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Macpac Ascent 70 $199

Used by: Mt Aspiring-climbing roving editor Shaun Barnett

Used for: 18 years

When a piece of kit is so integral to your experience that it becomes almost a part of you, it’s perhaps not surprising that a curious affection is developed for it. My Macpac Ascent pack was on my back during a circumnavigation and climb of Mt Aspiring, and a three-week transalpine traverse in South Westland, plus countless other shorter adventures. Despite being only 70 litres, its simple sack design with an extendable top means I can stuff enough gear in it for as much as 10 days. The Ascent has ice axe loops and a crampon patch and, best of all, weighs a relatively modest 1900g – a whole 1kg