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Cerro Huemul is a bit of a sideshow attraction in El Chaltén, Patagonia. It’s a mound of choss–mediocre melancholia juxtaposed against the granitic grandeur of the Chaltén and Torre massifs next door. But it is an enormous mound of choss. Twenty-five-hundred vertical meters through forest, barren scrubland, and choss. Lots of choss. Tough mission for a backpack. Several considerations must be considered. It’s gotta be light and deft for the climbing, but also stocky with big bones to handle an overnight load and heavy abuse. I needed both the utility of a choripan and the verve of chimichurri: common and simple—but well dressed.
The first bit of condiment that struck me about the Millet Jorasses 30L backpack was the stretchy outer membrane that serves as both part of the closure system to the pack and as a place to stuff things. It wraps around most of the outer surface of the pack making for a clean look that is also very functional.
I typically only use ultra-minimalist packs—to save weight and prevent hauling headaches—so having something “trekker” on the outside of a pack is usually a turnoff. But the Jorasses’s clean system had me pleasantly surprised. While climbing the four-kilometer east ridge of Cerro Huemul the wind was howling and sun flew in and out of cloud cover, making for a temperature gradient managed by Sybil. I was constantly stripping and then adding layers. Using the stretchy outer fabric as a stuff sack I never had to actually open the bag during my transitions, and the design helped me stay warmer as a result.
This membrane is sewn to create two side pockets that are great for water bottles and for securing larger items like a foam pad. The membrane is a proprietary blend of Dyneema, polyamide, elastane, and polyethylene that is four-way stretchy and very durable. And after hundreds of meters of abrasive scrambling, some hauling, and many kilometers of pointy forest, the outer Dyneema fabric has held its own very well. Good quality ingredients make a good chimichurri.
Something new happened to me on my journey along the roller coaster ridge of Cerro Huemul. I sunburned my lower back. All the bobbing and weaving through crumbling gendarmes meant that I was bending and twisting my back and hips all day and without a harness to hold my layers down my tramp-stamp zone was exposed to the harsh austral sun. This sunburn is a positive reflection of the pack on my back: the Jorasses held position throughout all this bobbing and weaving and twisting and twerking. My torso is about 50 centimeters and the Jorasses sat perfectly: slightly above my hips while remaining under my head so as not to impede movement (as long as my pack wasn’t overfilled).
When I take my pack off I like to loosen one or both of the shoulder straps so as to make it easier to get back on. This causes a lot of wear and tear on straps, particularly when it’s passing through a metal buckle. The Jorasses straps are a supple and slippery nylon that pass through the buckle easily and remain solidly in position. Packs I’ve used in the past haven’t been able to handle all the strap movement and have resulted in busted shoulder straps while a long way from home. No worries about that happening with the Jorasses.
I love packs with extendable roll-top collars. They make your 30-liter pack a 40 with only a few grams of extra fabric, transforming a good daypack into a solid overnight pack, especially while alpine climbing, where the pack carries all the gear on the approach, but then becomes nearly empty once you begin the technical climbing. Now, the bummer about most sleeves is that brands will typically make them out of some lighter material than the pack body itself. The Jorasses sleeve is made of the same material as the rest of the pack. Which is absolute beefcake Dyneema. Thus my preternatural talent of destroying gear is rendered ineffective—and this high quality pack remains functioning as intended.
Overall this is a great albeit expensive pack. Just don’t buy one thinking it’s for hauling or lots of steep rock climbing. This is a mountain pack, one designed to be on your back all day. Having devoured many choripanes and mounds of choss alike, I can happily say that this is my favorite pack I have used. Buen Provecho!
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