Best Avi Bag?

[jockdoc]

Just wondering if anyone has a favoured avalanche bag? Please include reasons why you like it, or why you don't and any stories of how it saved your bacon!

 

[talkinghamster]

I vote for BCA. always had good luck with their products. the bag sizes are nice, i like the smaller float 22

 

[0neoldfart]

I am a fan of the Snowpulse bags - the Himark 22 offers some c-spine support, the Snowpulse vest has body armor built in (we have both styles, I wear a Tek Vest with the backpack). Storage is reasonable, cylinders do not have to be weighed - they have a guage to indicate charge. The trigger is resettable yourself (they come with a wrench to do it). The one downfall in my opinion is the trigger is on the left side - I would have prefered it on the right. Although I haven't had to deploy them in an emergency, I feel confident they will function when needed.
Honestly, go try a few different types on with your jacket, & imagine 15-20 lbs added to it - not all of them fit the same or offer the same comfort.I would purchase either model again.

 

[250mark1]

I haven't. Bought one yet but I am going to buy either the ABS or the snowpulse as I do not like the fit or function of the bca bags
Leaning more to the Abs as it fits me the best and is the most proven system

 

[knocksum]

Avi Vest without a doubt. Built in armor in the vest. Takes the load off the shoulders. Very warm so you can wear less. I feel naked without it now.

 

[Slamnek]

I have rode with the BCA float 18, ABS escape 15 and 30L and snowpulse highmark 22. To me the best fitting bag with the most functional storage is the snowpulse. I like that you can strap you shovle and probe on the outside where as all the other bags you have to put them inside which makes it a pain in the butt when you get stuck. When your done digging yourself out you then put a snow covered shovel back in your bag with all your other gear. The BCA and ABS 15L seem like a good bags but i found it to be too small with having the shovle and probe inside. I bought the ABS 30L only because i got a great deal off my buddies dad. I couldn't pass it up. Next year i will be buying a second shovel to keep on the sled for when i get stuck. I believe that they are all good bags its just personal preference. My ABS 30L felt waaay to big (i am short) but there are lots of adjustments in the shoulder straps and i now have it fitting awesome.

 

[zed899]

BCA float 18. Small and light, fits me very nicely, I can't even tell im wearing it most of the time. I agree that it doesn't have the most storage but it does fit all of the emergency equipment you need and anything beyond that can go in a tunnel bag or something, why would you carry more than you need to on your back? Also BCA is a very good value price wise, there is no trigger to be replaced after you deploy it and you just need a place that fills scuba tanks and they can fill it, has a gauge on the cylinder.

 

[moyiesledhead]

In our family we have a first gen Snowpulse, an ABS, a BCA, and my new Snowpulse vest. Having worn them all at one time or another, and not being a fan of wearing a pack in the first place, I prefer the vest. By far the most comfortable of the four and still has room for way more stuff than I want on my back. Never had to deploy any of them in an avy, but they all get test fired once a year.

 

[norona]

The real answer is to try on all the bags and find the one that fits you the best! For safety the ABS is by far the leader. 2 bags totally 170 liters vrs. every other safety system which has just one bag so if something goes wrong with it, that is it, the ABS system is backed up so if one does not inflate or is shredded on a rock or tree, then the other one is still enough to float a large human.

The pneumatic explosive handle on the ABS also ensures that the bag works every time the same with the same 2mm pull. Every other bag uses a cable that can stretch, break and or rust. ABS stopped using a cable in late 1998 for the reasons mentioned above.

Replacing cartridges is the same but different for each air bag. After the pack is blown off a person owning an ABS takes the handle and cartridge to an abs dealer and for $40.00 dollars walks out with a refilled canister(that is done in the plant in Langely, BC) and a new handle, ABS fills them because it is important that your bottle does not leak or not work, in the refilling process we freeze the bottle, weight it, fill it and hold it for 72 hours to make sure it does not leak before it leaves to a store for replacement. This does not affect the customer as when you go in you just trade it for one in store. ABS also uses Nitrogen which is an inert gas and fills the bags better at any altitude. All other bags use oxygen and it is true that you can get oxygen at more places filling the bottle requires some knowledge so it is best to go to a deal of the pack, it should take roughly 30 minutes to fill in store with having to freeze the canister or fill without freezing then let cool down and top up. It is also a little cheaper to do oxygen, but this is something that is not done that often, it is also important to know that whatever bag you have that you should have and extra cartridge or in abs case canister and handle, as in case you blow it off by accident at the trail head your not driving back to town, this way you can reload you bag right there and the abs system is the fastest as there are no mechanical things to change o-rings to, you just unscrew the canister and screw in new one and replace handle, it is a 2 minute job.

