 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm quite taken by the Dakine skiing bags, in particular the Heli and the Heli Pro
Want one to carry shoes and a few snacks (and any other garb that you tend to accumulate in your pockets), maybe some space to put a thin fleece in or something.
I'm erring towards the Heli, on the basis it's very slim- which I like the idea of, but I just can't tell if 11L would be enough space.
The 20L Heli Pro, certainly would fit- but it looks as though it bulges out a fair bit.
Ideally, I'd go to a store to have a poke about them- but there's no stores nearby I can easily get to before I go- would have to order it online.
So, any experience from anyone or advice?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have the Dakine 11L heli and the 20/22L heli pro. 11L is fine unless you need to carry avalanche gear, first aid kit and guiding/leading bumf etc.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've got the Heli 11lt but not had chance to use it yet (flying out on the 16th!... Yipee!).
I wanted something low profile for ease of sitting on the chairlifts and this looks like it will fit the bill. It certainly would take a fleece, goggles, lunch, a drink etc but I'm not sure about the shoes you mention.
Of course it's the usual Dakine good quality and if you require, has great features for attaching skis, poles, snowboard, helmet etc etc. Seems comfortable too...
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They do look good.... Just found a shop in Hythe that looks to stock them, have to give them a call in the morning and see if they've got some to look at!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I probably don't need to tell you but do shop around online.... I saved a tenner on mine including postage (can't remember off the top of my head where I got it though, sorry)
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eddyr, I've got both and they're great bags.
I'm always surprised, how quickly he 11l Heli Pack fills-up - so whilst you'll fit everything in, you might be frustrated for those days you want to pack more stuff in.
Also, the 20l has compression straps - so you can always squish the bag down if you're not carrying much, in order to cut down on bulk.
Hope this helps.
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abj, Thanks- how's the Pro on chairlifts and such like in comparison to the 11l?
Would rather just buy the one sack that'll do the job 
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eddyr, I've got both and as abj says, you can squish the bag down if its not full. If you're only going for one then the larger one may well be more versatile. I have found that skis feel better balanced on the pack when strapped to the 11L one. Facewest have some good deals and you get a discount on subsequent orders.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Really depends what sort of shoes you want to carry.
Squishy trainers and the 11L will be fine
More solid boots and you will need the 20L
I've got little rubber slippers that roll up so small you could put them in your pocket, but you wouldn't want to walk far or in fresh snow
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| eddyr wrote: |
abj, Thanks- how's the Pro on chairlifts and such like in comparison to the 11l?
Would rather just buy the one sack that'll do the job |
I don't notice any difference once they're on my back - so no problems there.
One thing to remember about Dakine backpacks is that (whatever the size) they all seem to come with incredibly long straps. So rather than getting them caught/tangled on a chairlift, it might be worth either cutting them down, or tie them up (I bought a little roll of Velco, which you can cut up, for exactly this purpose).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
One thing to remember about Dakine backpacks is that (whatever the size) they all seem to come with incredibly long straps.
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I agree! Far too long for anyone I think regardless of their size, I don't know why they do this as they are miles longer than the Camelbak ones ever are. Put me off using mine a bit although your idea about the little roll of Velcro is a good one, I'll get some of that! I have managed to carefully keep the black elastic bands up to now it came with for mine but I don't think they'll last, they are easy to lose.
eddyr, I've got the women's 18L Heli Pro and it doesn't take up much room on my back at all and I don't take it off on chairlifts. With that said, I notice most guys take their packs off regardless oft the size of the pack because they tend to take up more room than I do to start with. Prior to the Heli Pro I used a 16L Camelbak Muse (stored shovel and probe inside plus room for spare gloves, hat, goggles etc) and to be honest I'd say the Heli Pro doesn't feel any bigger on my back. The waist strap was better on the Camelbak but the advantage of the Heli Pro is that it fits a laptop in properly (obviously not for skiing but I use mine for hand luggage on the way out).
The probe lives outside on the Dakine packs-doesn't really matter but in the Camelbak ones it lives inside. Probably better on the outside anyway I'd have thought.
If I was you and I wanted to fit shoes/boots in then I'd go for the 20L Heli Pro I think the 11L will be too small. It is a compact looking pack anyway.
Other than Dakine you could look at the Camelbak range of packs (the Winter ones) because for me personally I like to have hydration on the go and really miss it if I don't have it for some reason. Plus if you don't want to have a hydration unit in the Camelbak packs you don't have to, you just take it out.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| colinstone wrote: |
| I have the Dakine 11L heli and the 20/22L heli pro. 11L is fine unless you need to carry avalanche gear, first aid kit and guiding/leading bumf etc. |
Got both in our house and I can fit avi gear and lots of other bumph (1L water bottle, gloves, goggles, spare fleece) in my 11L no problem, and it certainly carries skis a lot better than the 22L if the moaning from the person wearing the 22L pack last week was anything to go by).
