A few seconds after my ski partner and I dropped into a steep north-facing couloir in Colorado’s Tenmile Range, we pulled off to the side into a protected shelf. The couloir was unexpectedly plastered with powder deep into May. We double-checked the snow’s stability and then continued. But I was still glad to be wearing Scott’s new Patrol E2 airbag pack ($1,300) as an added layer of safety.

It was a bizarre spring for backcountry skiing in Colorado last season. Where avalanche danger usually fades, we found ourselves skiing powder and generous snowpacks deep into May, battling with the snowpack instabilities that come with it.

Where I would have usually stowed my airbag pack for the season in favor of a lighter, more voluminous backcountry ski pack, I found myself confiding in the Patrol E2 airbag pack over and over again for adventures near and far. It provided an extra margin of safety for noticeably less tradeoff than other options on the market.

In short: The avalanche airbag backpack field is crowded with packs that all face a similar dilemma: airbags are heavy, bulky, and historically don’t travel well. Scott clearly put in the R&D with these ubiquitous issues in mind when they designed and developed the Patrol E2 30L. It’s a pack whose features were, first and foremost, built for skiers moving in the mountains.

That’s complemented by one of the lightest and most compact airbag systems on the market, the Alpride E2, which takes up far less pack volume than other systems and also happens to travel better than its competitors. It doesn’t leave me with many excuses to leave it behind — the mark of great safety gear.

Scott Patrol E2 30 Kit Pack Review

While the data isn’t perfect, one thing is clear: avalanche airbags save lives in certain avalanche scenarios when deployed correctly. They do so by reducing the chance that the user will be buried by an avalanche by way of granular convection (i.e., bigger particles float to the top of a flow of particles). Though invented nearly 40 years ago, airbag packs have vastly improved and multiplied in a big way over the last decade.

GearJunkie has tested the relatively new Alpride E2 airbag system in several packs, including the Deuter Alproof Pack. This second-generation airbag from Alpride is 40% smaller and lighter than the E1 version, a big step forward from canister systems.

From a broader perspective, it’s one of the lightest and most compact airbag systems on the market, except for maybe the LiTRIC system in the Arc’teryx Micon LiTRIC and Ortovox Avabag Litric hitting stores this fall after a recall delayed its launch.

I was a slow convert to electronic airbags, primarily on principle. I try carrying as few electronic things into the backcountry as possible, which may or may not be outdated thinking at this point. Electronics are obviously more reliable than ever. This Scott Patrol E2 has some major advantages over the canister systems I’ve been using over the last decade.

Ski Pack Features

Integrating an airbag system into a backpack is a feat of engineering and design. Even the very best ones, and I’m including the Patrol E2 in that category, come with inherent tradeoffs — usually skiability, weight, price, and volume. But Scott did a phenomenal job of addressing those tradeoffs head-on with this pack.

Here’s what stood out to me above all else: Scott designed the Patrol to be a great backcountry skiing pack, first and foremost, for a wide range of activities. It is as good for easy cruiser days as it is for long ski mountaineering missions.

Volume & Pockets

Even for big outings in the spring, when I needed more gear like crampons, a skinny rope, and extra food, the 32L Patrol E2 felt just roomy enough. That’s not something I can say for every airbag pack in this volume category. For even longer days and hut trips, Scott also makes a more voluminous 38L Patrol.

Like all dedicated ski packs, it has a big, external avalanche tools pocket. That pocket has plenty of room for larger shovels and a 300mm probe. I even ended up stashing my short (65cm) Black Diamond Venom LT ice tool in there to keep things tidy on the outside. Even then, there was just enough room for my ski crampons at the top of the pocket.

The Patrol comes with an integrated helmet carry net. It tucks into a small pocket at the base of the pack and deploys with big hooks. It was secure enough that I had no concerns about stashing an extra layer inside the helmet. Nothing fell out during the test period.

The Patrol E2 does not have hip belt pockets. That’s my only real gripe with the layout. I would love a pair of hip pockets big enough for snacks. Because the airbag trigger is designed to route through either the left or right shoulder, the right shoulder’s internal sleeve ended up working for a few skinny snacks, like CLIF BLOKs. But still.

Ski Carry

Unlike some avalanche packs, the Patrol offers three different ski carry options: A-Frame, diagonal, and vertical. All of those options come in handy in different situations. With smaller packs like this one, I tend to go with the vertical configuration when my helmet and ice axe are strapped to the outside.

Many airbag packs, including the Patrol E2, rely on a few inches of nonlocking triangular zipper teeth at the top of the pack. When the 162L airbag bursts open, it peels open the compartment zipper from these nonconnected teeth. That allows the airbag to deploy in full in about 3 seconds. The zipper is just secure enough that it doesn’t burst open during normal use, even when the backpack is overstuffed.

