Platypus has 5 different sizes of Hydration Packs. The Origin 9 is their light full day epic pack. All their packs come in three colours – Blue, Green and Black. The pack weighs in at a respectable 1 lbs 8 oz or 662 g. It is constructed of tough waterproof 10,000mm-coated fabric, welded all-weather zippers and heat-taped seams.

Platypus Origin 9 Features:

• Weatherproof Protection: Waterproof, 10,000mm-coated fabrics, welded, all-weather zippers and heat-taped seams.
• Integrated Hydration: Dedicated, easy-access compartment for included 3.0L Big Zip^™ SL reservoir, options for top, bottom, left or right hose routing, lightweight reservoir suspension toggles, and locking hose clips.
• Clean Design: Precisely what you need and nothing you don’t to keep things light and simple.
• Refined Fit: BioCurve^™ back panel, plus ergonomic shoulder straps with soft, stretch-woven surfaces and high and low shoulder strap attachment points for long and short torsos, respectively.
• Essential Features: On the go waist pockets – quick-access external sleeve pocket – internal organizer – welded light loop/lash points – reflective detailing.
• Colors: Green, Blue, Black
• MSRP: $99.95

Platypus Origin 9 Hydration Pack Review

Featuring a separate water bladder storage with options for top, bottom, left or right hose routing, lightweight reservoir suspension toggles, and locking hose clips creates options for your hose and security of the bladder. As well if the bladder leaks or is wet when you fill it it will not get other parts of the pack wet.

Main compartment is also water proof with an internal accessory pocket. This main compartment contains your tools, food and spare clothes in one section. Two smaller easy to access pockets are on hip belt for food or other items you need quick access to.

Exterior welded light loop is right on the back where you can attach a light for commuting. As well loops for helmet or other attachments are easy to use.

I was able to store my tools, spare tube, pump etc. in the main compartment as well as my food and spare jacket for all-day rides. I could also store another spare jacket in the water bladder compartment if I wanted it out of the way. A second open pocket was also present on the back which I would use to store spare gloves or other items. The pack fit comfortably with Platypus’s BioCurve™ back panel. The ergonomic shoulder straps were comfortable and easily adjusted.

The hip belt also held the pack securely to my back until the trail got very rough when it would move around. I was concerned about the narrow waste straps but they were generally not an issue unless I over tightened them. .I was really impressed with the external hip belt pockets. I could keep food and tools in there and they didn’t fall out.

The pack held everything I needed for an all-day ride. I could secure my helmet to the outside of the pack easily for storage or on longer climbs. While I was able to carry light XC knee pads in the outer pocket of this pack, securing bigger knee pads or more armor was less convenient. Addition of external straps would help in this situation.

Bottom Line: Platypus Origin 9 Hydration Pack

A light, simple water proof pack that fits well and carries everything you need for a days cross country ride. Could use a separate pocket for the sunglasses and other more delicate items now required on rides.

Buy Now: Find the Platypus Origin 9 at Backcountry.com

Weighing in at 616 grams it can stuff down with room to spare in the 8 litre OR compression sack. The inner pocket can also be used as a stuffsack but will not compress as much as in the OR compression sack. I stored this jacket open, and would only carry it compressed during outings.

Features of the MEC Reflex Down Jacket

• Shell is 15-denier ripstop polyester with an DWR treatment
• Lining is DWR-treated polyester
• Insulated with 800 fill-power goose down
• Integrated baffled hood with two separate toggled adjustments
• Overstuffed baffled collar with toggle to trap body heat
• Wind flap behind zipper
• Two zippered hand pockets
• Packs easily into its own zippered chest pocket
• Drawcord with toggles at hem to seal in heat
• Fit is roomy enough to slip over a mid-weight fleece

MEC Reflex Down Jacket Review

Sharon’s review is mostly pictorial with some descriptions of its use. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? – Editor

The Reflex jacket was my insulating lunch jacket during ski trips.

It also helped you get out of bed in unheated huts to cook breakfast.

The Reflex served as a backup warm pillow for those -25° C ski traverses.

Provides comfort to enjoy the sunset on fall trips to high places like The Grand Canyon.

