Dakine Heli Pro 2013

This has so far been an excellent backpack for me. I mainly use it to carry my ski gear, tools, lunch, etc. to the mountain, but it has also been useful for pow days when you just cant leave that one thing behind. It does have a convenient fleece lined goggle pouch in the front, which I have made good use of. There are two straps, a hip a sternum. The sternum is removable and when the hip straps are not used, they do not get in the way at all. I also did like the compression straps on the sides, which do allow the pack to open up a bit more.
There is an ice axe holster on the side, but I have found this quite useful for an avy shovel. I can put the handle there and fit the blade in the pack comfortably.
Durability wise, this backpack has held up great over the past season for me. A friend has the same identical pack, and has used it for a school backpack for three years and skiing for two. Its still in perfect condition.
The one thing that I am not too fond of this pack is the ski straps. The skis sit at an angle across your back. While I have never had any issues, I feel like the straps could be tighter around the skis.
One final word; I have found this pack works great for some reason to carry boots. There is this flat spot along the top where my boot straps rest on and the boots hang off the sides. While it is not made for this, I have never had an issue with boots falling off.
In conclusion, I would recommend this pack for general usage to and from the mountain, but it is more than capable to also stay with you on the hill all day.

• Design
  Clean
  Busy
• Weight
  Light
  Heavy
• Durability
  Fragile
  Durable
• Style
  Uncool
  Cool
• Fit
  Slim
  Bulky
• Volume
  Tiny
  Huge
• Features
  Minimal
  Tons
• Usage
  Resort
  Backcountry
• Compartments
  One
  Many