Mountainsmith Day, Tour and Drift Lumbar Packs

Price: $119.99CAN / $89.95US
Size:  13L
Weight: 793.7g / 1.75lbs
Colours: Moss Green, Rust Brown, Concrete Grey with Red, Asphalt Grey with Blue, Heritage Black

Mountainsmith positions their Day Lumbar as the pack for longer days out—be that in the city or in the great outdoors. At 13L, this is equivalent to a small daypack. Though many models boast the ability to stash a tablet into the padded sleeve, it's most easily done in the Day; it's a bit of a tight squeeze in other models.  Though it's the middle of summer, I intend to try this model out ski touring this winter. My smaller avy probe and shovel (both of which fit into my Mammut Ride-30 Avy Bag) also fit into the Mountainsmith Day. I can't wait to give it a try, especially because I find the shoulder-free feature liberating. 

Understanding the best use for the Mountainsmith Day is pretty simple. Its feature-set is identical to the Mountainsmith Tour (which we'll look at next)—it's just bigger.  If you want to take advantage of the size and load it with heavy items, you may want to deploy the shoulder strap (included) or the "strapettes" (not included). These extra straps will help carry a larger load. I think the beauty of a lumbar pack begins to disappear if it's too heavy. The shoulder strap and stapettes compensate for that. 

• Tuck-away waistbelt with forward pull adjustment webbing
• Front compression attachment system
• Strapette compatible (sold separately)
• Interior foam padded sleeve for tablet carry
• Smartphone compatible waistbelt pockets (Fits plus sized phones)
• FreeFlow ridged EVA backpanel padding
• Backpanel stash pocket ideal for securing passport, boarding pass, etc.
• Patented Delta Compression System load adjustment
• Side reinforced bottle pockets (fits up to 32oz/1L)
• Inner Sanctum™ interior zippered compartment for small valuables
• Waistbelt Fit: 28” - 48”

Here we see the tuck-away feature for the waistbelt. It's handy if you want to use the dual handles up top or the shoulder strap. This approach might be better suited to airports or cities rather than long hikes where the Delta Compression System steps up, providing stability and comfort. 

Here the waistbelt is untucked, showing off the ridged EVA backpanel. If you never use the shoulder strap, you may choose to remove the fastex buckles and webbing.

Here is a side shot to the Delta Compression System. I am not a fan of packs of any kind flopping around. This multi-point systems means the pack hugs your lumbar region, regardless of how full the pack might be.

Here you can see the forward pull adjustments on the waistbelt. Makes fine-tuning easier. I want to trim the belt back a bit. The fact that it accommodates a 48" means there's more length than is needed by me (about 15" extra...).

I put the shoulder strap on here to show you how it works. I think that this strap is really only necessary if you have a lot of weight in the bag and need some extra stability and weight distribution. Note that I was unable to tighten up the shoulder strap enough to fit me. I am 
6'2".

Price: $99.95CAN / $79.95US
Size: 9L
Weight: 793g / 1lb 12oz
Colours: Moss Green, Rust Brown, Concrete Grey with Red, Asphalt Grey with Blue, Heritage Black

At a healthy 9L, the Tour is the ideal size for a pack of this kind. It comes with me on long gravel rides into the bush, a quick 9 holes on the local golf disc course, to the office, and on day hikes year-round. It has all the features of the Day, it's just smaller. The Day's increased volume comes from a taller form factor than the Tour. The Tour is shaped such that it sits on your waist like a comfortable egg. 

Of the three lumbar packs that I own, the Tour gets the most use—because of its just right  size (a la Goldilocks). It's not so big that it's entering into the standard day pack category. You can probably load 5 kilos of kit in there comfortably. Come winter time, I might take it on a snow shoe, but, a ski-tour? Unlikely. Maybe I'll just save it for disc golf, hiking and biking. 