The Reflex also makes for great post trip car sleeping.

Good Reflex Down

• Very warm
• Comfortable
• Packs reasonably well

Bad Reflex Down

• May be too bulky if space is a consideration
• Arms could be a tad longer

Bottom Line: MEC Reflex Down Jacket

The MEC Reflex Down Jacket is a great warm layer for most trips where you will be standing around in the cold. It fits well but the arms could be a bit longer for added comfort and warmth.

Buy Now: Search MEC.ca for the Reflex Down Jacket

This time, Sharon and Lee sound off on the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Fusion Softshell Hoodie and Pants. If you live South of the Canadian border, you may not be aware of MEC, but they are essentially the equivalent of REI for our Canadian brethren. The review follows a “he said, she said” format with two perspectives and thoughts on this jacket. ~Jason Mitchell, Editor

Sharon’s Review: MEC Women’s Fusion Softshell Hoodie and Pants

As an avid backcountry skier who gets cold pretty easily and overheats easily as well its hard to find a piece of clothing able to accommodate a wide temperature range. Softshell clothing is one of the best options for high output activities when its not raining. Having worn a variety of Polartec® Power Shield® in the Arcteryx Gamma MX, and OR Solitude for example. I have found all these jackets to provide great warmth, wind resistance and snow shedding capabilities. Where the MEC Fusion jacket outperforms is in its ability to wick away sweat and dry very quickly. This is pretty important after a long skin up when you will sweat and tend to cool quickly if you are still wet from sweat. The Fusion Jacket and Pant dried very quickly.

The temperature range of these garments was quite wide. I could wear the pants from zero (32 F) to -15 (5 F) degrees Celsius with no under layer. Below -15 I would wear a light merino layer and I was very cosy. The jacket was also very warm to -15 and I only had to put on a Gortex jacket in high winds and temperatures less than -15. The jacket was also very useful around town up to 10oC when it wasn’t raining.

The pants have two side hip pockets and one side leg pocket. The leg pocket is convenient to store a map, thermometer or camera. I did find the pockets quite tight, but due to the stretchiness of the fabric I could put most items in them.

The pants have an inner cuff which is great to keep snow out of your boots. They also added considerable warmth to the pant. On warm days I could lift the outer pant up to my knees and keep the cuffs over my boots to vent and prevent snow from going into my boots.

The jacket has two long chest pockets which double as vents, and an arm pocket for small items. If you are skinning up and getting warm, you open up these pockets to let more wind in. This negated the usefulness of the pockets to store items. The pockets are big and you can put a lot of items in them, which is good but loose items will settle to the bottom.

The hood on the jacket was quite big and could easily fit over a helmet. This was trouble some on some days when I didn’t wear a helmet, the brim would go over my eyes when skinning up. Pulling the cord in the back of the hood tighter would remedy this but then the hood would be tight. The jacket arms were quite long which was good to ensure they would cover my gloves or be easily covered by overgloves during descents. The velcro cuff strap was useful to keep the arms up if needed. The jacket was a good length to pull down to my hips for added warmth and to keep snow out of my waist.

Lee’s Review: MEC Men’s Fusion Softshell Hoodie Jacket and Pants

I stay a good deal warmer then Sharon. I’m often one or two layers less then her in almost every temperature variation. Curiously I also don’t overheat too easily so am able to pick a layered system of clothing and stick with it almost the entire day. I agree that the temperature range of the Fusion softshell jacket and pants is incredibly wide. I was often able to keep the jacket on while skinning up and did not have to bother putting on a hardshell for the ski down. I only layered up if I was taking breaks.

I felt the same way about the Fusion pants. For me, they are on the warm side so I was often able to use the pants without much more then thin long underwear for temps as low as -10 C. If it dipped below that temperature I’d opt for a thicker base layer.

