In-Depth Review: Blue Ice Firecrest 28L Alpine Pack

TLDR: an incredibly well thought out day-pack, balancing simplicity with purposeful features. Blue Ice calls it a "quiver of one" alpine pack, built for all seasons. With a nod to running vests, the Firecrest combines the convenience of shoulder pockets with the load carry and streamlined profile of a climbing pack.

Blue Ice - Firecrest 28L Alpine Pack

I first chanced upon the brand Blue Ice while working at Chilliwack's outdoor gear shop (Mt Waddington's Outdoors). After a few alpine climbing and scrambling trips in summer 2023, I was trying to fill a void in my backpack addiction, ahem... I mean "collection."

You see, I love the function of running vests like the Salomon ADV Skin 12 and BD Distance 15. Both of these have convenient storage for items like my phone, sunglasses, snacks, and water all in the front pockets. As a result, I try to stuff all my gear in either of those vests for day trips in the mountains. However, sometimes the mission calls for just a bit too much gear...

Enter the Distance 22 from Black Diamond.

New for 2023, I was terribly curious if this might be the solution for longer outings, filling the empty space in my pack line-up. My coworker loaned me her Distance 22 to try out on a traverse that required a small rack of gear and a 30m rope, along with enough water to get through a long stretch of ridgeline (check out the Slesse to Pierce Traverse full trip report).

Summit of Slesse, wearing Distance 22. Ouchy shoulders!

Long story short, my shoulders were absolutely dead after that trip, mostly from carrying a lot of water but also the climbing gear. Without any padding on the shoulders, nor hip pads to offload weight from the shoulders, the Distance 22 didn't quite meet my needs. At least not for Fast & Light missions loaded with alpine climbing gear and water.

Enter the Firecrest 28L

I have never been so excited about purchasing a new pack in my life. It was as if Blue Ice infiltrated my subconsciousness and created the perfect pack to meet my every desire.

Let's take a look at what makes this pack so great.

General Pack Specs

• Fabric: High Tenacity 210d Nylon 6.6

  • If you haven't memorized fabric ratings, neither have I. Water-resistant coating, but lightweight fabric. Definitely not a haul bag.

• Weight: 840g (748g without ski carry parts)

  • Certainly a lightweight pack, but with all the bells and whistles, it lands in between packs of similar volume and features.

• Price: CAD $215

  • Considering the cost of similar packs, I'd say that this pack is very reasonably priced.

Specs Comparison to Similar Alpine Packs

	Blue Ice Firecrest 28	MHW Alpine Light 28	BD Blitz 28	BD Distance 22	BD Cirque 35
Price	C$215	C$285	C$140	C$250	C$220
Weight	840g (748g)	644g	408.5g	412g	1030g
Fabric	210d Nylon 6.6	200d Nylon Spectra Ripstop	200d Body Fabric	UHMWPE Ripstop fabric	210d Dynex + 200d PE

Features and Accessories

Features shown on the tag

• Ski carry: A-Frame or Ski Hook

• Mesh side storage pocket (left)

• Brain:

  • Integrated brain-cinch closure system

  • Vertical zipper compartment on top side

  • Zippered valuables pocket on underside

• Dual ice axe carry

• Removable Avalanche Sleeve for shovel and probe

• Two-way side zipper (right)

• Hydration bottle sleeve on right shoulder strap

  • I found that the Hydrapak SkyFlask IT 500ml fit perfectly in this pocket, whereas Salomon 500ml flasks are too long.

• Zippered phone pocket on left shoulder strap

  • Paired with a Nite Ize Phone Hitch plus Tether, I never have to worry about dropping my phone!

• Stretch Strap on left shoulder

  • A great place for my Rocky Talkie mountain radio.

Note: in the pictures below I have removed the ski hook carry system

Bottle, Phone Tether, Radio

Swapped straps

Stow both or just hip pad

The only flaw - easily ice up

Helmet carry attachments

Valuables zipper pocket

Stretch pocket / alt hook loop

Two-way zipper (plus patch)

Hook loop for emptier bag

Vertical brain zipper

Avy bag hook/loop

Shovel and probe position

Field Testing

From late January 2024 to early April, I have racked up 13 days using this pack from ski touring, to winter alpine climbing, to hiking. Below are my first impressions after a few months using the Firecrest.

Ski Touring

I first tried the Firecrest 28L while ski touring in the British Columbia backcountry. Despite the pitiful snow pack of January 2024, I thoroughly enjoyed backcountry excursions with this pack on my back.

For single day tours, this pack excels. Large enough to carry extra layers, food, water, first aid kit, and avalanche gear, but compressible enough to ski well when emptier.

