There made some great improvements over the last iteration of the backpack:
- The eternal winter issue of where to store your water bottle has a smart solution: an unzipped side pocket which can store thinner water bottles (i.e. a 0.5L Nalgene or thinner 1L bottle). May still need a coozie or sock on your water bottle to prevent freezing (thinner water bottles tend to freeze easier).
- The annoying inner strap has now been replaced by daisy chains on both straps! Great for carabining gear like your radio, inreach/sos device, etc. This should be a nice improvement in strap comfort. The last ones had to hang out, which was kind of awkward.
- The goggle pocket has been doubled (or tripled?) in size. It now can be used to fit far more than just your goggles, which is lovely addition. I always find myself storing smaller items in there, so this is great!
- A 2nd gear loop under the left hip belt pocket! Jones packs are one of the few on the market doing this... it's genius and I'm glad they added a 2nd one. So many other manufacturers only have a gear loop or a hip belt pocket, not both.
Cons:
- Where in the actual f**k is the frame? This is supposed to be a 32L splitboard pack meant for technical ascents/descents. A pack without a frame cannot be used to carry a snowboard/boots over a typical long day mission... the fatigue would be alarming. This pack is essentially a winter-only pack. It's a great pack, but Jones was a leader in providing one of the top (if not THE TOP) snowboarding mountaineering packs with their last version of the 32L (pre-2024 versions). Now, it's relegated to winter missions only. Spring is out. Unbelievably disappointed, and frankly not sure why they would churn out a pack that can't carry weight. If you don't climb big lines and stay under 35 degrees, this pack will be great. But if your snow climbing anything, it's hard to imagine Jones designing a pack that can't carry weight over hours of climbing, especially with all that their riders do on film. Why Jones, why...