Nirvana 28

The Mammut Nirvana 28 is a freeride and ski touring backpack: 28 litres, a zip that opens the entire back panel, a dedicated front pocket for your avalanche safety gear, and carry systems for skis, splitboards and snowboards. The main fabric is recycled, and every fabric in the pack is PFC-free.

Who it's for

Riders whose days start at the lift and finish well beyond it. Side-country laps off the top of Thredbo, a skin out along the Main Range to find untracked snow, a bootpack above a New Zealand club field, a powder week in Hokkaido where the pack stays on from first chair to last run. The Nirvana is Mammut's snow-sports pack from the ground up, and the 28 is the size that carries a full day's kit with room for the extras.

Capacity, and what actually fits

Twenty-eight litres takes a proper touring day. Shovel blade, handle and probe live in the front pocket, well away from your lunch and your spare gloves. The main compartment holds a puffy, a shell, skins, goggles, food, a thermos and a first-aid kit, and a hydration bladder fits as well.

If your days are shorter and you want a smaller pack, the Nirvana 22 has the same layout. For long tours with crampons and overnight layers, the Nirvana 35 gives you more room.

How it carries

Mammut built the Nirvana's carrying system around freedom of movement as much as comfort, so the pack hugs your back and follows you through the turns instead of swinging. Hip belt and sternum strap lock it down for the ride out.

Skis and splitboards carry diagonally, quick to rig for a short bootpack, or A-frame, which balances the weight on a longer walk in. There is a separate snowboard attachment, attachments for an ice tool and poles, and a helmet carrier so your lid rides outside while you skin.

Fitting it

The Nirvana 28 comes in one back length, Mammut's size M at 46 cm. Measure from the bony bump at the base of your neck down to the top of your hip bones; if you land around 46 cm the pack sits where it should and the hip belt takes the weight. The Nirvana 28 Women shares the same back length with a women-specific shape: adapted shoulder straps and a tailored hip belt.

Access and organisation

The 270° zip opens the whole back panel, so you can lay the pack face-down in the snow and reach anything in the main compartment without unpacking it from the top. The back panel stays against you while you ride, and away from the snow when you stop.

Inside there is a sleeve for the Mammut Back Protector, sold separately, and an SOS label printed with emergency instructions.

Weight

1070 g empty, for a 28 litre pack with full back-panel access, a dedicated avalanche pocket, a helmet carrier and diagonal or A-frame ski carry. The outer is a tough recycled fabric of 90% polyamide and 10% polyester. External size is 50 cm tall, 30 cm wide and 19 cm deep.