Packability

Here's an example of what I put in my bag a single day ski tour (excluding skintrack clothing):

Emergency, food, water, layers

Underfilled. Strap over brain

I usually put my first aid kit and C-splint at the bottom of my pack to create a solid base, followed by items of least frequent usage: puffy, waterproof overmitts, 1.5L squeeze bottle, probe and shovel; Under Brain: repair kit, headlamp; Brain: sunglasses, InReach, tp, snacks, and sun-safety.

*Note: I have the avy transceiver on my body... not in my pack.

For reference, I own the Mammut Allugator Ride and 280cm probe, which fit in the sleeve nicely. I found that putting the shovel blade tip up fit the contours of the pack best. Without a frame, the Firecrest can be a little finicky to pack. The shovel handle and probe provide a bit or rigidity, but they make the pack lopsided when underfilled.

Pouch removed to show position

Symmetrical sleeve mod

I would prefer the avalanche sleeve to have three sections, one on either side of the shovel blade slot. This way, the height of the shovel handle and the probe would be equal on either side of the blade, providing symmetrical structure. I might try to modify this in the future.

A feature that might easily get overlooked of the closure system is a secondary hook-loop above the brain. This prevents the brain from flopping around when underfilled.

The side zip is very convenient for accessing my spare water bottle, gloves, or things at the bottom of the pack. The pack is hydration bladder compatible, and there is a small hose exit hole above the side zipper.

Durability

I have only had the Firecrest since January 2024, so I can't speak to the long-term durability of the entire pack yet.

However, after 13 days using the pack as of April, I have had to patch one hole, which formed after a long day of A-framing my skis whilst bushwhacking (see Mt. Frosty Trip Report). A quick fix with a Gore-tex patch and Aquaseal did the trick. Other than this small hole, the bag is doing well!

Function

As you might have guessed, this was the precise pack to suite my desired purposes, so I have high praise for its function. While it's intended purpose is not solely ski touring, I am very pleased with how well it packs the required gear.

Carry Comfort. An important aspect of any pack, and the Firecrest is no slouch. Despite not having a frame, I found it very comfortable with a heavy load. The shoulder straps have ample cushion and surface area, while the hip pads provide enough load distribution when the pack is filled to the brim.

Ease of Use. With two pockets on the shoulder straps, the Firecrest provides very convenient access for phone and water. Snapping photos is a breeze, and I never worry about dropping my phone. The insulated flask with some electrolyte water prevents my water from freezing on me. On really cold days, I still have to blow air back through to prevent the nozzle from freezing. The only thing that is missing is snack pockets on the front. Usually, the hip pads are a good location for snack pockets (snackets, if you will). However, due to the stowability of the hip pads, this feature was understandably left out. Perhaps I will carry a fanny pack for snacks.

As for the rest of the pack, the side zipper offers great access to the internal items, while the external stretch pocket has great storage for gloves or other small items. The only problem I found was with the buckles, which easily ice over if snow gets in them. I swapped out the chest strap for my Distance 15 straps (x2) to improve the snugness of the shoulder straps.

Overall, there isn't much I would change with this pack for ski touring. Blue Ice really considered everything. An exceptional touring bag, with even more versatile applications...

Winter Alpine Climbing

This is a new venture in mountain travel for me, and I got to test out the Firecrest on an attempt of Canadian Border Peak in February after a melt-freeze cycle stabilized the snowpack.

Our high point (no summit)

Rough route up CBP

2nd Rappell

1st Rappell

Packability

I was able to fit pretty much everything inside my pack for the day:

• Harness, tuber device, locking biners, rap tat, caritools, leash, etc.

• Small rack (4x cams 0.3-0.5, 6x offset nuts)

• Shell jacket, puffy jacket, first aid kit

• Food, water

• External:

  • Rope (not pictured)

  • Helmet

  • Crampons (between bag/helmet)

  • Ice tools

  • Snowshoes

Overall, I was pretty happy with how the Firecrest carried everything. Considering my friend Ben's pack was 38L, the bag felt like a "big" 28 Litre with how much I fit in it and on it.

Durability

Similar to ski touring, there are some sharp things that might contact the bag, but with the position of the ice tool carry, I'm not too worried about it getting damaged. More time will tell how this bag holds up to winter climbing.

Function

Carry Comfort. Similar to while ski touring, this pack carries weight well considering it doesn't have a frame. Ample weight distribution for the hike in, and compressible enough for the climb. I was very pleased with the Firecrest's mobility while climbing steep snow, and traversing exposed rocky ledges.

Ease of Use. As with ski touring, the front pockets are super convenient. For climbing in particular, I absolutely love having a phone tether connecting my phone to the shoulder strap and a zipper phone pocket to put it. Easy photos and not dropping my phone off the side of the mountain, both pretty good things. Once again, insulated flask with electrolytes works great, and I can easily remove the bottle if I want unobstructed shoulder mobility.

