Freescape Tour 30 SL

The Deuter Freescape Tour 30 SL is a women's-fit pack for the bigger ski days: traverses, steep couloirs and multi-day hut tours where the rope and axes come along. It packs the full alpine kit into a pack that still weighs just over a kilogram.

Who it's for

Women who ski tour and ski mountaineer: a traverse of the Main Range from Charlotte Pass, a hut-to-hut trip in New Zealand's Southern Alps, or a spring couloir in the Rees Valley. Deuter rate it five out of five for ski touring and splitboarding and four for snowshoeing, and the recommended 4-8 kg load is avalanche gear, a light rope, harness and crampons, water and layers.

Capacity, and what actually fits

30 litres carries shovel and probe in the avalanche pocket, with a belay jacket, spare gloves, skins, a harness and lunch in the main compartment and a 3 L bladder in its sleeve. On the outside go a rope under the rope strap, two ice axes, crampons or snowshoes on the front, and a helmet in the stowable mesh holder. The pack measures 62 x 30 x 20 cm, and the roll-top and lid let you add room for a hut night.

How it carries

The LiteSnow back uses EVA foam pads wrapped in snow-shedding Spandex, shaped so snow will not cling, which keeps your back dry on a long bootpack. Padded hip fins with an adjustable waist belt and stabiliser straps keep the pack tight to you on steep kick turns, and the buckles work with gloves on. Gear loops and an ice clipper slot on the hip fins hold screws and carabiners where you can reach them.

Fitting it

SL is Deuter's women's fit: a back length of 38-48 cm for body heights around 158-178 cm, with the harness shaped for a woman's shoulders and hips. Fit it over your shell jacket with a harness on, hip fins on your hip bones first, then the shoulder straps and stabilisers. Lower the lid when the pack is not full so it does not knock your helmet when you look up.

Access and organisation

The main compartment loads from the top under a roll-top, and a U-shaped rear zip opens the whole back panel, so you can lay the pack face down and get in without unstrapping your skis or board. The front avalanche pocket keeps the shovel and probe apart from everything else. A zipped lid pocket, a fleece-lined goggles pocket, a zipped front pocket and a side pocket keep the small kit sorted, with a wet compartment inside for skins.

• Front avalanche equipment pocket
• Roll-top with detachable, height-adjustable lid; rear U-zip access
• Diagonal and side ski carry; snowshoe carry; rope strap; two ice axe attachments
• Fleece-lined goggles pocket; stowable mesh helmet holder included
• Hip fin gear loops and ice clipper slot
• Hydration compatible, up to 3 L

Weight

1090 g for 30 litres with full ski, rope and axe carry and an avalanche pocket. Take the lid off for a fast summit push and the pack gets lighter still.

Looking after it

The body is water-repellent 210D polyamide with a DWR finish made without intentionally added PFAS, and it is bluepass and Green Button certified. Deuter back it with a 2-year warranty.