Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Mountainsmith Roots Collection

Austin Parker
By

Mountainsmith
They just don’t build packs like they used to. With ultralight fabrics, high tech harnesses and more features than you can count, modern packs are heavy on advancement, but sometimes form gets lost in all the function. Our friends at Mountainsmith took that to heart with their new Roots Collection, recreating some of their early 1990’s classics, albeit with updated materials and features for the backcountry or urban explorer. If you’ve been combing the thrift stores for that perfectly aged vintage pack,  search no further. With one of these excellent bags, you’ll get the vintage design, modern comfort, and get to put your own patina on it for years to come.

Related: Pack It In: Summer Car Camping | The Best Backpacks of 2016 

Related Videos

Grand Tour $100

Grand Tour
Originally designed as a side-country ski pack, the Grand Tour is a classic rucksack clamshell design. In 2016 it sees an upgraded side-access padded laptop pouch, as well as dual side mesh pockets for when you’re not lashing skis to the sides. At nineteen liters, it is perfectly sized for day-long adventures whether you’re exploring deep snow or urban concrete.

Adventure Office Messenger Bag $120

Adventure Office
If you’re like us, you probably can’t make that last commitment of a dedicated briefcase or attache to finally admit that you have a nine to five job in a respectable office. If you’re holding on to your dirtbag outdoors roots, the Adventure office bag is your connection to days when your daily commute was a little more rugged. It features all the hallmarks of a top notch travel bag – separate pouches for laptop, boarding pass, and electronics organization as well as attachment to a rolling bag – in a much more durable package. The 610-d cordura outer fabric will take a serious beating – think years of abuse. The inner fabric is a contrast yellow, helping you find your daily essentials with ease.

Wizard $140

Wizard
For longer adventures, the Wizard is a classic top loader inspired by Mountainsmith’s venerable climbing pack of the same name. This time around you can still haul that sixty meter rope, but extra organization as well as a hidden laptop sleeve make this pack more useful as an all-around gear hauler for weekend use. The air-mesh back panel and side carry luggage handle make this pack an excellent option for road trippers who are constantly on the move. Like the other packs in the collection, burly Cordura fabric will make this pack a mainstay for all your adventure travel needs.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
What it Takes to Train for a Marathon in the Swiss Alps
steven john running training

On August 27, I'll be running a marathon that will see me cross the border from Switzerland into France at the Col de Balme, a mountain pass in the Alps resting at about 7,200 feet of elevation. That high alpine pass accounts for only a portion of the overall 7,545 feet of elevation gain through which I'll huff and curse during the course of a multi-hour trail run.

OK, to be honest, the race in which I'm participating is not a true marathon. The 40-kilometer distance works out to a bit more than 25 miles, so it's just over a mile shorter than a true marathon. But most marathons don't take place on mountain trails. Most don't involve the potential for scorching sun or driving rain, bitter cold with snow, or winds so powerful they can knock you off course. The races at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the "World Summit of Trail Running," that take place annually in the summertime in Europe? Yeah, all that and more may well happen.

Read more
Are You Heading to One of the Most Popular Cities for 4th of July?
fourth of july

Independence Day is one of the most popular booze-drinking, barbecue-eating, firework-shooting, good-time holidays of the year. According to Statista, a whopping 65.5 percent of Americans polled in 2017 were looking forward to some sort of cookout, but a little over 13 percent planned a vacation for the holiday. So where are all these folks going?

Yelp knows. The review and recommendation service shared with The Manual a list of the 10 most popular weekend destinations for 4th of July.

Read more
Tighten those Laces and Mark Your Calendars for 2018’s Most Extreme Races
extreme races

Road marathons and triathlons are wildly popular and most tend to attract large numbers of participants (and spectators), while obstacle races and mud runs have skyrocketed in recent years. But, what happens when you already have the 26.2 and 140.6 window decals and feel like you need to do more? Why not try pushing the levels of human endurance next time by entering an extreme race.

So, what constitutes an extreme race?

Read more