Our Alpine Packs are famous for their simplicity, fail-safe ruggedness, and outstanding performance level. They have been used on many Expeditions around the world over the last 30 years and have adapted well to general backpacking. McHale Packs are Custom Made entirely in Seattle Washington. Dan Mazur at SummitClimb.com gets a kick from his McHale Packs. If you insist on minimum pack weights, McHale Packs offers these ultra-light packs. You may be able to find even lighter packs, but consider the mechanical advantage McHale Packs offer. Our packs comfortably carry more weight per cubic inch of volume and per ounce of weight. People that go out regularly year after year know that pack performance trumps pack weight. These are not fragile packs. They are made from our standard selection of tough US made and quality imported fabrics ( we tear test all of our fabrics to make sure they meet our standards ) and are built to our reliable high standards. Back in the mid 80s we called our climbing rucksack 'rocksac'. This is were the acronym SARC came from: Super Alpine Rocksac Photo; Jim Nelson and Mark Bebie in the North Cascades near Eldorado Peak in 1992 with Super-Sarcs. In 1989 Jim and Mark climbed the 2nd ascent of Mt. Forakers ' Infinite Spur ' using S-Sarcs, the very same packs in the photo as a matter of fact! Mark's pack was made for the climb and weighed 4 lbs total, which explodes the myth that all McHale Packs of that time were ' Heavy '. It was only 3 year later that McHale Packs began using Full Spectra for pack construction, with a push from Scott Fischer. Typically, packs were as tough or heavy as customers wanted them. For instance, Mark's pack was a relatively light construction and used 500 D cordura. His previous McHale S-Sarc was 1000 D. Jim's pack on the other hand was made of a relatively heavy 'medium weight' truck Tarp vinyl like that used in Big Wall haul bags, but he saved weight by not having a frame system in the pack. Click photo for larger images. Dan McHale photo Very Important......Click on the images below for detail pages - Everything you see in photos below is an option and can be mixed and matched on any volume of pack. It is far easier to start with examples like those below and add or subtract features from them. Any feature that is seen on one pack can be applied on any other pack with few exceptions. P&G Bayonet Frame Extensions - example photo click here Prices are on the detail pages after you click the thumbnail images below. For pack accessories click here or at top right corner of page at Sarc Accessories. Below; What our new 2012 Spectra/Cuben fabric looks like. This one is dyed gray with a blue bottom. Alpine climbing packs with be fitted with a special double weight Full Spectra bottoms to handle the grinding of sharp rocks - unless otherwise requested. Click image. Spectra info: http://gertrude-old.case.edu/276/materials/AlliedSignalSpectra/aspfps09.pdf Dyneema: http://www.dsm.com/en_US/html/hpf/applications_textiles.htm Pack examples below Bump32 Merkebeiner LBD - Little Big Daypack Above: LBPs 36, 37, 38 , LBP P&G 37, 39 click images or numbers - LBP 34, NEW LBP 35 Subpop view details Windsauk view Details Sarc-chasm view details Popcan - view details
Chasm view details	under construction view details				UnLtd S- SARC P&G (S-Sarc+1",+2"....) view details
			S-SARC P&G view details

	view details UNLTD+2
S-Sarc P&G view details Panel Loader P&G Bayonet				Black Byneema Grid & dyedFull Dyneema Full Dyneema Panel Loader P&G

4 packs below: Click color examples below of more Dyed Full Dyneema packs.

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Critical Mass Packs; Critical Mass pack developement began back in 1977. They really hit their stride in the mid 90s and were ahead of their time then....and still are!

Notice: Critical Mass Packs are no longer made with Dyneema as shown in the detail pages. They are now made with Full Spectra fabric, with a Mylar/Dyneema backing (Cuben Fiber) which creates a very similar ultra-strong pack.

Dyneema and Spectra are essentially the same thing with Spectra being the USA tradename for the fibers from Allied Chemical that make up the fabrics. Most of our suppliers have switched to using Spectra and at the same time have stopped coating it, so we are using Spectra fabrics with various laminates to create the waterproof side. Dyneema is the product name for the fibers of the European company DSM.

Expedition climbers, long distance challenge backpackers, hunters, and photograhers.....all appreciate the way Critical Mass packs can carry a load. If you truly need a pack to carry loads that are 60, 70, 80, 90 lbs and above, do yourself a favor and try one of these amazing packs. They are not the 'standard formula' packs found in stores. They are more like what people wish internal frame packs AND external frame packs were like. They are a very different machine and the best big load packs on the market, as well as the lightest big packs. You can match the frame strength in the pack to your activity. We have the strongest dimensions and alloys of stays available. If the price throws you: a thousand dollar pack amortized over 5 years of great trips isn't so bad and they'll easily last ten years and more. The pack is not the place to save money - do that with the stuff you put in it! If you need or want to carry big loads, that activity is the toughest part of being out there - why not invest in making it enjoyable?

Bypass Harness Information Critical Mass Frame Strength Information Hip Belt Info

Critical Mass Lumbar Pad Information

Critical Mass II view details	Super Critical Mass II Bayonet view details	MB Critical Mass II Bayonet view details	Inex Critical Mass II Bayonet view details

Above: Second and third row photos from second row left: A Dyed Full Dyneema CMII, a Dyed Full Dyneema CM Bayonet Panel Loader, and a 420 CM Bayonet Panel loader, a Twin Zipper MB-CMII, a black 210 grid CM Top Load Panel Load Bayonet, Dyed Yellow Full Dyneema CM Panel loader, and a 420 Blue 'Panel / Panel' Loader.

"Big load, long trail & hard climb, all eliminate by my Critical Mass Alpine II Bayonet. I just focus to climb until summit and safety down. A great success on Mt. Yari with my friends and McHale Pack. Thanks a lot, Ben" (click image for blow-up)