ABS is also the only pack in which you can change backpacks in size and choose between a 5,15, 25, or 40 liter pack that houses the shovel inside a separate pocket or the snowmobile specific pack in a 5 or 15 liter option with the shovel on the outside, so you can use a 5 liter sb pack for sledding every day then if you do a long trip or overnighter you can buy a 40 liter pack for$129.00 and zip it in and voila you have the same pack with a bigger bag, also great if you ski or snow board or ski tour as you can use different sized bags for each sport, same base unit. All others you are stuck with the one size.

Also snowpulse and many people still claim that their over the head air bag will protect you from trauma. This may sound good but NO air bag will protect you from trauma, sorry not gonna happen. The new ABS 2012 and newer use a way stronger air bag than any other manufacture, last year we drove a ford f350 over the bag and it would not pop, it just go deformed, air bags are not like car air bags they will not protect you if you hit a tree at mach 10.

Each air bag you think about buying, you should set it off and see how easy it is to refill and reload the bag, makes a big difference and you should know how to do this and all that is involved. Think of it as your parachute when your going out of a plane, you probably want to know who packed it and how it works!

On the topic if canisters, abs does not have a gauge on it because we do it all in house with a proper machine, I have included the video below that shows why we use it. The gauge on many canisters worth about $5.00 and you trust your life to that, gauges have to be constantly checked to ensure they work properly, the gauge we use to refill bottle in the factory are checked every month cause they do go out of whack and the gauge we use is over $250.00, I am not saying you cant trust it but dont just think it will always read accurately year after year, safety systems need to be checked so check them, as it would be a shame if you ever needed to use your pack and it did not work.

 

[assaultbear]

My riding buddy and i both purchased the Snow Pulse vest style. Heavy but lots of room to pack gear and shovel on the outside best for guys like me that are using shovel a lot. Never had to deploy so far.

 

[BLUE PLATE]

Snowpulse the only way to go.

 

[250mark1]

Abs also has bags tht the shovel and probe are on the outside (sb15)

 

[ffemt]

ABS is the way to go, Nitrogen filled so less problems with cold temps. Plus the Vario system allows you to interchange whatever size pack you want on to their Avy pack. I run a 15L and it's a little big for my taste but I just ordered a 5L, that's the beauty with ABS, you can play around with them.

 

[MoThEr TrUcKeR]

X2^^^

 

[lilduke]

The real answer is to try on all the bags and find the one that fits you the best! For safety the ABS is by far the leader. 2 bags totally 170 liters vrs. every other safety system which has just one bag so if something goes wrong with it, that is it, the ABS system is backed up so if one does not inflate or is shredded on a rock or tree, then the other one is still enough to float a large human.

The pneumatic explosive handle on the ABS also ensures that the bag works every time the same with the same 2mm pull. Every other bag uses a cable that can stretch, break and or rust. ABS stopped using a cable in late 1998 for the reasons mentioned above.

Replacing cartridges is the same but different for each air bag. After the pack is blown off a person owning an ABS takes the handle and cartridge to an abs dealer and for $40.00 dollars walks out with a refilled canister(that is done in the plant in Langely, BC) and a new handle, ABS fills them because it is important that your bottle does not leak or not work, in the refilling process we freeze the bottle, weight it, fill it and hold it for 72 hours to make sure it does not leak before it leaves to a store for replacement. This does not affect the customer as when you go in you just trade it for one in store. ABS also uses Nitrogen which is an inert gas and fills the bags better at any altitude. All other bags use oxygen and it is true that you can get oxygen at more places filling the bottle requires some knowledge so it is best to go to a deal of the pack, it should take roughly 30 minutes to fill in store with having to freeze the canister or fill without freezing then let cool down and top up. It is also a little cheaper to do oxygen, but this is something that is not done that often, it is also important to know that whatever bag you have that you should have and extra cartridge or in abs case canister and handle, as in case you blow it off by accident at the trail head your not driving back to town, this way you can reload you bag right there and the abs system is the fastest as there are no mechanical things to change o-rings to, you just unscrew the canister and screw in new one and replace handle, it is a 2 minute job.

