After serious review, the Patagonia Ascensionist is a favorite climbing pack for alpine, ice, and multipitch climbing. Our review, conducted in Alaska, highlights how to best use the pack and who should buy it.
Patagonia employed climbing luminaries like Steve House and Kelly Cordes to develop a purpose-driven backpack for hardcore alpine climbing. We tested the $179 Ascensionist Pack 40L, redesigned in 2017, during a multipitch ice climbing and skiing trip near Valdez, Alaska, this past February.
The Patagonia Ascensionist Pack 40L triangulates minimalism, durability, and usefulness. The pack is light (1 pound 15 ounces verified weight for L/XL) but has useful features for several forms of climbing and wilderness travel while remaining exceptionally durable.
The Ascensionist Pack 40L hits the sweet spot, particularly for quick movement in the mountains. It’s light, durable, and versatile for the light-and-fast mountain adventurer.
Patagonia Ascensionist Review: Materials
Patagonia used a 5.5-ounce, 210-denier Cordura nylon with polyester ripstop as the main fabric. The polyurethane coating feels thick and yields a stiff feeling in the pack body.
On the bottom, the pack has panels lined with foam, which create a base of support for the pack and increased abrasion protection from internal gear. The top closure flap also contains foam at the lip, providing an easy-to-grab “handle” when wearing gloves.
The back panel contains a 3/16-inch-thick removable foam insert, one of the firmest and most rigid ever encountered. The shoulder straps and hips also use thin and rigid foam. And the hip belt pads are precurved and can be moved along the hip belt webbing or removed.
Careful inspection reveals construction meant for rough treatment. All stitches are tight and straight, and bar tacks are dense and well placed. There’s no excessive binding tape or loose threads over the majority of the pack (the only area with excess seam allowance was at the top behind the foam back panel).