Cracks At The Creek

My best friend recently told me, while reading my most recent blog post for Deuter, that he was reminded of J Peterman (famously parodied in Seinfeld). If you ‘re not familiar with J Peterman, he was one of Elaine’s many bosses, who would whimsically wax poetic about the latest products their clothing company offered. I considered this an ultimate compliment, though I certainly couldn’t live up to Peterman. If none of this rings a bell, visit Seinfeld Season 8, and then read this post.

There’s nowhere else in the world quite like Indian Creek, Utah. Endless perfect splitter cracks in a peaceful red rock, desert setting. There’s also nowhere else that quite compares when it comes to gear. Where else could one need 10-15 #2 Black Diamond camalots? The climb Bunny Slope, located on the Critic’s Choice wall does.

To complete these climbs one needs A LOT of gear, or a lot of friends, or ideally both. Over the years I’ve noticed my friends cramming every piece of gear they own, their normal sized climbing packs overflowing with ropes and cams. I’ve also noticed some of my friends skip out: they have light wimpy packs, with no off-width gear, light racks, and worst of all, no beer. So I bring it all, every time, and because I do this, I need a pack that can handle everything. Enter the Deuter Aircontact 65 + 10.

Now this was just a theory, would a larger backpacking style pack be the perfect Indian Creek pack? Could I have my beer and drink it too? Yes, yes I could.

Like I said before, when I pack for an Indian Creek day I bring it all: nearly 30 cams, plenty of water, harness, two pairs of shoes and chalkbag, a 70 meter rope, a lunch and snacks, helmet, tape, camera, beaners and slings, extra hardware for fixing anchors, sometimes a piece of costume flair, and of course a couple beers for celebrating at the end of the day. The Aircontact 65+10, handled everything perfectly, and nothing had to be clipped to the outside of my pack.

On the note of water: I’ve found the Deuter bladder to be the best in the business. (That alliteration is for you Peterman fans.) Every climber has a story of the hose on a bladder leaking on a climb, and the Deuter bladder system is well equipped for climber related abuse. The spout on the hose has a nice locking feature, as well as a cap to further prevent leakage.  I look forward to testing the bladder out on multipitch climbs.

Some other great features: the ability to access the middle or bottom of the pack easily via zippers that open up to necessary compartments, plenty of pockets on the side of the pack, and lots of room in the pouches at the top of the pack. At Indian Creek it is all about the battle with the crack. If I’m going to be victorious in that battle, I’ve learned I need to have a few tricks up my sleeve, tape on my hands, and lots of cams on my sling and harness. It’s that pain for pleasure thing; a meticulous masochism for the modern man. That’s a statement even J Peterman could stand behind.

–Luke Mehall (Outdoor Ambassador). Luke lives in Durango, CO and is the publisher of The Climbing Zine. Check out their new website.

Putting it all in one pack perfectly, the Aircontact 65+10.

• Learn all about the features of the AirContact 65+10 at Deuter.com
• Pick one up from Eastern Mountain Sports
• Grab your own at Altrec.com
• Buy one from Summit Hut