Mammut Pro RAS 35L Backpack

Durability

I’ve used this pack 20+ days, which isn’t that long in the grand scheme of a pack’s expected lifetime. As a photographer, I frequently toss the pack on the ground and grab my camera out of the back-access panel. The ground the pack lands on can be snow, rock, ice, or tree branches. So far, there are no signs of adverse wear from this at all.

Though I’ve only carried skis on the pack a handful of times, both A-framed and diagonal, the attachment straps are pretty tough pieces of webbing, and key attachment points are reinforced with a tough rubber coating. Even the zippers (minus the one section of burst zippers) have held up very well from frequent openings and closings. The shoulder straps, hip belt, and back pad, all made of the same thermoformable foam with an outer fabric covering, have all kept their shape nicely and show no signs of abrasion or wear. This is pretty consistent with what I’ve come to expect from Mammut packs. My previous experience with their backcountry ski backpacks was a Nirvana, which I’ve used continuously for five years, and while it doesn’t look new, it’s far from retirement.

Cost / Weight

The Pro RAS 35L is not the least expensive out there (BCA’s Float 36L comes in lower at $785; Float 18, $685), but its total price of $925 is certainly competitive if not better than many other models (the ABS Vario base unit starts at around $980; the Mystery Ranch Blackjack retails for $1025).

At about 7 pounds, the Pro RAS 35L also weighs less than many other packs in the 35 L range (ABS Vario 40L: 7.4 pounds; Mystery Ranch Blackjack 43L: 7.8 pounds; BCA Float 36L: 7.7 pounds). Only the ABS system offers interchangeability with other packs, but the catch is that the ABS system relies on compressed nitrogen rather than compressed air to operate, so the emptied cartridges must go back to ABS for a fill-up.

Overall, the Mammut system seems to offer one of the most flexible, value-conscious, user-friendly systems available.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a backpack that will give you the option to use an avy-airbag when you want, will carry virtually everything you’d need for a long day tour or ski mountaineering mission, and still be a pack that you’d want to carry all year-round on backpacking trips, consider the Mammut Pro RAS 35L.

This is not the lightest avy-bag pack out there, so if weight is the primary concern then you may need to look elsewhere—though you’ll probably end up with a sub-35 liter pack. It isn’t the most streamlined pack around, either—there are lots of straps, pockets, etc.—so if you want something shaped like a bullet, this might not be your baby. And if you’re looking to pinch-pennies, the BCA options are less expensive, but with a catch: you won’t be able to interchange your airbag system among packs, and refills will cost you $20-50 a pop.

The Mammut Pro RAS 35L pack is a very versatile, go-to pack for anyone who wants to take skis out in the mountains and be as safe as current technology allows. Its not the cheapest bag out there, but its functionality and versatility both as a pack and with the RAS system make it a good value.