ABS is also the only pack in which you can change backpacks in size and choose between a 5,15, 25, or 40 liter pack that houses the shovel inside a separate pocket or the snowmobile specific pack in a 5 or 15 liter option with the shovel on the outside, so you can use a 5 liter sb pack for sledding every day then if you do a long trip or overnighter you can buy a 40 liter pack for$129.00 and zip it in and voila you have the same pack with a bigger bag, also great if you ski or snow board or ski tour as you can use different sized bags for each sport, same base unit. All others you are stuck with the one size.

Also snowpulse and many people still claim that their over the head air bag will protect you from trauma. This may sound good but NO air bag will protect you from trauma, sorry not gonna happen. The new ABS 2012 and newer use a way stronger air bag than any other manufacture, last year we drove a ford f350 over the bag and it would not pop, it just go deformed, air bags are not like car air bags they will not protect you if you hit a tree at mach 10.

Each air bag you think about buying, you should set it off and see how easy it is to refill and reload the bag, makes a big difference and you should know how to do this and all that is involved. Think of it as your parachute when your going out of a plane, you probably want to know who packed it and how it works!

On the topic if canisters, abs does not have a gauge on it because we do it all in house with a proper machine, I have included the video below that shows why we use it. The gauge on many canisters worth about $5.00 and you trust your life to that, gauges have to be constantly checked to ensure they work properly, the gauge we use to refill bottle in the factory are checked every month cause they do go out of whack and the gauge we use is over $250.00, I am not saying you cant trust it but dont just think it will always read accurately year after year, safety systems need to be checked so check them, as it would be a shame if you ever needed to use your pack and it did not work.

ABS Avalanche Backpack - Filling the ABS Canisters - YouTube

Awsome Review man!! I was all about the snow pulse,,, But you sold me on ABS

 

[moyiesledhead]

Awsome Review man!! I was all about the snow pulse,,, But you sold me on ABS

That wasn't a review, it was a sales pitch......and there's so many statements in there I disagree with I don't even know where to start!

Just off the top of my head.....the others aren't filled with oxygen, they're filled with dry air. And filling them is not rocket science. I've done lots of them from a scuba tank. Even a cheap gauge will still be accurate within 10%, which is still lots to fill the bag and beats the hell out of having to weigh it. Stainless steel cables will never rust. No trauma protection???......an opinion at best! Look at the bag inflated and form your own opinion. Can't change the bag size????? Obviously knows nothing about the new Snowpulse bags.

Not saying ABS isn't a good bag...just don't like reading innacurate information.

 

[summit1974]

That wasn't a review, it was a sales pitch......and there's so many statements in there I disagree with I don't even know where to start!

Just off the top of my head.....the others aren't filled with oxygen, they're filled with DRY AIR. And filling them is not rocket science. I've done lots of them from a scuba tank. Even a cheap gauge will still be accurate within 10%, which is still lots to fill the bag and beats the hell out of having to weigh it. Stainless steel cables will never rust. No trauma protection???......an opinion at best! Look at the bag inflated and form your own opinion. Can't change the bag size????? Obviously knows nothing about the new Snowpulse bags.

Not saying ABS isn't a good bag...just don't like reading innacurate information.

first whats wrong with a sales pitch...your just MAD cause your opinion does,t get paid!!!There was some very good information in daves post.stainless steal cables do rust and can get stuck inside a sleeve FYI!!

 

[moyiesledhead]

your just MAD cause your opinion does,t get paid!!!

Not sure how you came to that conclusion, but obviously you know nothing about me. My opinion gets paid for almost every day....very well paid for I might add!

 

[oler1234]

i run a ABS, and like the bag for the above reasons as norona says. Interchangable bag sizes is great. There are now other manufactures getting into making zip on packs with better storage. Right now i got a abs with a EVOC zipon... it works great.

I would say as everyone does, try them all on and make your own decision. You can read stuff on the net untill you blue in the face. At the end of the day it is a safety device that might save your own life in a situation.

 

[BLUE PLATE]

Inflated ABS and BCA put you face down in the snow. Snowpulse's design keeps your head above the snow and provides protection around the head and neck area. Buy whatever you like, but snowpulse has the best design hands down.