Earlier this year I received a sweet duffle bag and backpack from Free Range Equipment. This small brother & sister company with its roots in the Cascades has partnered with two dozen artists to create an assortment of visually stunning canvas packs. I received the Picket Range Duffel with art by Nikki Frumkin and the Dusk at Shuksan Pack with art by Gianna Andrews. I selected these two packs as I climbed Shuksan in 2017 as my first Cascade summit and during that same trip climbed Rainier and Forbidden Peak which isn’t too far from the Picket Range. I’ve wanted to get back to the Cascades for another climbing trip and the artwork on both these will keep reminding me I need to make a return trip soon!

I don’t usually review non-technical packs and these are designed more for travel and day-to-day type use, but I feel I’ve used them enough to share some opinions on them. The craftmanship of both is easily apparent even to the untrained eye. The canvas is thick and rugged, the zippers and stitch work are obviously high quality. The duffle is listed as 55 liters which makes it useful for for everything from a crag bag to regular travel luggage. A concealed backpack system is so concealed I didn’t even realize it was there until my second trip with the pack!

The smaller backpack is listed at 25 liters. It’s a perfect size for a gym or commuter bag and can easily hold my harness, climbing shoes, laptop, water and snacks for a trip to the local park, coffee shop, or climbing gym! It’s got a nice sized internal mesh pocket, a top pocket, etc, but there isn’t to much more for me to comment on with these packs, other than they are eye catching in the best way. I admit I’ve never been artistically talented but I love the style of both these artists and if you take a minute to look through all the offerings on the Free Range website you’ll likely find something that catches your eye.

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See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

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