What is the best lightweight winter day pack?

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What is the best winter climbing pack?

Class four snow climbing.

Class three snow climbing

Class 3 and 4 snow shoe trip

Emergency stuff for winter and summer.

Extra layers for every winter trip.

Steep Class 4 snow climbing stuff.

You must have knowledge, snow shovels, waterproof bivies, insulating pads and lots of time to construct a snow cave.
Buddy up with a two pound tent and a winter sleeping bag or two.
Copyright© 2003-2013 by Robert Speik. All Rights Reserved.

The inside scoop for a winter snowshoe hike:
Total weight to find your way is 8 oz: USGS Quad map, M3 base plate compass, Acme whistle and Garmin eTrex-H GPS-
SPOT-2 Satellite Messenger, 7 oz.-
Total weight of the personal, always carried, first aid items in a Ziploc is 3.5 oz. Carry it in your Essentials sack-
Total weight of the Essentials is 14.5 oz plus the essential cell phone at 3 oz-
Gorp sack with some Cliff Bars is 6 oz. (Add a bagel and pop tart for lunch)-
Essential year-round hats and gloves are 7 oz-
Additional winter hats, gloves and a scarf always carried in winter, total 8 oz-
Summer, fall or winter down "belay" jacket insulation, about 1 pound at the bottom of the pack, Patagonia synthetic fill
Gore-Tex pants and jacket, always carried in winter as my wind and rain protection, total 1 pound-
Total of the above including the essential wind shirt at 4 oz, is just 6 pounds 1 ounces!

My friends and I each carry a 9oz. Emergency Bivy Sack
sold by Adventure Medical Kits for about $30. This is a "bivy bag" made from a "tough, four-ply, waterproof, windproof fabric Thermo-Lite® sandwich", which will keep the cold outside layer from conducting to the inside layer. Hopefully, it will prevent Convection, Conduction, Radiation, and Evaporation. We will breath through our wool scarves and calm our breathing to limit heat loss from Respiration. You can not shelter in snow without pad, bivy sack, shovel and the skill to dig a cave with the entrance below the bench.

Add two quarts of water in Platypus bags in the top pocket, 4 pounds-
Add a winter pad, say a Cascades Designs three-quarter RidgeRest, 9 ounces-
Add the weight of the Solomon Raid Race 300 pack. It holds about 1,892 cu in and weighs about 1 pound, 9 ounces.
Total of the basic winter day pack with lunch and water is 11 pounds, 15 ounces.

Add more for a winter climb:
I use a Black Diamond Sphynx 35L day-pack in the winter to carry extra fleece, full length R-3 insulating pad or better, shovel, pickets, crampons, ice axe, snowshoes and poles, helmet and harness, runners and gear. I need the more strongly constructed day-pack to hold my climbing gear (crampons, etc.) strapped to the sides and back. The Black Diamond Sphynx 35L day-pack weighs about 2 pounds 7 ounces and holds about 2,140 cubic inches.

Add outside the pack, snow climbing gear carried as illustrated above:
Lifelink snow shovel, 1 pound, 4.5 ounces-
GAB "snap on" 12 point crampons, 2 pounds, 8 ounces-
Black Diamond Raven Pro mountaineering ice axe 80cm, 1 pound for 75cm length-
Leki Air Ergo3 approach poles, three part, 1 pound, 2 ounces-
TSL technical snowshoes are 4 pounds, 2 ounces, not widely available today-
or MSR Denali snowshoes, 4 pounds-
MSR Coyote 24 inch snow picket, 13 ounces as shown-

Carry more insulation:
Add the DAS Parka

Carry technical climbing gear:
Black Diamond helmet, alpine bod harness, screw and wire gate biners, B52 belay device, sewn runners, rescue pulleys, etc. for an interesting summit attempt!

Total of the basic winter technical climbing day pack with lunch and water and gear is 15 pounds, 2 ounces.

Don't forget the skinny double dry rope!