Cold Cold World Chernobyl Backpack

As a nod to climbers who will be wearing the pack on the technical portion of a climb (rather than simply hiking gear to the base then back out again), there is a gear loop on each of the hip belt. This addresses the misery that is cleaning a pitch while wearing a pack whose hip belt covers your harness.

The buckles on the various compression straps are robust and large enough that I can manipulate them easily while wearing gloves, and they are located exactly where you’d want them for adjusting the fit or profile of the pack as much as possible without taking it off.

The most telling part of the pack, however, is the fact that it is made with bombproof 500D cordura. The fabric is the most abrasion resistant fabric I have seen on a pack, with the exception of the exorbitantly priced ($700-$1,500) CiloGear packs that are made with woven dyneema. After about a year of semi-regular use, my Chernobyl still looks brand new.

But Cordura, however burly, is not the lightest fabric available. This embodies the philosophy behind the gear: get rid of features without losing sight of what is necessary for performance or endurance.

Cold Cold World packs are lightweight, but they achieve this by omitting an internal frame rather than participating in the retail competition to use thinner and thinner fabrics. The internal frame in the Chernobyl is replaced by a removable foam pad, measuring 23x24x3/8 inches, that when folded forms the support structure of the pack while also serving as a makeshift bivy pad and saving roughly half a pound. It is more than sufficient to keep things from digging into your back while wearing it, but makes the pack less stiff than would an aluminum internal frame. Flexibility in the pack matters not at all for backpackers, but is great—even necessary—while climbing.

Despite those appealing facts, this is the part of the pack that I was most worried about: Would I have enough support to fill it and carry it for hours without back pain? Surprisingly, yes. It carries loads as comfortably as any other pack in its size range that I’ve worn.

The pack does contain one or two bell-and-whistle-type features, such as two pouches within the lid (one inside, one outside). While it is somewhat convenient to separate small items into day-use and night-use, I think it is a bit unnecessary.

Best Uses?

When I am asked whether I’d recommend this pack, this last point forms the basis of my answer: what are you going to use the pack for? If you are hiking a dozen miles from campsite to campsite over three days, then your priorities might not require the Chernobyl. Odds are, if you are backpacking, you won’t need a bivy pad or bomber fabric. Would the Chernobyl work on backpacking trips? Absolutely. Do you need super durable fabric and a bivy pad on a pack that won’t leave established trail? No. If this describes your activity set, perhaps an internal frame is preferable.

For those looking for a pack about this size, the Cold Cold World Chernobyl is unquestionably an excellent piece of gear. You’ll just need to figure out—given your intended use— how you would prioritize the major aspects of a pack: durability, weight, features, etc., and finding a pack that is built around similar priorities.

Price, Other Considerations

The Chernobyl is priced at or just below most of the other 45–50 liter climbing packs on the market. While mainstays such as Black Diamond and Arc’teryx do make great packs (I own packs by both companies), the Chernobyl is both lighter and less expensive than similar packs by those manufacturers, and it fits exactly to the specs that I gave to Randy.

The obvious passion of the company owners, their willingness to customize packs, and the overall quality of the Chernobyl’s construction allow me to say with confidence that you will not be disappointed with the Cold Cold World Chernobyl for all things alpine.

Update: After Three Years of Use…

I’ve used my Chernobyl steadily since I wrote this review more than two years ago. So it’s time for an update, since my original, glowing opinion of the pack had a lot to do with it’s outstanding durability. Furthermore, CCW produces only four different backpacks, and they make them very well. They haven’t spent time updating their line merely for the sake of rotation or marketing hype, as is often the case in the outdoor sports world. So the same Chernobyl pack I picked up three years ago is still available for purchase.

Info about the order process with CCW and details about the Chernobyl’s build are laid out in the original review, so I’ll skip right to the current state of things:

The pack doesn’t come with me everywhere I go, as I usually use much smaller packs for trips to the crag, etc., but it has seen heavy use during both summer and winter trips ranging from one long day to 3 days with 2 overnights. On trips longer than that, I start to run out of space in the Chernobyl. Even so, the lion’s share of my backcountry travel these days is over a 1-3 day period. The Chernobyl hasn’t had much of a break in the last two years, and I’m hard-pressed to find any significant wear and tear on the pack; even the buckles have held up well.

I often pack the Chernobyl with cams and nut tools with the organizational attention you’d find in a rat’s nest. I don’t make a point to set it down gently (it usually gets tossed on whatever rock is closest once I’ve finished trudging to wherever I’m going), and has borne crampons and ice tools on the outside on many occasions.

Even so, the pack is still in killer shape. So at this point, I will double down on the claims I made about the Chernobyl’s durability in my original review. This underscores the importance of really thinking through all the features you’d like to have on your Chernobyl, as well as any special fit adjustments that need to be made, because you’ll likely have the pack for the rest of your life.

And the Chernobyl has all the functionality you could want for alpine travel. So if you’re looking for a pack for the 2014 alpine season, Cold Cold World’s Chernobyl definitely deserves a serious look.