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I've got the heli pro2 and its okay but doesn't divide stowage very well and fills up pretty quickly, and yeah far to long strapping. Ski carrige is a bit un stable aswell. I think my next one will probably be from Osprey like the Kode
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You know it makes sense.
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I'd go for the 11L if I were to buy a new one, fits everything you need for a day off piste in. 20L IMHO is a little large for a daypack but would be too small were you to go touring / overnight etc. I originally bought the larger one as I went on a SCGB holiday, and their rules stated that you HAD to have a backpack greater than 20L. I have never found I needed all of that space, even when carrying avi kit, multiple layers, lunch and a hydration kit...
Sideshow_Bob, that was probably more due to the person carrying the skis rather than being the fault of the backpack .
However, the backpack is quite long and therefore if you aren't very tall, a lot of the weight of the skis is borne by the shoulder straps rather than distributed between shoulders and hips as the waist strap doesn't sit in the right place
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The 20L works fine as a daypack for me and is good for hand luggage etc
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Poster: A snowHead
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scotia, good point on the hand luggage front, I forgot about that, very useful for that purpose
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Batman_123, yeah I'd find a 11L too small to use as a decent hand luggage rucksack as well as for skiing. I agree that the Dakine Pro II (which is even bigger at 26L I think) is massive and I think on the Dakine labels it says for people with backs of 18 inches or more, something like that, otherwise I think the ruchsack sits too low and therefore makes ski carrying more uncomfortable than it should be.
I haven't tried carrying skis on this Heli Pro yet-I'll try it next week, the Camelbak one was great at carrying them diagonally though, hopefully this one will be just as good.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sideshow_Bob, 4L more by chance? 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
Other than Dakine you could look at the Camelbak range of packs (the Winter ones) because for me personally I like to have hydration on the go and really miss it if I don't have it for some reason.
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I hang a 2l hydration bladder inside the Heli Pro, into the laptop pocket, and then use a length of 15mm plumbing insulation to insulate the drinking tube outside the rucksack down the shoulder strap, which already has elastic straps to retain a tube. Shovel handle and probe stow on outside in purpose made holder. For hand luggage, I just put the HP into a large soft grip - which has enough space for all the other bits and bobs.
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Lots of positive reviews of these sacks! Can't make up my mind which size to get though.... 
I've got a hydration bladder (a couple in fact) so can add that to whatever I choose should I decide to
Have to see if I can get the chance to head down to Hythe now- their prices seem pretty good http://www.s2as.com/
Or just take the plunge and order online..... oh decisions decisions!
Really I'd only want it for some shoes, and a few articles like a bit of lunch. So I'm thinking the 11L would probably be sufficient
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colinstone, yeah I know, I have a Camelbak Stoaway winter use hydration pouch which I used in my Camelbak pack instead of the regular uninsulated version which comes in most cycling Camebaks, those Stoaway ones already have the insulated tubing as well as the blue nozzle having a rubber winter cover over it to stop it freezing up. All I've done is move the Stoaway to the Heli Pro instead into the hydration sleeve/laptop sleeve. Good to go then, as you say they already have the gubbins built in to the Heli Pro to feed the tubing through properly. I just meant that eddyr could consider Camelbak brand packs as well as Dakine as they do some really good winter packs.
On the subject of hydration units, I had a Dakine one of those once and although the quality of their packs is good, the hydration unit was rubbish, dead thin and leaked after using it a couple of times. Think the Camelbak units are far better.
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Nothing holding you back from using a Camelbak bladder with a Dakine pack. This is what I do. I didn't even know Dakine made that stuff as well.
Anyway, go for the 20-22l. It can be compressed, so you have nothing to loose and gain versatility.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Can anyone comment on either the Dakine 11 or 20 L pack's suitability for taller (I'm 6' 2") people? A good fit for a longer back?
colinstone, can you post a link to the kind of insulation you used. That sounds like a cracking idea.
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I have the 11l one, and it fits fine on me, 6'3". The long straps are nice to have in that respect. Holds sufficient gear, I can get a DSLR camera and an extra lens in at a push.
Camelbak do a snowsports kit for their bladders, a neoprene cover for the hose, and covered mouthpiece, works well at stopping slush puppies.
http://camelbak.com/sports-recreation/accessories/thermalcontrolkit.aspx
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Well... I ended up ordering both. Wifey can take the small bag on days we both want/need one, she'll only moan otherwise!!
Actually ordered the deluxe 20l heli pro, think only differences being horizontal snowboard carry (don't need) and insulated thing for hydration pipe, s2as had it for the same price as the non deluxe version that most are stocking. I think...
Whatever, I should have them next week!
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Sadly they were out of stock of the smaller Heli sack, but had the Heli Pro DLX delivered today, and I'm really impressed  Looks really nice, looking forward to giving it a trial in a couple of weeks!
You're right BTW, it is slimline indeed so no fears there. The pictures online really puff it up, which of course you can do if you loaded it right up- but it naturally sits quite slim and the compression straps would keep it that way.
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