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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Mountain Hardwear Scrambler > Owner Review by Ray Estrella
Mountain Hardwear Scrambler Backpack
TESTER INFORMATION
I have been backpacking for over 30 years, all over California, and in many of the western states and Minnesota. I hike year-round, and average 500+ miles (800+ km) per year. I have made a move to lightweight gear, and smaller volume packs. I start early and hike hard so as to enjoy the afternoons exploring. I usually take a freestanding tent and enjoy hot meals at night. If not hiking solo I am usually with my brother-in-law Dave or fiancée Jenn. The Product
Manufacturer: Mountain Hardwear Product Description
The Scrambler is a dark grey (titanium) top-loading frameless pack. It is the lightest and lowest volume of the company's Objective Series Packs. It has been positioned for use as a mountaineering, scrambling and alpine climbing pack. The hang tag that came with it suggests that it is "light and small enough to carry along for side trips and summit bids." It also says that it can be used as a sleeping bag stuff sack. The contoured shoulder straps are made of open weave mesh netting with nylon piping on the edges. They have an adjustment strap at the lower end of the shoulder strap that pulls the pack higher onto my shoulders and back. A sternum strap that connects with a quick-clip buckle crosses the between the shoulder straps. It is mounted on a sliding connection. Each shoulder strap has an elastic nylon loop on them also. I keep my knife clipped to one of them. Here is a shot of the back of the Scrambler. The Scrambler has no hip belt, nor does it have a frame. But it does have a 3.4 oz (96 g) EVA foam back panel that gives support to the pack. It can be removed, as seen below, to cut the weight down and can be used as a sit pad. Field Conditions
I have used the Scrambler mostly in San Jacinto Wilderness and State Park and the forests around San Gorgonio as I used it as a summit pack for those two mountains. The temperatures were around 20 F (-7 C) and elevations reached 11500' (3505 m). Observations
I bought the Scrambler pack expressly to use as a summit pack. I was pretty excited about the low weight. That was somewhat soured for me by the actual weight being off by 27%. While I realize it is only 3 oz (85 g) it still bothers me when gear weights are mis-stated. I had lunch, water, rain shells, gloves, helmet and crampon case inside along with the snowshoes and ice axe strapped to the outside. When I bought it I had envisioned using the Scrambler as a replacement for my sleeping bag stuff sack to be able to save weight. This could still be done, but I have not used it this way to date. The top pocket is pretty small. I only keep a few little things in it, like wallet, keys, toilet paper and a Larabar or two. But the main pack swallows quite a bit. When using the bungee on the front I have to be careful that whatever I am putting there is quite secure. The silicon coated nylon of the pack is so slick that things will slip out easily. I have had Dave rescue escaping items for me. I have used it for a couple of fastpacks of very long mileage and it does quite well for this use. I wish that it had a port for a hydration tube, but was able to get by with just running it out the side of the opening. I have never taken the framesheet pad out to use as a sit-pad as it is quite difficult to get back in, but do like the way that it keeps sharp edges away from my back. I have never left the pad at home to save weight. The web shoulder pads work quite well. As I never had the weight too high I did not notice the lack of padding. They did not dig into my the top of my shoulders, even though I hike in just a base layer quite often in winter. When wearing my fleece or (rarely) parka, I do not even notice them. As hot as I am when I climb they have helped keep my chest from sweating as much as I normally do. While I understand that it is too small to employ an actual hip belt, a small waist belt would help keep it from flopping around when climbing. Which it does while climbing the boulders up to the peak of San Jacinto or like areas. All told it is a decent little pack. With the addressing of a couple of things (hydration port, waist belt, correct weight stated) I think it could be even better. This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Read more reviews of Mountain Hardwear gear Read more gear reviews by Ray Estrella Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Mountain Hardwear Scrambler > Owner Review by Ray Estrella |