DaKine Poacher RAS 36L

The Dakine Poacher RAS 36L Backpack is, in my opinion, the perfect backpack for any skiers who choose to venture off-piste to freeride or enjoy heavy one-day adventures. The backpack is specifically designed for the carrying and quick deployment of avalanche rescue tools, and also has the capability to carry a Mammut Avalanche Airbag system. The 36L Poacher's capabilities as a medium-range side/backcountry pack are excellent, and serve a higher purpose: assisting those who shred.

Fit/Comfort

The Poacher RAS 36L has a very good fit for a backpack. I've found that it does not move at all while skiing; this past summer I wore the pack in a freeride competition in Chile. Most packs I've skied with will move slightly when landing off a cliff or skiing through chunder, but the Poacher stayed in one spot for all 1100 vertical feet of the venue. All straps are adjustable enough where the amount of layers you're wearing shouldn't compromise the Poacher's fit. The pack comes in a variety of sizes, and the size guide provided by Dakine was accurate.

Capacity

Dakine advertises the Poacher 36L as "designed for the rider who heads out before the break of dawn and comes back after dark, perhaps with a couple of switch cork threes thrown in at lunch. Even if you skip the airs, this is a great pack for those who frequent the backcountry and want the option of an airbag when conditions warrant". This is pretty accurate; the Poacher 36L stores shovel, probe, food and water, and extra layers with plenty of room to spare. Even with a full Mammut Airbag system installed, the pack still has room for water, skins, snacks, binoculars, or whatever else you want to toss in the bag. 

Organization & Accessibility

The Poacher 36L has four pockets in total: a main front pocket, a large back pocket to hold avalanche gear and airbag canister, two small top pockets for sunglasses/bars/maps/etc. The separation of avalanche gear and personal belongings is a huge advantage over some of the smaller packs in Dakine's Poacher series (namely the 18L), and allows for quick draw of safety equipment without other gear getting in the way.

The front pocket is large enough to store pretty much whatever you want in it. I've stuffed a large puffy jacket, binoculars, water bottle, extra goggles, and sunscreen into the pocket and been left with room to spare. An additional upgrade over the smaller packs is the inclusion of an outer helmet carry option, meaning no waster space or janky carry options for helmets. 

Ride/Compression

I've skied with this pack in numerous load configurations, and every single one has felt more or less the same on my back. It's remarkably stable with both heavier and lighter loads, partly thanks to the semi-rigid back panel and relatively stiff straps. The only thing to be careful of is that with one large pocket, a heavy item like a water bottle should be fixed in place by a puffy layer or similar to prevent it bouncing around the inside.

Features

As the name would imply, the Poacher RAS 36L is compatible with a removable airbag system. I currently have mine fitted with a Mammut RAS 3.0, and have luckily only had to use it once (before going on a plane). The installation of the airbag can be a little finicky, as can re-rolling it, but as long as you follow a tutorial it should go in easily.

The left shoulder strap has a hidden zipper to run the trigger cord through, where it sits in a convenient spot to be pulled. The pack also comes with an A-frame ski carry option, for ascending those steep couloirs. I've only used this feature once; hiking to and from Tuckerman Ravine in mid July, but was pleasantly surprised when the tails of my skis didn't hit any rocks on the hike up or down.

Ease of use

Overall, the Poacher RAS 36L is a minimal-frills, no-nonsense type of backpack. With that said, I have exactly one annoyance every time I use the pad: the waist buckle. The waist buckle on all Poacher packs is an interlocking two-piece metal latch that you need to slide together precisely to lock. The buckle can be remarkably annoying to put together/take apart when wearing ski gloves, but does serve an important purpose as it is designed to keep the pack on your body in an avalanche. 

Construction/Durability

The Dakine Poacher RAS 36L has shown extremely minimal signs of wear since purchasing, with no cuts from branches, torn straps, or broken buckles. With that said, both the rubber attachments on the main pocket's zippers have broken off and make opening the pack somewhat annoying as you have to grab the small metal tab rather than the intended rubber grip.

Summary 

As the designer and pro name behind the Poacher 36L, Karl Fostvedt says it best. "You can use a smaller pack, but you're not saving that much weight by going smaller. With the 36L, even if it's half full it still fit really well, and for those big days you can fit everything you need without your pack exploding". The Poacher 36L is really the perfect bag for anyone who needs a bag without compromise and doesn't mind a little extra weight on the uphill. 

Background

Almost all of my backcountry experience has been in freeride scenarios. The two situations I've been the most impressed with this pack have been 1) on the face of a freeride competition venue, and 2) skinning into the backcountry to build a booter. Despite both uses being widely different, and calling for different equipment, the Poacher 36L has become far and wide my favorite backpack to use on any adventure where I don't care about saving weight.