What is the Blue Ice Firecrest 28L Backpack?
The Blue Ice Firecrest 28L is an all-season backpack designed for seamless transitions and optimal performance. Whether scaling icy alpine routes, crossing snowy fields on skis, or tackling challenging rock faces in the heat, this backpack has got your back.
What is it made of?
High-Tenacity 210D Nylon
The body of the Firecrest is a high-tenacity 210-denier Nylon, a fabric known for its impressive strength-to-weight ratio. The "high-tenacity" designation refers to how the nylon fibres are spun, creating tighter, stronger filaments that resist tearing and stretching. This design ensures that even though the fabric is relatively lightweight, it can handle the rigours of rough trails, heavy loads, and daily wear.
Carbonate Coating for Durability
To enhance its performance, the nylon is treated with a carbonate coating. This specialised finish significantly boosts the fabric's abrasion resistance, meaning it can brush against rocks, branches, and gear without fraying or thinning. Compared to standard polyurethane (PU) coatings, carbonate coatings are tougher, longer-lasting, and more resistant to degradation.
PFC-Free Water Repellence
The Firecrest avoids harmful perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are commonly used in water-repellent treatments but are notorious for persisting in the environment. Instead, the backpack utilises a PFC-free alternative that offers reliable water resistance while protecting the ecosystem. This coating ensures rain, snow, or morning dew beads off the fabric without relying on environmentally damaging chemicals.
Bluesign-Approved Materials
The Firecrest's materials carry the Bluesign approval, a certification that guarantees responsible and sustainable textile production. The nylon and coating were manufactured with strict standards to minimise waste, reduce water usage, and eliminate harmful substances. The result is a backpack that performs at a high technical level and aligns with ethical, environmentally responsible practices.
What type of back system is used?
Hybrid Carry System
The Firecrest has a high-performance hybrid carry system that blends stability, comfort, and adaptability. This design distributes weight evenly across the back and hips, helping to reduce fatigue on long mountain days. The hybrid structure combines supportive rigidity with flexible movement, ensuring the pack remains close to your body while allowing a natural range of motion for scrambling, climbing, or trekking.
Fixed Waist Belt for Security
A newly integrated fixed waist belt enhances load transfer and stability. Locking the pack securely around the hips prevents unwanted shifting when moving quickly over uneven ground. This design feature not only improves balance but also helps reduce pressure on the shoulders, making the Firecrest feel comfortable even under heavier loads.
Removable Steel Frame
For additional versatility, the pack includes a removable steel frame. When inserted, the frame boosts support for heavier gear, making it ideal for multi-day missions or when carrying technical equipment. If you aim to travel fast and light, you can remove the frame to reduce weight and increase pack flexibility, tailoring the carry system to your specific objective.
What are its features?
Floated Lid
The backpack has a floated lid, offering versatile storage options for your gear. This adjustable lid allows for volume expansion or can be completely removed as needed, providing flexibility to accommodate varying packing needs. A zipped lid pocket with 2L of storage keeps smaller essentials close to hand, while additional accessories and lateral pockets provide further organisation.
Access Points
The Firecrest offers top entry and a full-length side access zip, giving you multiple ways to reach your gear. The top entry is ideal for quick grabs on the go, while the side zip allows you to get items deep in the pack without unpacking everything.
Organised Storage
The backpack includes multiple pockets to keep your gear neatly arranged and easy to find. Alongside the zipped lid pocket, there's a stretch side pocket for bottles or snacks and dual chest pockets for essentials like a GPS device, a map, or energy gels. An additional accessories pocket and outside lateral pocket expand your storage options further, ensuring you can keep critical items within easy reach.
Ice and Rope Carry
For alpine missions, the dual ice tool carry system securely transports technical tools without limiting mobility. The addition of a rope carry system makes it simple to bring climbing ropes along, ensuring you're fully equipped for mixed or technical routes.
Ski Carry Options
The Firecrest is designed with ski mountaineering in mind and includes multiple ski transport options. The skimo-style quick carry system allows you to attach skis rapidly without removing the pack, while the A-frame carry option provides a more traditional setup. This versatility ensures you can adapt to the terrain and your objective.
Avalanche Safety Storage
The Firecrest includes a removable avalanche tool pouch and a dedicated removable avi gear compartment, providing secure and accessible storage for critical safety equipment like probes and shovels. This modular setup allows you to streamline the pack for non-avalanche environments or keep safety gear separate and accessible when required.
Helmet and Hydration Compatibility
The pack is also helmet holder compatible, letting you securely attach your helmet to the exterior when it's not in use. It's also compatible with a hydration bladder, ensuring you can stay hydrated without stopping and unpacking.
Features:
- Zipped lid pocket (2L) plus additional accessories and lateral pockets
- Dual chest pockets for small essentials
- Full-length side access zip for fast gear retrieval
- Stretch side pocket for bottles or snacks
- Dual ice tool carry
- Rope carry system
- Helmet holder compatible
- Hydration bladder compatible
- Ski carry options: skimo-style quick carry or A-frame, with a quick ski carry kit included
- Removable avalanche tool pouch and removable avi gear compartment for safety equipment