My knowledge of packs, hiking, and hauling a load was beat into me during my time in the infantry. I used the terrible ILBE pack, the old-school ALICE pack, and the not-so-terrible FILBE packs. After my time in the Corps, hauling a heavy load wasn’t something I wanted to do again. That’s what I have a vehicle for! However, I recently was sent a Stone Glacier Avail 2200 pack and started a workout program called Tactical Barbell.
Part of the Tactical Barbell workout plan is long-state cardio, and hiking is one of the three activities I plan to do to achieve that long-state cardio. It was just great timing. I don’t know who from Stone Glacier had my address or why they sent me a pack, but I figured it had to do with gear reviews. To be completely upfront, I also got a wallet, and in that wallet was five dollars. I’m not sure why, but hey, it’s five dollars free.
I also promise you that five dollars isn’t going to win my opinion, but it feels worth mentioning. Stone Glacier isn’t a brand I’m familiar with, but looking around the internet, I see that it seems they are held in pretty high regard. The Avail 2200 isn’t a dedicated hiking pack for long overland trips. It seems more devoted to hunters and skiers.
It’s not a long-term sustainment pack, but a 200 cubic inch pack that’s 20.5 inches tall, 12 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. The pack weighs three pounds and eight ounces, and day pack best describes the Avail 2200. For a minimalist camp, it’d be fine, and for someone like me who’s rucking for about an hour once or twice a week, it’s well suited for my needs.
The Inside and Outside of the Avail 2200
The pack itself appears to be a mess of straps on the outside. There are enough straps and buckles to decorate a goth kid’s pants. There are straps for everything. You have an external compression panel that’s perfect for rain gear or anything that gets wet along the way. Likewise, it has a strap above the panel for oversized gear.
Straps on the side allow you to tie down sleeping mats, tents, tripods, or similar items. There are straps on the bottom for gear, straps on the sides, straps to adjust the waistband, and straps for the shoulder straps. There are lots and lots of straps.
Beyond straps, we also have shock cords in multiple parts of the pack. Four sections of shock cord are inside the main pack, and four other sections are on the outside of the pack. Between the straps and shock cords, you can attach just about anything to this pack.
The pack comes with a minimalist-style frame. To haul heavier loads of gear, that minimalist frame can be swapped for a more serious Krux frame. The base-level frame is good enough for my use. The bag comes with a fairly sizeable padded waistband and a chest strap.
The pack has a main pouch that has two internal pouches. There is a secondary outside pocket for gear as well. The main pocket is quite large, and the pack can be unzipped from top to bottom, making everything easy to access.
Going For a Walk With the Avail
Tactical Barbell focuses on the physical fitness needs of soldiers, cops, EMTs, firefighters, etc. This includes strength and cardio. A big part of this is endurance training. One day a week I run, one day a week I work the heavy bag, and my longest endurance session is always a ruck. The Avail has been my go to, and I’ve loaded it with sandbags for weight.
I started with 25 pounds and am working my way up to 50 pounds. My last hike was 35 pounds for an hour at a 3-mile-per-hour pace. I’ve found the pack to be quite supportive for a minimalistic design. The straps and waistband are highly adjustable, and I was able to get the Avail to fit me just right. I’m a tall, wide guy, but the pack fits me with just a few adjustments.
When properly adjusted, the pack didn’t kill my shoulders or lower back. My hiking has been pain-free as far as the pack went. I can’t say the same thing for my feet, but my back and shoulders were good to go. I’ll be curious to see if the minimalistic pack holds up to 50 pounds or more with the base-level frame.
The Stone Glacier
Stone Glacier is a company that’s new to me. The company seems to have a cold weather theme, and as a Florida guy, I don’t have to worry about that. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a well-armed, comfortable, easy-to-adjust, and easy-to-organize pack. This isn’t a sustainment pack, but it is pretty nice as a day or assault pack.
Check it out on the Stone Glacier website, and if you’re the guy who lost his five bucks packing my bag, hit me up on Instagram.
