DAKINE HELIPACK REVIEW
Price: £55
Size: 11L
Dakine have always made great bags and this latest version of their classic Helipack is no exception. The 11L capacity is easily enough for the essentials – shovel, probe, water and a couple of cereal bars. It has comfy straps and a bunch of useful features, including a vertical board carry, a diagonal carry that’s useful if you need to hike with your split skis (or heaven forbid, actual skis) on your back, and an isulated ‘hydrosleeve’ for the pipe from your Camelbak that runs inside the shoulder strap, stopping it from freezing in extreme cold. Our test model was also decked out in Rasta colours, which got us feeling irie.
BUY THIS BACKPACK AT: ss20.com, routeone.co.uk, boarderline.com
VOLCOM SYMTOP BACKPACK REVIEW
Price: £70
Size: 26L
This is more of an off-the-hill carry bag than a serious backcountry accessory. But as Brits, we know all too well that snowboarding for the most part involves travelling, so something as large, comfy and functional as the Symtop Backpack definitely comes in handy. This one is specially designed to keep a laptop – now pretty much an essential part of any travelling snowboarder’s arsenal – safe and secure. It’s got a heavily padded exterior, a ton of space for your stuff and more useful pockets than you can shake a stick at. This being Volcom, it looks pretty cool too.
BUY THIS BACKPACK AT: granitereef.co.uk, subvertboardstore.com, ss20.com, citysurfshops.co.uk
