Marmot Drakon 45 Review!!!

I am a unique breed of climber. You have heard of sport climbers, trad climbers, and bouldering, but have you heard of the family climber? Family climbers require a lot from their pack. You need to take all of your gear plus snacks, extra clothes, extra gear, and the occasional Barbie doll. I just got my pack and stuffed all my climbing gear into it, here are my first impressions. The pack looks cool. I know that looks don’t matter but, yes they really do. I love the colors and design of the pack. The pack is made of quality materials. In the world of ultra light backpacking some outfitters have designed some pretty flimsy stuff. Not so with this pack. In my opinion Marmot struck a very good balance between weight and durability. We will see if it holds up as long as my old climbing bag. If you are trying to decide which climbing bag to buy I would readily suggest this one for one big reason, the zipper. The best thing about this pack is its unique vertical opening. You can take this pack to the crag, throw it down on its back and with the zipper access all of your gear. It really helps to keep dirt out of your rope and harness by leaving stuff sitting on top of your pack while unloading other things. Pulling gear out from the top means you will have to put stuff on the ground while pulling out the gear deeper down. The Drakon 45 is also super easy to pack. The size of the pack was perfect for me to put all of our gear, including the rope, inside with a little room to spare. The hanging pocket is nice if you like to put small things in places where you can’t reach. I would have put it inside the top compartment. The smaller vertical zipper you see is a roomy pocket the perfect size for a guide book! I don’t know why more backpacks don’t have a vertical zipper, but for me that makes the Drakon 45 one of the top packs out there. Marmot has designed a excellent pack for climbers, I can’t wait to go get it dirty.