Outbound Reviewed: Mammut Neon Smart Climbing Pack

The Neon Smart is everything I'd want in a climbing pack, particularly for sport climbing, the gym, or cragging, which is what it was designed for. As you can see in the photo below, the main zippered compartment can be opened completely to reveal the entire interior, which is super convenient for climbing. 

Once you've arrived at the base of your climb, unzip, open up, and all of your gear is neatly organized and ready to use. Speaking of organization, the interior mesh pockets plus the internal gear loop are ideal for separating your shoes, harness, chalk, and draws or protection. The integrated rope bag is also a feature I love. Keep your rope clean and flaked as you move from route to route.

I also love the large zipper looped handles...the last thing you want to do with sore fingers is to pinch a tiny metal object. The small zippered exterior compartment on the top is great for your phone, shades, sunscreen, or anything else you want at arm's reach.

The Neon Smart is not designed for multi-pitch climbing, but I did try it out on Hermaphrodite Flake + Boltway in Yosemite to see how it performed and while most climbers would take a smaller pack for routes like this, I didn't think twice about having it on my back. Unless I'm climbing a really challenging route, I don't mind a pack of this size for multi-pitch routes. I actually like having the extra storage on long climbs for snacks, water, camera bag, and layers. Even when I was working hard, had an extra layer on, and the weather was 65 degrees and sunny, the 3D EVA foam and air channels on the back panel meant my back never overheated or got too sweaty.

My climbing partner did hook it on to her harness via the carrying handle on the front of the pack for a section of the route through a tight chimney, but we would've done the same with virtually any pack. All in all, it's a fantastic pack that I'll use for years to come!

Photo courtesy of Kristi Teplitz and Mammut