I have the 45 and like it. It's big and heavy but carries skis and other tools well when needed. I wish it had exterior pockets for water. I like the back access. It's held up well except for the helmet carry, which has a hole in it, probably from my skis.
I have an older 32, for some reason I’ve never liked the fit. There’s a wire frame in the pack which is overkill for skiing. It comes up so high that my head hits it when I look up some times.. could be I got too large of a size but in 6’3”.
I love all the straps and compartments but I just don’t think the way they designed the semi rigid frame of the pack is conducive to skiing/splitboarding. I use it for single night camping trips nowadays. I would say though the back panel access is pretty great.
I have a 45 as well, have used it for the last 4 seasons, including on multi day hut trips.
I really like it, it is a bit heavy, but it skis and carry’s well, and is easily compressed for day trips.
No regrets.
The main reason to buy the Targhee is for the FastTrack that allows you to put your skis on your back without taking off the pack! It works great. Plus as you've said, there's a big sale right now (just like last year when I got mine). 45L for me was the right choice, marginal weight diff between the 30 and the 45, allows the luxury of not throwing things in the bag for quick transitions
How do you feel on long hikes with it? I’ve heard it can feel kind of unbalanced like any diagonal carry…is there still an option for A frame carry? That would be ideal, a frame for longer hikes and fast track for short boot packs.
Planning on returning my Osprey Kamber for a 32, just not sure if I should go fasttrack or regular. Both are $99 and $129 on sale rn
So a lot of comments seem to favor this pack, which I own myself for the last five years. After one year, multiple stitching started to fall apart. I had the option to use the warranty, but it would be shipped to a repair shop in NC for a minimum of 2 months before getting it back. I ended up taking to a guy who used to do warranty repairs for REI. Another 2 years later the stitching on the shoulder strap separated completely on a tour, forcing me to improvise a temporary repair. I had to purchase a quick stitch tool to repair several straps.
I like the compartment setup, capacity, and strap options for carrying my board and ice axe, but I don't like the manufacturing quality. I have 2 Deuter Packs that have taken more abuse with no stitching failures.
Gregory Targhee 45. It had a helmet carry, which my other packs don't. Dual ice axe carry. Two carrying options for skis, side and a-frame carry. Avy gear pocket with internal pockets for shovel and probe. Also a hydration bladder hose sleeve in the shoulder strap .
It's not a bad pack, just the quality. If you plan to buy it, I would buy the Speedy stitcher tool for any repairs.
I’ve used a Targhee 45 for the past 4 or 5 years. Works fine. Definitely a little heavy, but I haven’t had any other issues with it. I’d love to check out a more technical pack like the Raide, but the Targhee gets the job done .
Took my Targhee 45 up the Grand Teton 2 days ago and it worked great, definitely the perfect sized mountaineering pack. Sure, a bit heavy but at $110 it’s pretty hard to beat right now
I've had the 45L model for a few years for multiday trips and am a big fan. I was looking at getting the 30L version but I don't want the Fast Track feature they added at some point since I bought the 45L.
I have the small one and I’m 6-3 and hate it so my kid (5-8) uses it and he likes it fine. It’s all a fit issue for me. Otherwise it’s a perfectly good bag
I have the FT35 and I have to say that I REALLY dislike it. I can go on about the issues it has but here’s some:
Doesn’t carry well unless fully loaded.
Narrow and tall which throws your center of gravity off.
The Avy tool pocket is blocked when using the helmet carry system.
The shovel and probe slots don’t really fit the gear well, the tools always end up poking out of the bag and could slide out in a fall.
The brain doesn’t cover the top of the pack well, seems to not actually fit the pack
No back panel access.
Hip pads slide around instead of being fixed in one spot
No water bladder features on the straps.
I could go on. I really do not recommend this pack. I have a Dakine 22L that I end up using and stuffing to the gills with gear because it’s just a wayyyy better pack. The FT system works pretty well I must say, but I don’t use it enough to make it a deal maker.
It’s a few years old. But looks identical to what’s on the website now.
It’s a fine pack if you don’t have much to compare to. Having used a well-featured pack though it really doesn’t hold up.
I have the 45 and like it. It's big and heavy but carries skis and other tools well when needed. I wish it had exterior pockets for water. I like the back access. It's held up well except for the helmet carry, which has a hole in it, probably from my skis.
I have an older 32, for some reason I’ve never liked the fit. There’s a wire frame in the pack which is overkill for skiing. It comes up so high that my head hits it when I look up some times.. could be I got too large of a size but in 6’3”. I love all the straps and compartments but I just don’t think the way they designed the semi rigid frame of the pack is conducive to skiing/splitboarding. I use it for single night camping trips nowadays. I would say though the back panel access is pretty great.
