KUME 38L

This pack is really comfortable while skiing. It also holds all of the things I need without being overly stuffed. Great ski pack.

I've only used this pack on 4 different day tours at this point, so take this with a grain of salt, but here's my initial impression:

The Kume is lightweight, water resistant, and has a lot of well-thought out features. That said, there are a few things that make this pack fall short for me:

1. The top opening is too small! I've been using the Black Diamond Cirque 35L pack as my main ski touring bag for the last 4 seasons, which sports a wide, Bass-like opening at the top. This makes for very easy access when rummaging around in your pack to fish stuff out. The way the Kume side panels are shaped, the bottom of the bag is much larger in volume and the top tapers to the opening, which makes accessing anything but the very top items in your pack quite difficult from the top opening. The draw string clasp/closure on the top mouth is also a bit annoying. Given how much time one spends opening and taking things in and out of one's pack while ski touring, the small size of the top opening is a major downfall of the design in my opinion.

2. For such a well thought out pack in other areas, the helmet carry sleeve attachment is very poor. There are no dedicated tabs to clip the helmet sleeve too, so you're left with clipping the sleeve to the two side straps, which bunches up the pack and makes the already small top opening even harder to get open. Bummer. You can clip it too the ice axe velcro loops, which is slightly better for the bunching perspective, but then the bottom clips come unhooked when you take your helmet out of the sleeve. Either way, the helmet attachment is clunky and annoying.

Overall, I really want to love the Kume, but the user experience just falls a bit short.

I've had the Kume for about 2 years now and have taken it ski touring, ski mountaineering, alpine climbing, sport climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering and just all around hikes as well. I have always had just enough room to take everything essential and then of course the couple of luxury items that I prefer to have. The width of the backpack straps is a very big feature of this pack for me as I have had packs with smaller straps that dig right through my shoulders, so to have a pack that I can throw 30-40lbs in and the only reason why I know I'm carrying that is based off of how tired my legs get is a major plus. The only complaints I would have is that I like to have outside pockets for easy access to things like quick snack bars. A pocket located on the folding top lid would be a simple addition but appreciated. As for room for avy gear I have a black diamond evac 7 shovel and I always pucker a little when I shove it into the front of the back pack as it just fits. I have tried other shovel brands though with different heads and they fit no problem so not a flaw in design. If I was to buy a replacement pack I would stick with blue ice as I love their products but would possibly lean towards the new firecrest pack or the warthog if the shoulder straps were made larger as that is a large issue for a 40l pack. As a reference I am 6' 3" 210lbs with a 32 waist and the pack fits me fine, unlike other hip straps that stop short of being tight enough to serve a purpose this one is perfect.

This pack is awesome!

There are 2.5 problems that would turn this pack from a 3 to 5.
1. It's really not water proof. If it rains or snows hard, the nature of the top closure system means the stuff inside has a good chance of getting wet. That's because there's no top sack like most other packs, just a flap that closes towards your neck (when wearing it). Check it in a shop - it doesn't work well.
2. There's no top sack. When ski touring there's a load of things I want quick access to and I don't want them in the main bag. Sadly I didn't notice when I bought it - my bad. It would have been a deal breaker.
3. Their are other less important issues. The diagonal ski mountain is painful. Accessing rescue kit is hard when the pack is fully loaded.