Updays 20

The Deuter Updays 20 is a fast, light pack for skinning up and skiing down. It weighs 670 g, carries your avalanche tools properly, and lets you grab skins or crampons from the bottom of the pack without taking it off at a cold, windy transition.

Who it's for

Ski tourers on day tours and quick laps, from a dawn skin up Mount Hotham's slopes to day tours out of Falls Creek or a Japan trip. Deuter rate it five out of five for ski touring. The 4-8 kg recommended load is avalanche tools, skins, a puffer, a shell, water and food.

Capacity, and what actually fits

20 litres in a 49 x 28 x 19 cm pack. The reinforced safety compartment holds a shovel blade and handle with a probe, the zipped front compartment takes a shell, and the bottom compartment keeps wet skins and crampons away from your dry layers. A 3 L bladder fits too.

How it carries

Deuter's Lite back keeps the pack slim and close to your body for a snug fit with no load wobble on the descent. A soft foam back pad comes out to save weight. Ventilated shoulder straps, padded, breathable hip fins and a two-way sternum strap with a whistle keep it steady, and the sternum strap comes off if you do not want it.

Fitting it

One size for back lengths of 38-54 cm, covering skiers around 158-195 cm tall. Fit it over your touring layers, set the hip fins, then snug the shoulder straps so the pack moves with you through turns.

Access and organisation

The quick-fix diagonal ski carry uses a sliding loop around the tails and a bungee around the tips that hooks to the shoulder strap, so you can get skis on and off your back fast on a bootpack.

• Reinforced safety compartment for shovel blade and handle
• Bottom compartment for skins and crampons, reachable with the pack on
• Zipped front compartment
• Quick-fix diagonal ski carry; ice axe attachment
• Integrated, removable helmet net
• Hydration compatible up to 3 L

Weight

670 g for a 20 litre touring pack with a proper avalanche compartment. Take out the foam back pad and it goes lighter still.

Looking after it

The body is 100D polyamide ripstop, made without intentionally added PFAS. Empty the bottom compartment after each tour so wet skins do not sit in it, and dry the pack open. Deuter back it with a 2-year warranty.