I’ve been a rabid Dana Designs fan since I started climbing in the early 1990s. I have a late 1980s Bomb Pack for which I traded a beloved Lowe Contour Mtn. 40 (another all-time favorite pack), and I also have a Hoodoo Spire which has seen serious use as a day hiker.

I was lucky enough to pick up a nearly mint condition Kletterwerks pack at a recent estate sale. It’s the clear precursor to my Dana Bomb pack – a tall and narrow toploader, with a trim profile and excellent load cinching abilities.

Also, it was designed by the same person – Dana Gleason founded Kletterwerks in 1975, Dana Designs in 1985, and is now at the helm of Mystery Ranch.

I’m excited to use the Kletterwerks pack. It’s super lightweight, being completely frameless in the vein of a Jensen/Rivendell. I’ll be sliding a piece of closed-cell foam in the back panel pocket and hitting the trail this weekend. Since you might not be able to come along, here are a few more Kletterwerks packs I’ve skimmed off of the internet.