For the right user and application, this is the pinnacle alpine pack to rule them all!

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Spring & Summer Alpine Climbing

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Note top secondary hook-loop for small load.

After a full summer season of testing the Firecrest 28L, I'm finally ready to review how this pack holds up for 4-season usage!

I must say, I am even more pleased with this pack now that I've used it for summer alpine excursions. The features are just as useful now as they were in the winter, if not more so.

From short day hikes to fast and light overnight missions, this pack has an uncanny ability to shrink and expand like no other. I was able to trail run relatively comfortably with straps cinched down on a small load, but also able to carry enough gear to sleep under the stars on ridge traverse. And, of course, long days alpine climbing were no problem with the Firecrest 28L.

Packability

Unfortunately, I forgot to take the snazzy packing photos that I did from the ski-touring season, so I'll have to add those in the next year! But for now, I was able to fit the following in/on the pack:

Alpine climbing packing list: for trips like Canadian Border Peak or Slesse Peak (blog in progress)

• 30m or 70m rope

• Small rack: ~5 cams, rack of offset nuts, 4 alpine draws

• Helmet

• UL Harness + tuber device

• Water (1.5L - 3L bladder + 500mL flask on shoulder)

• Food: snackssss

Overnight packing list: Silesia Traverse (blog in progress)

• 30m RAD line

• Bare-bones rack (couple cams + nuts)

• Helmet

• UL Harness + tuber device

• Sleeping bag + emergency bivy

• 1/2 Z-foam pad

• Water (3L + 500mL)

• Food: zero-prep food like sausage, cheese etc. + granola bars

• Extra layers (puffy, gloves, socks, toque)

Durability

After a full summer of adventuring, I am very pleased with how well the Firecrest held up. The main thing was that I had to give it a good wash after it turned into a salt-stick! Other than that aspect (which has more to say about how sweaty I got...), the pack shows little sign of wear and tear.

Function

Carry Comfort

The summer proved to be no different than the winter in terms of comfort wearing the Firecrest 28L. The padding isn't overkill, but it is enough to not really notice it. With a heavier load of technical gear, I didn't have the same shoulder fatigue that I experienced on the Slesse to Pierce Traverse when I used the BD Distance 22 vest (which has no padding on shoulders). Unsurprisingly, this pack proved to fill the exact void that I was hoping. Enough padding for alpine climbing on the approach, but compressible enough for the climbing (the stow-able hip pads were very nice to allow easier access to gear loops on the harness).

What turned out to be shocker was that I used this pack for a 1.5 day overnight trip (stay tuned for the Silesia Traverse report...). Granted, I was going more ultralight than I ever had before, but it still fit all the essentials. The 38L version would be awesome with that extra 10L of storage for longer trips, or overnights with more gear requirements.

Ease of Use

The front pockets for my phone (with the added bungie tether) and the flask sleeve (paired with the Hydrpak 500mL insulated flask) once again were some of my favourite features. As always, I never worried about dropping my phone off a cliff while taking a picture, thanks to the tether system and front pocket. The bottle was great to fill with concentrated electrolytes while my bladder was plain water, or as a standalone bottle with a filter cap.

The rope carry works quite well, as long as the user threads the hook thru an eyelet by the cinch closure. This stops the rope from sliding down the bag.

I found the side compression straps/attachment straps to be quite short when trying to attach even a half z-foam pad. I could probably do a mod on this to attach something bulkier, but I wish the straps were just a big longer. The side zip was nice to access a layer quickly, while the side mesh pocket was great for tossing my sun hoody in while approaching a climb in the tree line. The brain had a decent amount of storage for some sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.

The only qualm I have is the lack of hip pockets (although I understand that would hinder the stow-ability of the hip pads!). Quick access to snacks is a must for me, so I ended up using a fanny pack like I did in the winter for some extra storage. A black hole mini 1L hip pack from Patagonia would probably be more ideal than the larger one that I have.

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Overall, I can't recommend this pack more if you are looking for something versatile and for all-seasons. The Firecrest 28L can tango equally well as a ski-touring or summer alpine climbing bag. Blue Ice has found the balance of an ultralight design, but paired with practical features to bring us a really unique backpack, bridging the gap between the trail running and alpine climbing universes.

I love the features and functions of this pack, along with how well it expands and compresses to meet the needs of any mission, summer or winter. With a few modifications (2 chest straps instead of 1, a phone tether, the right size soft flask, a hip pouch for snacks), it has become an unparalleled quiver-of-one alpine pack to suit my every need...

Now I can't help but consider adding the 38L to my arsenal... ;)