However, like other bags I’ve tried, the airbag component can pull open when carrying heavier skis diagonally after a good bounce. It’s not a day-ender, of course. You just need to take the pack off and rezip the compartment closed, but it’s the reason I’ve generally avoided the diagonal carry method.

Skiing With the Scott Patrol E2

There’s that saying that applies to safety gear. “The best ___ is the one that you’ll wear.” The Scott Patrol E2 filled that blank for me.

Other than a high price tag, the other primary barrier users face when considering an airbag purchase and actually wearing the one they own is weight. Airbag packs have always been heavy.

My first airbag pack weighed 3,371 g (7.4 pounds), and shamefully, I barely used it. However, the Alpride E2 is one of the lightest airbag systems on the market. The Scott Patrol E2 pack weighed in at a verified 2,786 g (6.14 pounds).

So, while it’s not an absolute featherweight compared to my 1,005g non-airbag-equipped Blue Ice Kume 40, the Patrol E2 is a huge step in the right direction. I felt that on the skin track and the descents.

I wasn’t crushed by the weight of an airbag pack, crampons, and rope during long days in the spring. And I never hesitated to grab it for more casual laps midwinter, which is a bad habit I fell into with my older pack.

Once I had the pack on and got used to the slight weight penalty over a lightweight, non-airbag-equipped backpack, it faded into the background. That’s what I’m always looking for when I’m testing backpacks. It rode on my shoulders, hips, and back comfortably enough through good and bad snow alike. It didn’t bounce around — it just felt stable.

Traveling With Airbag Packs

Canister systems are a huge pain to fly with. You and your pack are not getting anywhere near a commercial airplane with a full CO2 canister. You need to deploy the airbag to empty the canister to get anywhere. Then, you’ll need to find a place to refill it once you get to your destination.

The Patrol  E2’s Alpride System instead utilizes a fully electric system. It has a radial compressor fan powered by a supercapacitor and backup AA batteries.

Because there aren’t any lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors are passive electronic elements, the Scott Patrol E2 doesn’t face any kind of travel restriction. You can carry this bag through security and onto a plane or put it in a checked bag.

When I reached out to Switzerland-based Alpride for more details on this, they noted that it’s often better, in its experience, to take it into the cabin. That way, you can eventually explain to security what it is during the X-ray check. It’s pretty likely that most security teams have not seen avalanche airbag backpacks before.

Charging the Alpride E2

Supercapacitors are not only lighter than lithium-ion batteries but also more resistant to freezing. So they make sense for the chilly conditions that we ski in. The supercapacitor alone will hold a charge for 15-30 hours.

There are also slots for two AA batteries, which vastly expand the charge of the supercapacitors to 2-4 months of use. Plus, AA batteries will recharge the supercapacitors rather quickly after an airbag deployment, making it possible to deploy the bag multiple times on a single charge.

It’s a slick system. But there’s one thing that could be improved with the next iteration — charging access and the on/off switch.

To access the USB port and the “on” switch, you need to fully open the main clamshell-style compartment of the bag (and essentially remove all your gear from that pocket) and zip open the E2’s protective cover. It’s clunky for a $1,300 backpack.

In terms of functionality, there’s zero issue here. Charging and turning it on before the tour just takes a little bit more forethought. But it’s still annoying. Fortunately, with AA batteries installed, you don’t need to charge it very often, and it only takes about 30 minutes when you do.

Scott Patrol E2 30 Kit Pack: Conclusion

There are many reasons to like the Scott Patrol E2 airbag pack. But I keep coming back to its simple functionality and thoughtful design.

Above all else, it’s designed for backcountry skiers who need one pack to do it all. It’s got the right pockets (except on the hips), it rides well on your back, and it has enough room for the gear you’ll need for a big day in the backcountry.

Some users will be thrilled with the airplane-friendly airbag system. This pack travels far better than its canister competitors. It opens up a layer of safety in far-off ski destinations that canister systems simply can’t.

At $1,300, there’s nothing inexpensive about the Patrol E2. The Alpride E2 system is much more expensive than canister systems, like those found in Mammut’s Pro 35 Removable Airbag 3.0 ($890).

However, the backpack is cheaper than Arc’teryx’s new electronic Micon LiTRIC 32 airbag pack ($1,600) and Black Diamond’s Jetforce bags ($1,499). The designers at Scott managed to find a nice balance between price and functionality.

Backcountry skiers in the market for a new airbag-equipped backpack will be hard-pressed to find a better option than the Scott Patrol E2. Until some crazy new compact, lightweight airbag technology comes along, the Patrol will continue to float above the pack in terms of functionality and reasonable weight. I’ll be reaching for it all season.