Avy Packs - What is the best??

Looking for some information and some comparison on the differences of Avy Packs. Snow Pulse, and the Float 30 were the 2 that I was most interested in. If anyone has any kind of feed back it would be appreciated.

thanks

highmark said:

Looking for some information and some comparison on the differences of Avy Packs. Snow Pulse, and the Float 30 were the 2 that I was most interested in. If anyone has any kind of feed back it would be appreciated.

thanks

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Personally I would go ABS ............. if nothing for reliability. Seen others in the field not perform as well.

What he said.

We have BCA - Float 30. Well made and lots of room inside.

ABS has been around the longest, and from the searching I did when purchasing ours, was the most recommended.

The main reason we purchased the Float 30 was price of the pack and they are easy to get filled up.

GETR'DONE said:

We have BCA - Float 30. Well made and lots of room inside.

ABS has been around the longest, and from the searching I did when purchasing ours, was the most recommended.

The main reason we purchased the Float 30 was price of the pack and they are easy to get filled up.

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I have two BCA float 30's. Have tested them and they work fine - easy and inexpensive to re-fill because it's air. Paint ball place in our area does them for $10.00.
I have no fear of them going off if needed.

The ABS is the only one with dual bags. There is now a lighter carbon fiber canister available for the ABS. Some of the snowpulse bags found at the revy avy had their shoulder starps ripped off.

RGM said:

The ABS is the only one with dual bags. There is now a lighter carbon fiber canister available for the ABS. Some of the snowpulse bags found at the revy avy had their shoulder starps ripped off.

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enough said..we have two ABS and depend on years of knowledge behind the product.

this is equipment that can save your life and the lives of your riding buddies, so I personally think prices should not even enter this discussion. go with what works best and always works! another vote for ABS! their track record speaks for itself.

other then in a video, has anyone seen these work in action?
Just wondering. I hope that if so, everyone was ok. Just looking for first hand experience on these.

RGM said:

The ABS is the only one with dual bags. There is now a lighter carbon fiber canister available for the ABS. Some of the snowpulse bags found at the revy avy had their shoulder starps ripped off.

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First I heard one Snowpulse had one ripped strap and that the person was still wearing it. Then a Snowpulse was found with a ripped strap, then it had both straps ripped off, now more than one were found with the straps ripped off? Anyone ever had any documented proof of this? ABS has never had a damaged pack resulting from a slide?

I bought a new AvyPack this year. Actually my girlfriend bought it for me because she is that Great!

Anyhow, after searching on here and reading every post about the two main packs, the ABS and the Snowpulse, and after talking to people who own them and searching other forums and researching the pros/cons of those two, I went with a SnowPulse.

Why I went with a SnowPulse over the ABS - I am not a big guy, 150lbs without any gear. I looked at the ABS and how the dual bags were postioned. I really like that the ABS had two air chambers. One could get a puncher or such.

But I really liked how the SnowPulse could possibly give more of a heads up approach once deployed. The ABS with the two large chambers left me wondering if I might end up in a constant face down position if caught in a slide.

With a Snowpulse deployed I could still possibly ride my sled as far as possible if it was still upright. The ABS would likely force me off the sled once inflated.

I think if I was a bigger guy I might have went with the ABS. SnowPulse also comes in a shorter frame pack.(bonus for me) Then I looked at the pack themselves. I liked the over functionality of the SnowPulse as well (Highmark 30) Some people complain the ABS are heavy, I don't know any pack that as any such device that I would consider light weight but I don't think any of them are "heavy"

Some people say because ABS has been around longer they are proven. I don't know all too much about the R&D but regardless, someone always has to be first. Just because they were first doesn't always mean they are better.

Obviously these packs are just another tool for your already expanded training and other safety equipment you carry. I didn't look at the BCA much because I didn't find a lot on them. I think if you could only afford a BCA, its better than not having one.

I had an ABS pack a few years back and sold it when I got out of the sport for the last year, The only thing I don't like, is not being able to tell if the canister is full, they do have a fairly leak tight system but it just bothers me not knowing for sure. I know the Snowpulse has a gauge on the canister and this alone would sway me to buy the one or the other, also I do like the idea of extra head support!!

evan3000 said:

I had an ABS pack a few years back and sold it when I got out of the sport for the last year, The only thing I don't like, is not being able to tell if the canister is full, they do have a fairly leak tight system but it just bothers me not knowing for sure. I know the Snowpulse has a gauge on the canister and this alone would sway me to buy the one or the other, also I do like the idea of extra head support!!

