Freescape Tour 38 SL

The Deuter Freescape Tour 38 SL is a women's-fit touring pack built for the long days: a skin up from the valley, a ridge on crampons, a ski down the far side and a hut at the end. It carries skis, axes, a rope and your avalanche kit, and still opens from the back without unstrapping anything.

Who it's for

Women who tour and traverse: a Main Range trip from Guthega to Mount Twynam, a hut-to-hut week in New Zealand's Southern Alps, or a Japanese backcountry mission. Deuter rate it five out of five for ski touring and splitboarding and four for snowshoeing. The recommended load of 6-10 kg covers avalanche gear, water, food, layers and a little technical kit.

Capacity, and what actually fits

38 litres in a 68 x 32 x 22 cm body takes a puffy, a shell, spare gloves and goggles, food and a thermos, with the shovel and probe in their own front pocket. On a hut trip, unroll the top and raise the lid to fit a sleeping bag liner and a change of clothes. When you need less, roll it down and cinch the side compression straps.

How it carries

The LiteSnow back uses EVA foam covered in Spandex, shaped with recesses so snow cannot stick and melt into your layers. Padded shoulder straps and hip fins with a gear loop and ice clipper slot carry the load, the waist belt adjusts, and stabiliser straps keep it close on a steep kick-turn. Buckles are big enough to work in gloves, and the sternum strap closes one-handed.

Fitting it

SL is Deuter's women's fit: a shorter back and a harness shaped for the female body. The Freescape Tour 38 SL fits back lengths of 38-48 cm, which Deuter match to skiers about 158-178 cm tall. Fit it over your touring layers with the hip fins on your hip bones.

Access and organisation

A U-shaped rear zip opens the main compartment from the back, so skis can stay on the pack while you dig out a layer. The roll-top closes the main body under a lid with its own outside compartment, and the lid comes off entirely to save weight. A zipped front pocket, a separate avalanche pocket, a fleece-lined goggle pocket, a side pocket and a wet compartment inside keep everything sorted.

• Roll-top closure with height-adjustable, detachable lid
• U-shaped rear opening
• Front pocket for avalanche equipment
• Ski carry at the side or diagonal; snowshoe carry on the front
• Ice axe attachments on both sides; rope strap; stowable mesh helmet holder
• Fleece-lined goggle pocket; glasses stow; key clip
• Hydration compatible, up to 3 L

Weight

1130 g for a full-spec touring pack. Pull the lid off for a fast day and it comes down further, without losing the axe, rope and ski carry.

Looking after it

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