Eddie Bauer - Bacon 2.0 Pack: Field test

Eddie Bauer

Bacon 2.0

$99(US)

Eddie Bauer has made some upgrades to their Bacon pack and since added the aptly named, Bacon 2.0 to their First ascent range; an ultra-light, ultra-packable rucksack designed fast-and-light for alpinism.

Overview

Appearance: 3/5

Performance: 4/5

Value: 4/5

First impressions:

Initially, I didn’t really like the look of the pack or understand the design. I thought it was going to be too small for the technical gear I needed and that the abundance of straps were going to be annoying. And then I used it..

Performance:

At 550g the pack is very light and appears quite small. To my surprise; for an 18 hour technical alpine climb, I was able to fit in my climbing equipment (including boots), food, clothing, AND ski touring gear!

Also, I really liked the fact that it can pack down into its own top pocket. It compresses to about the size of a crampon bag - making it perfect as a day pack stuffed inside a gear bag for multi objective expedition climbing.

The 40D Ripstop fabric does seem a little thin and flimsy. Like most light-and-fast gear I can’t imagine it being very durable.

I still don’t know how I feel about the zip entry. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of clips and a few times I struggled to close the zip when the pack was full. I think for a summer season day pack it shouldn’t be a problem.

Conclusion:

Overall, the pack so far has been great. Lightweight, packable and practical.
As far as I’m aware there is no EB retailer in NZ but you can buy on their US site and they ship internationally.
The pack is around $150 NZ

Pros:

  • lightweight

  • packable

  • alpine specific features

Cons:

  • durability

  • zip entry

  • no NZ retailer

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Appearance:

The Bacon 2.0 comes with 2 colour choices; one is bright red and the other is a darker carbon. I’d say they are pretty standard schemes and nothing too exciting.

I must admit, when the pack is loaded the zip entry does give it a very slick look. Without the buckles and straps coming down the front it looks a lot more ‘alpine’.

Features:

  • 2x Retractable ice axe holders

  • Lash points for crampon webbing on front and top

  • Attachments for skis

  • 40D Ripstop Fabric

  • Ultra-light 550g

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Gear ReviewsRyan ColleyComment