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ABS canisters are pretty easy to tell if they are full or not. Each canister comes with a marked weight which includes weight of the gas (measured to the specific PSI) and canister weight. Put it on a scale, and if the weight is above or below by 5 grams, take it into your local ABS dealer for a on the spot exchange.

You really can't go to far wrong as everyone seems to be offering a quality product. I love my snowpulse. ABS seems to be the king of trash talking and bashing other brands so take that rhedoric with a grain of salt.

We purchased two ABS packs last season after days of research. Once received we used the supplied canisters to test both units ... worked great. Hope NEVER to use them but do feel better with it on .... I'm an old fart and have decided to ride as safe as possible to ride another day. If the area looks suspect .... it likely is ... don't go.

Safe riding ......

Another one for ABS.

Few things I think worth mentioning:

1) All systems are likely to leave you face down in the snow. Maybe a slightly better chance of the Snowpulse avoiding this but it can also backfire with the center cavity being stuffed with snow without the ability to clear it.
2) You can ride with the ABS pack triggered. In fact, you are suppose to pull first, then think about riding out, escaping secondly. It's best to have it deployed before being involved. This goes with all packs. Keep in mind wind resistance would be HUGE, so hold on.
3) Something rarely mentioned about construction of the pack themselves. I don't have as much experience with the Float and Snowpulse, but from what I see the ABS blows the other two out of the water. The packs are top notch. This may lead to some extra weight, but this leads me to my next point:
4) The ABS handles it load amazingly well. Like astonishingly well. I have mine stuffed with survival gear with an estimated weight of 50 lbs and I can't tell its on my back. No back pain, no pressure points, no rubbing, and like I said, it makes it feel a lot lighter than it is.
5) ABS comes in variable length "supports". I personally use the large frame because I'm 6'4".

As I said, I'm more familiar with the ABS because I own the Vario 30, but do your own homework and consider the cost of your life. At the end of the day though if you can only afford 500$ for the Float, it's a hell of a lot better then nothing at all. Nobody will frown upon you for wearing it.

sledbunnyracing said:

I have two BCA float 30's. Have tested them and they work fine - easy and inexpensive to re-fill because it's air. Paint ball place in our area does them for $10.00.
I have no fear of them going off if needed.

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Don't they state they have to be dried air? Are you sure paintball shops do this? I've heard only using emergency or breathing air recharge stations like fire halls, etc. I also don't trust some punk at a paintball shop filling my life saving device.

People make a huge deal about ABS "refills". I donno what's the huge problem. If it were accidentally deployed, sure it could be an inconvienience if you have to drive a few hours away from the remote sledding location to get one, but provided that doesn't happen by taking off the trigger when not in use, I simply go to the dealership, pay 25$ and they give me a new cannister with a quality controlled fill from the manufacture themselves. It's not 100 or 150 dollars like it used to be. It's cheap and easy.

As for guaging the "fill level" of the ABS cannister. Touched on above, you simply weigh it. It was also at one time notoriously bad to have the snowpulse guages to give false readings. I'm not sure if this is still an issue. Which do you trust? I bring my cannister to work before a sled weekend and have our accountant put it on the envelope scale. Easy and free. I'm sure with polite conversation any mail office will do this for you free if in question.

highmark said:

Looking for some information and some comparison on the differences of Avy Packs. Snow Pulse, and the Float 30 were the 2 that I was most interested in. If anyone has any kind of feed back it would be appreciated.

thanks

Click to expand...

the snow pulse has new straps this year and some and there 15 oz pack is perfect for me it holds shovel, and prob, and all other stuff is in a pack straped to my rear rack i also like the neck protection it provides, picking one up this week $1,050.00 more expensive then the rest but i did not let the price be a part of picking between the two

S.W.A.T. said:

other then in a video, has anyone seen these work in action?
Just wondering. I hope that if so, everyone was ok. Just looking for first hand experience on these.

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Yes, I have seen the Float style work (or rather not work) in the field, and no, this person did not get to a chance to tell there story.

From my research and personal experience, the ABS is probably the best in a gliding type avy, where there is good run out and decent sized snow boulders (decent being smaller than your inflated pack). However, the snow pulse is also very large when inflated but if your caught in any sort of terrain trap (you shouldn't have been there in the first place in this case, but I'm not your mother), it's designed to protect you. The idea is that it provides support for your neck and head. Once completely submerged, the canister uses scuba air, and the pack slowly deflates, creating a pocket of breathable air and possibility of movement, buying you time. All in theory of coarse, don't know of any first hand accounts.

You should take a look at the Avivest ( Welcome to the Avi Vest Site) if you have not made your decision yet.

Happy with mine...

sledbunnyracing said:

Happy with mine...

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Yes I agree -- nice air bags