• Tuck-away waistbelt with forward pull adjustment webbing
• Front compression attachment system
• Strapette compatible (sold separately)
• Interior foam padded sleeve for tablet carry
• Smartphone compatible waistbelt pockets (Fits plus sized phones)
• FreeFlow ridged EVA backpanel padding
• Backpanel stash pocket ideal for securing passport, boarding pass, etc.
• Patented Delta Compression System load adjustment
• Side reinforced bottle pockets (fits up to 32oz/1L)
• Inner Sanctum™ interior zippered compartment for small valuables
• Waistbelt Fit: 28” - 48”

The zip-up pocket easily accommodates and iPhone 7, a couple snack bars, sunblock, etc. Very handy in many circumstances when you don't want to swing your pack around and rummage through one of the main compartments.

The Tour (and each of the other packs) features the de rigueur key clip that I love. Nothing quite like easily locateable keys!

It's no secret that the Tour is an ideal disc golf bag. They are popping up often at the local course. 

Price: $58.95CAN / $49.95USD
Size: 5L
Weight: .75k / 12.8oz
Colours: Sage Blue, Moss Green, Rust Brown, Concrete Grey with Red, Asphalt Grey with Blue, Heritage Black

At 5L, the Mountainsmith Drift Lumbar Pack is the smallest of the packs we looked at. The Tour and the Day models have all the same features, the Drift is smaller and lighter and has fewer bells and whistles. Maybe that's how it weighs in a full pound lighter than the Tour model. The size is just right for a quick hike or bike ride when you don't want to be weighed down with too much stuff. I fit a jacket, water and snacks into the Drift, no problem. The workmanship is evident in the Drift and I am confident I'll beat on it for years to come.

• Zippered main compartment with organizer sleeve
• Front compression attachment system
• Tuck-away airflow waistbelt
• Patented Delta Compression System load adjustment
• Removable shoulder strap
• Side bottle pockets (fits up to 24oz/700ml)
• Bright yellow lining promotes visibility
• Waistbelt Fit: 28” - 48”

You can see the front compression system here. It's a little synchable pouch with enough room to accommodate a shell 

See the simplified waste belt system here. You can still use a shoulder strap with the Drift, but the Delta compression system (and waistbelt in general) has been minimized to keep the weight down.  

• 420 Oxford Nylon
• 420 HD Nylon Ripstop
• YKK Zipper
• 210d Nylon Liner

Having three lumbar pack to choose from is a luxury I highly recommend. Depending on the activity, either the Drift, Tour or Day Lumbar pack will have you covered.

I like the Drift if I am going for a quick bike ride or hike. In general though, I prefer to have a slightly bigger volume bag to carry other stuff I may or may not use. My significant other behaves in the opposite fashion and tends to stuff things to overflowing. She appears to now be the principal user of the Drift. I just grab it now and then.

The Tour enjoys a special, go-to, status in my range of packs. I keep it loaded with my bike stuff (inner tube, spare jacket, multi-tool, snacks and water) so it's ready to rumble. It even fits a sixer in a pinch. I don't know about you, but every time I decide not to bring a pack when I am out, I wish I had one. The Tour's feature set is fitting for a 9L pack. I understand why the Drift has fewer features, it'd be overwhelmed with anything more. I think the Tour's size is perfectly suited to the lumbar pack format. The Drift may be a little too small, the Day may be a little too big.

Speaking of the Day Lumbar Pack from Mountainsmith, this is the pack I use for longer hikes (full day) or bikepacking trips. The whole idea of the pack contributing to a lower centre of gravity really has its benefits for things like bikepacking where you definitely do not want to be top-heavy.

So the round-up of these three packs? They all have different ideal usages. The Tour and the Day are essentially the same pack, just a different size. Want to know which I use the most: 1) Tour, 2) Day, 3) Drift. In general, lumbar packs are coming back for good reason. They are really comfortable and highly functional for a lot of applications. And.... if you want a good lumbar pack, I suggest you look to Mountainsmith. They have been fine-tuning their product for 4 decades—and it shows.