season. Refill it myself from a scuba tank. Refill scuba tank at work. Gonna need more burst discs eventually, but they're cheap.