The Mammut Anergy ST 20-25 ski vest.
A ski vest might pay dividends for those preferring quick access to hydration, doo-dads, and aspirational ski-mo quickness. This season, we’ll test the Mammut Aenergy ST 20-25, a keen-looking ski vest that expands from 20 to 25L with the roll top.
Aladdin is, of course, my favorite Disney hero. Han Solo is unquestionably the most iconic Star Wars character. Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of Blondie in The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly marked a clear apex of western narrative. What do these titans of the screen have in common? The vest.
The technology is simple—the payoff is great.
Smaller ski packs with vest-style straps offer the option to draw on this technology for hydration, gummy bears, and sunscreen while breaking trail up that favorite skin track. In addition to making things like food and water more accessible, they also evenly spread out the weight of lighter loads.
Nothing really new here; King Charles II, by royal decree in 1666, adopted the vest as part of men’s formal wear. Three hundred years later, the vest went from a three-piece suite staple to a fly fishing kit essential to a Beatnik accessory. Sometime in the 2010s, speed weenies turned to this grand garment during running’s latest boom in popularity. The running vest is now ubiquitous. Ski vests are a little different.
**Believe it or not, but as recently as the 90s, runners regularly jogged with nothing or a fanny pack.
I was an early adopter of the ski vest, as a big fan of the BD Cirque 22 Ski Vest, a pack I still love. Skimo-style packs have incorporated some vest-type features for a while, but generally, the main limitation has been their simplicity and ability to handle a heavier tour. The Mammut Aenergy is the latest incarnation of vest technology adopted for the uphill athlete. It adds mesh vest-style straps to a versatile smaller pack that is fully featured and capable of carrying just a bit more.
It’s been raining, but I’ve still managed to sneak out here and there this season to take a look at the Aenergy. Here are a few initial takes and details:
The Mammut Aenergy ST 20-25 is a durable PFC-free polyamide ski pack, with a zippered roll-top offering an expandable 20-25 liters of storage. The pack comes with an ambitious but effective list of bells and whistles: skimo style quick carry, built-in helmet carry, quick-accessed avy gear pouch, phone pocket, rope carry strap, optional hip belt, and yes…ski vest up front. It weighs 740 grams.
I really like that Mammut added the optional waist belt, this makes heavier loads way more comfortable. The mesh pockets on the shoulder strap offer comfy access with great storage. I also appreciate that there is a well-designed diagonal ski carry in addition to the quick carry. The rolltop zipper makes the expansion feel secure (easier to cram full of stuff if need be). All the other accessories work well for their intended purpose, albeit while also feeling perhaps overengineered for a ski pack in my book.
I don’t like the quick carry. The loop on the chest strap is too low. I prefer a higher skimo carry connection. Also, the design makes the pack carry weight well, but the vest strap buckles are too elastic for heavier loads in the size. They are thin elastic cords; I’d rather they use nylon. Finally, I have a love-hate relationship with tapered packs in general—packs that are narrower at the bottom than the top—it’s easy to fill every crevice, but they become top-heavy. That said, this doesn’t matter much in such a small size.
The ski vest comes in one size—the back panel length is designated as M (46 cm). The ski vest costs $160.00.
You came for the vest. The shoulder straps offer plenty of storage for soft flasks and bars/gels/snacks. Photo: Mammut
The safety gear is easily accessible via a dual-zip compartment. Photo: Mammut
Overall, it’s a great pack. It’s red. It’s a great size (too many people carry huge packs for short missions, and I don’t understand why). Mammut strikes the right balance here between the “lighter is righter” ethos and the “practical is exactible” constraint (okay, I made that up). In other words, it’s small and light but not skimo silly. There are a lot of compartments and doo-dads on this thing, which I normally steer clear of, but here, IMO, it makes a small pack work in a larger pack niche.
Ask me how the pack feels at the end of the season. Maybe it’ll quit raining by then. If not, I’ll use the Aenergy to scramble around the mountains.
The Aenergy ST 20-25: a perfect companion on the Harding Icefield.
