Freescape Tour 40

The Deuter Freescape Tour 40 is a touring pack for the days that turn into nights out: a hut trip across the Main Range, a ski traverse of the Bogong High Plains, or a spring trip to New Zealand's Southern Alps. It carries the rope, axes and overnight kit, and still lets you look up at the line ahead.

Who it's for

Ski tourers and splitboarders heading out on technical routes and multi-day trips. Deuter rate it top marks for ski touring and four out of five for snowshoeing. The 6-10 kg recommended load covers avalanche gear, a stove, a sleeping bag for a hut night, food and spare layers.

Capacity, and what actually fits

40 litres, and the roll-top lets you stuff in more when the trip demands it, with the lid riding higher to cap the load. A shovel and probe go in the dedicated front pocket, goggles in a fleece-lined pocket, and wet skins in the inside wet compartment. The pack measures 70 x 32 x 24 cm.

How it carries

The LiteSnow back uses snow-shedding fabric against your back so snow does not build up and melt through your layers. Padded shoulder straps and hip fins, an adjustable waist belt, stabiliser straps and a one-handed sternum buckle keep a heavier load settled on steep kick turns. The hip fins carry a gear loop and an ice clipper slot for crampons and screws.

Fitting it

One size for back lengths of 44-54 cm, which Deuter match to people about 170-195 cm tall. Pack it to your trip weight, fit it over your touring shell, tighten the waist belt first, then the shoulder straps and stabilisers.

Access and organisation

A U-shaped zip on the back opens the main compartment without unpacking from the top, and the roll-top gives you the classic top-loader too. The lid is height-adjustable and comes off for a lighter summit push. Outside you get side compression straps, a rope strap, two ice axe attachments, side or diagonal ski carry, front snowshoe straps and a stowable mesh helmet holder.

• Roll-top with height-adjustable, detachable lid
• Rear U-zip access to the main compartment
• Front avalanche gear pocket and front zip pocket
• Fleece-lined goggles pocket; side pocket; lid pocket
• Ski carry at the side or diagonal; snowshoe straps; rope strap
• Ice axe attachments on both sides; stowable mesh helmet holder
• Hip fins with gear loop and ice clipper slot
• Hydration compatible up to 3 L; wet compartment; safety whistle

Weight

1160 g for a 40 litre pack with full alpine attachments and rear access. Take off the lid for a summit day and it gets lighter still.

Looking after it

The body is water-repellent 210D polyamide with a finish made without intentionally added PFAS, and the pack is bluepass and Green Button certified. Deuter back it with a 2-year warranty.