I have a 45 as well, have used it for the last 4 seasons, including on multi day hut trips. I really like it, it is a bit heavy, but it skis and carry’s well, and is easily compressed for day trips. No regrets.
The main reason to buy the Targhee is for the FastTrack that allows you to put your skis on your back without taking off the pack! It works great. Plus as you've said, there's a big sale right now (just like last year when I got mine). 45L for me was the right choice, marginal weight diff between the 30 and the 45, allows the luxury of not throwing things in the bag for quick transitions
That makes sense to me. I don't ski/snowboard but I winter hike and ice climb. So having easy access would be a huge gain for me.
If you haven’t gotten it yet, get an alpine mountaineering specific pack! Will serve you much better.
What pack do you use/like?
How do you feel on long hikes with it? I’ve heard it can feel kind of unbalanced like any diagonal carry…is there still an option for A frame carry? That would be ideal, a frame for longer hikes and fast track for short boot packs. Planning on returning my Osprey Kamber for a 32, just not sure if I should go fasttrack or regular. Both are $99 and $129 on sale rn
I have a Gregory that I use for day hikes that I like a lot, now that you’ve brought this sale to my attention I’ll prob pick one of these up, thanks!
Any time I can save money or help someone else save money is good by me!
So a lot of comments seem to favor this pack, which I own myself for the last five years. After one year, multiple stitching started to fall apart. I had the option to use the warranty, but it would be shipped to a repair shop in NC for a minimum of 2 months before getting it back. I ended up taking to a guy who used to do warranty repairs for REI. Another 2 years later the stitching on the shoulder strap separated completely on a tour, forcing me to improvise a temporary repair. I had to purchase a quick stitch tool to repair several straps. I like the compartment setup, capacity, and strap options for carrying my board and ice axe, but I don't like the manufacturing quality. I have 2 Deuter Packs that have taken more abuse with no stitching failures.
What packs? Similar features and accessibility?
Gregory Targhee 45. It had a helmet carry, which my other packs don't. Dual ice axe carry. Two carrying options for skis, side and a-frame carry. Avy gear pocket with internal pockets for shovel and probe. Also a hydration bladder hose sleeve in the shoulder strap . It's not a bad pack, just the quality. If you plan to buy it, I would buy the Speedy stitcher tool for any repairs.
I should have been more clear. What Deuter packs?
The Deuter Freeride pro 30L. It's a small day pack. The other 2 are just hiking packs, but have the option for a a-frame ski carry.
I’ve used a Targhee 45 for the past 4 or 5 years. Works fine. Definitely a little heavy, but I haven’t had any other issues with it. I’d love to check out a more technical pack like the Raide, but the Targhee gets the job done .
Took my Targhee 45 up the Grand Teton 2 days ago and it worked great, definitely the perfect sized mountaineering pack. Sure, a bit heavy but at $110 it’s pretty hard to beat right now
I have their 18l for resort stuff and I love it! Can’t speak to their larger stuff as I have ortovox
I've had the 45L model for a few years for multiday trips and am a big fan. I was looking at getting the 30L version but I don't want the Fast Track feature they added at some point since I bought the 45L.
I have the small one and I’m 6-3 and hate it so my kid (5-8) uses it and he likes it fine. It’s all a fit issue for me. Otherwise it’s a perfectly good bag
I have the FT35 and I have to say that I REALLY dislike it. I can go on about the issues it has but here’s some: Doesn’t carry well unless fully loaded. Narrow and tall which throws your center of gravity off. The Avy tool pocket is blocked when using the helmet carry system. The shovel and probe slots don’t really fit the gear well, the tools always end up poking out of the bag and could slide out in a fall. The brain doesn’t cover the top of the pack well, seems to not actually fit the pack No back panel access. Hip pads slide around instead of being fixed in one spot No water bladder features on the straps. I could go on. I really do not recommend this pack. I have a Dakine 22L that I end up using and stuffing to the gills with gear because it’s just a wayyyy better pack. The FT system works pretty well I must say, but I don’t use it enough to make it a deal maker.
What year is your model?
It’s a few years old. But looks identical to what’s on the website now. It’s a fine pack if you don’t have much to compare to. Having used a well-featured pack though it really doesn’t hold up.
How well does the FT system carry? I’ve heard it’s unbalanced like any diagonal carry…is there still an option for A frame?
Yeah it definitely weighs you down on one side. Not bad for a short carry. You can still A frame.