Savage Mtn GEAR JACKPOT 40
A freshly made Jackpot 40 with the new Jetstream ice tools from Forecast Equipment.
Overall Rating: ★★★★★
MSRP: $440 USD
Manufacturer: Savage Mtn Gear
Would I purchase this product again? Yes
Is this something I keep in my day-to-day kit? Yes
The details
Size: 40L
Weight: 2.37 pounds / 1077 grams
Materials: XPac with Cordura reinforced areas
Sizing:
Small: 5.6” - 5.9”
Medium: 5.9” - 6.0”
Large: 6.0” +
Review:
Does the quiver of one exist in the world of ice and alpine climbing packs? The easy answer to that is no. However, the Jackpot 40 comes pretty close to that. Rich Page, the owner of Savage Mtn Gear, has a long history of working in the outdoor industry and has worked with some big players in those years. The Jackpot 40 is a testament to that! At 40 liters you can haul all the gear you need for big days in the mountains.
It has the features you need - easy tool and crampon storage, compression straps, wand and picket pockets and a removable waist belt; and none you don’t - extra zippers.
The Jackpot 40 loaded for a fun day of ice cragging at Johnson’s Canyon, Banff AB
The lid, AKA The Brain, is fixed and can be stowed in the pack’s body for helmet clearance while climbing. The top zipper on the brain sits in a very convenient position to allow easy access to the contents while stowed. The under-flap storage pocket has a built-in key clip and is a great place to keep valuable items. I quickly adjusted to having a fixed lid and was happy that when I had the pack stuffed to the brim, the contents of the lid weren’t flattened like so many other packs do when the straps are cinched down.
The easily removable bull horn waist belt is extremely comfortable and is equipped with a gear loop and ice clipper slot on each side to clear up some space on your harness on big missions. I found myself clipping the waist belt through the tool slots more often than not when not using it.
With the lid stowed and the compression straps cinched, the lightly padded FLEX Frame made the pack feel significantly smaller and unobtrusive while climbing. However, I still prefer a small lead pack where I’m rappelling back to the base for big ice lines.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
highly durable
lightweight
quick access to crampons and tools
curved waist belt for comfort that is removable
reinforced bottom
CONS:
pivot lock tool slots may not easily fit all ice tools
fixed lid may not be everyone’s cup of tea
final thoughts:
When I picked up the Jackpot 40 in February, I was stoked to have a pack that met my criteria of just the essentials. I’ve logged many days of hauling a lot of gear with it and have been very impressed with how well it carries when loaded and how durable the XPac fabric has been.
All good things come to an end at some point, and my Jackpot 40 met its untimely demise during a large rockfall incident in the late summer. With that, I had to revert to another pack of the same capacity and it hasn’t been the same. I liked the Jackpot 40 so much that I will be replacing it with another shortly.
