ABS Vario 40 Review

Airbag Features
The ABS airbag technology is the best on the market. The ABS system is the only one we tested to use two airbags to keep the wearer on the surface. The two airbags also give you a certain level of redundancy in case one doesn't inflate one is punctured; at least you have a single 85L bag.

Comfort and Fit
The ABS packs are available in two sizes (large and small) which helps them to fit a greater range of people. Their packs were near the top of our review for comfort and we liked their supportive supportive frame. Of all the airbag packs we tested, this is the pack we would want for heavier loads on longer tours. It didn't necessarily move with us as nicely as some of the other packs such as The North Face Patrol 24 or the Backcountry Access Float 32, but it did all right.

Pack Usability
One of the cooler things about the ABS Vario series is that it comes in several volumes. ABS makes 40, 25, 18, and 15-liter zip-on options, plus zip-on options are also available from other companies including Mystery kRanch, Arva, Evoc, Millet, Rossignolm and Da Kinem with more added every year. You can buy several zip-on volume packs and one base ABS unit. The Vario line from ABS are good but not great. They are very modular, which is awesome but they aren't quite as user friendly as many other packs we tested like the BCA Float 32. Despite ABS having made packs for 20 years and having the most researched airbag system on the market, their pack design could be a little better.

The top-loading Vario 40 is big enough for all-day and multi-day tours. The lid is permanently attached but relatively over-sized and can fit a a bunch of stuff in its two pockets. As a whole, the Vario stuck out a little farther than we would have liked but part of that is because it being such a big volume pack. The Vario features removable compression straps; daisy chains up the sides of the pack allow for lashing versatility. There is no perfect way to carry a snowboard but you could pretty easily rig something up. We liked the nice detachable helmet holder.

The Vario features a small side access zipper in the lower part of the pack. We didn't use it but it could be nice for getting items at the bottom of your pack. The Vario is one of the few airbag packs that you can diagonal carry skis with (A-frame). To make it even better, when you are A-framing your skis they sit far enough back that your airbags could still inflate. The safety gear pocket is big enough to comfortably hold shovel, saw, avalanche probe, and skins. It is a separate compartment from the main compartment so you can use it as a "wet pocket" so your damp skins and snowy shovel don't get your puffy coat wet.

There is a carbon canister available in Europe that isn't allowed in the US but they are working on it. this would save around seven ounces from the overall weight.

Weight
At 7 pounds 10 ounces, it the heaviest airbag pack in our review. This is partly because The Vario is super tough and built to last and partly because of its versatile system that lets you zip on different volume airbag packs. Is this versatility and durability worth the weight? That's up to you.