Here are some additional random comments:

• I couldn’t use either the jacket or pants much for spring touring. Again, I stay extraordinarily warm. They’re both a bit much in terms of warmth for spring conditions (i.e. think sunny glaciers with temps above 5 to 10 C)
• I found the water repellency of both the jacket and pants to be more than adequate. I never found snow to penetrate the DWR (Durable Water Resistance) of either the jacket or pants–it would stay on the surface. There are some pants that get snow-soaked and result in “soggy-bum syndrome”–the Fusion is not one of those pants. I had to ride in a torrential downpour to find out that the Fusion jacket is truly “water-resistant” and not water-proof.
• I’d like the Fusion pants leg hip pocket to be a bit bigger. The zip should also zip up. If you stick something in the hip pocket that doesn’t quite fit so you can’t close the zip (eg a VHF radio with antenna) you’d be constantly worried that it would fall out. I’d like two hip pockets as I almost never used the waist pockets (see next part for reasons why)
• It’s tough to access the two waist pockets on the Fusion pants while wearing a climbing harness. It’d be nice to somehow redesign the zips so you can easily operate them one-handed. Perhaps put them on a bit of a slant?
• I am at a loss to find a fault with the jacket. It’s really well-constructed and well-thought out; long enough that snow didn’t creep under; well cut so you could move easily while wearing it; it even is a nice colour for pictures. Perhaps it’s cut a little more roomy then necessary in size Medium but then I liked being able to stuff climbing skins and/or other things I needed to keep warm under the jacket while I was engaging in activity so that’s really nit-picking.

MEC Fusion Softshell Hoody and Pants He said, She Said Review

Pros:

• Warm, wind resistant, dries fast
• Long arms and waist could stretch for added coverage
• Broad temperature range

Cons:

• Jacket chest pockets were less functional when used for venting
• Pant waist pockets weren’t terribly useful
• Large jacket hood would cover eyes when not using a helmet

Buy Now: Search MEC for Fusion Softshell Jackets

Osprey Switch 36 Pack Review

Weighing it at 3 lbs. / 1350 g, this is a decent 36 liter pack. It sits quietly and comfortably on your back while skinning up or skiing down. This pack is intended for slack country day use, but functions well for longer day tours.

The main compartment is accessed by a large zipper with large loops on the zipper handles. This compartment is separated by a divider to keep your snow gear away from your clothes. This creates two pockets, with one larger then the other. On one side of the divider are pouches to keep misc. items, like your note pad, organized. You can also access this pack from the side, but I rarely used this feature since access from the top is easy. This access also keeps the back panel away from the ground as you access the main compartment.

The large hip belt pockets offer easy access to many small items. The large loops on all the zippers are great and allow for easy gripping with your gloves on. The large zipper of the main compartment provides easy opening and the large teeth are robust and should endure their fair share of abuse. When open, the main compartment lid exposes more than half the circumference of the opening allowing easy manipulation of the pack contents.

The shoulder straps contour into your chest keeping the pack snug to your body. The chest straps also aids in keeping the pack to your body. The top of the main compartment has a smaller pouch that can be used to store your helmet, or other items you need easy access to. This pocket has high sides so when it is open your smaller items don’t fall out.

One limitation is the 360 cm probe will not fit into the smaller of the main compartments so must be in the larger side where the clothes are. All pockets are accessed via zippers. It would be useful to have a pouch that you can easily slip items in and out of without a zipper.

Good Switch 36

• Comfortable fit, very good suspension system
• Compartments can separate dry and wet items
• Easy top access
• Flexible and easy-to-use ski carry system
• Bomber construction

Bad Switch 36

• A plethora of zippers can be prone to failure, but after 65 days I’ve had no problems
• An outside mesh, quick-access pocket would be nice to have
• Is not expandable like many other top-loaders

Typical Pack Contents

For a typical day tour I carry: A down jacket, Gore-tex jacket, spare climbing gloves, downhill gloves, extra toque (that’s a beanie for you folks down South) and balaclava, 500 ml thermos, 750 ml water bottle, lunch bag, extra softshell jacket, skins.

The Bottom Line on the Osprey Switch 36

The Switch 36 is great day ski pack for shorter or longer tours. It also worked great for inbounds turns since it is quite compact. When you have to take it off and place it on your lap when going up a chair lift it is comfortable to hold and not cumbersome. It has been very durable comfortable all season long.

Buy Now: Search for Osprey Ski Packs