Specialist Carry | Osprey Kode 22

A great ski or board pack specializing in side country access

Osprey Kode 22 | Specialist Carry

Some of the biggest crimes against bag-kind happen in snow packs.

Every street, surf and snow brand gives them a go, and most get them really wrong. Skis knocking the back of your legs, boards wobbling perilously, avy gear buried 3 zips deep.

It’s really easy to make a hash of it, and most do.

Osprey don’t stuff much up. They’ve been making core outdoor packs since the 70’s, have more awards than Jonathon Ive, and more nights under canvas than Ghengis.

For this Specialist Carry post we’re looking at the Kode 22, the smallest of this series. It’s aimed at those short trips in to the back country, usually from a resort base. And it’s these side country packs that are surprisingly the hardest ones to get right.

Stuff we love:

• There’s awesome flexibility for skis (fat and thin) or boards. You can strap them side, straight or angled, so you always have an option to suit your terrain or ride.

• There are no clips to get stuck on chairs. This is one of the greatest crimes with side country packs, and has been responsible for some pretty radical situations.

• There’s no stupid air mesh to get filled with snow, there are all the usual widgets (insulated hydration, waist belt pockets, goggle pocket), and there’s even an owners manual with every pack. You can chose from 3 sizes for the Kode 22 (S, M & L), and get the pack dialed to your body.

• And then there’s their ‘All Mighty Guarantee‘ that is still holding strong for any of their packs ever made.

Possible improvements?

This is an amazing pack, so it’s hard to pick too much wrong. But you know us…

• For small mountain packs like this, we really want someone to lose the waist strap and go a rib hugging harness like the Kriega. Once you have avy gear and a full pack, waist belts limit your bending.

• Access is not quite as easy as some other packs, with the zip finishing a little short, and the compression straps needing to be popped to get right down in there.

• The larger sizes (30 & 38) fix this issue with a nice back entry system. The larger sizes also have a neat helmet carrier, and a better avy section, which makes you feel a little envious. But this is meant to be a more minimal pack, so we kinda understand.

And if you’re doing more than just short trips in to the back-country, the larger packs in this series are pretty special as well.