Blue Ice Firecrest 38L Review
- Hamish Kuperus
- Jun 26
- 4 min read
After over a year of rigorous use across the UK and the Alps—through hikes, scrambles, climbs, and everything in between—the Blue Ice Firecrest has firmly earned its place as my go-to pack. Despite owning models from Osprey, Rab, and Montane, this pack consistently outperforms itself, with Blue Ice bags being my go to - and owning 3 of them proves how good they are.
Overall | 8.25 |
Weight | 8 |
Durability | 7 |
Comfort | 10 |
Versatility | 8 |
Overall Verdict
The Blue Ice Firecrest 38L has become my go-to pack for everything I do in the hills. With a capacity that’s just right—not too big, not too small—it’s perfectly suited for walking, scrambling, and climbing adventures. Designed by the skilled team in Chamonix, it’s built specifically for climbers and mountaineers, combining a lightweight and minimalist design with impressive durability and functionality.
Available in two sizes (S/M and M/L), the Firecrest offers a tailored fit with excellent back and waist support. One of its standout features is the ability to stow the hip belt when climbing, giving you a clean, streamlined profile for technical ascents.
While the retail price of £180 might seem steep, it’s often available for between £120 and £150—and in my experience, it’s worth every penny. I already own three Blue Ice packs, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for reliable, high-performance mountain gear.
Weight / Durability
Weight and durability often go hand-in-hand, and the Firecrest 38L strikes an impressive balance between the two. According to Blue Ice, the pack weighs 883g without the ski attachments and 980g with them—very light for a technical mountain pack. It’s constructed from high-tenacity nylon, a material known for its strength-to-weight ratio according to Blue Ice.
In practical use, I’ve found the Firecrest to be both lightweight and reassuringly robust. I don’t hesitate to throw it around on rough terrain or haul it up climbs. While it’s not quite as bombproof as my Montane Fast Alpine 40L—which weighs in at around 1200g—it’s significantly lighter, and that trade-off feels entirely justified.
Overall, I’m impressed with how well the Firecrest balances weight and durability. It’s ideally suited for fast-paced, demanding mountain adventures where every gram counts but reliability can’t be compromised.
Comfort
As someone who owns multiple Blue Ice packs, it’s clear that comfort is one of the key reasons I keep coming back. With a relatively short back, I’ve found the S/M size to be an excellent fit. The pack’s narrow profile is ideal for climbing, allowing for unrestricted arm movement and a close, stable carry.
Despite its minimalist design, the Firecrest doesn’t compromise on comfort. It handles heavy loads—ropes, metal work, and all—with impressive ease, distributing weight efficiently across the back and hips. A great feature is the ability to tuck the waist straps behind the back panel when climbing, eliminating the need to constantly adjust or move them out of the way.
Another subtle but significant detail is how the pack sits slightly lower on the back. This means your helmet won’t constantly bump against the top of the bag when looking up during a climb—a small touch that makes a big difference on technical routes.
In short the Firecrest is a fantastic go-to 38L pack for all of your mountain adventures.
Versatility
Despite its minimalist design, the Blue Ice Firecrest 38L is impressively versatile and well thought out. It features a single side pocket—ideal for quick-access items like snacks or sunscreen—a 2L lid compartment for essentials, two ice axe attachment points, and a full-length side zip that allows easy access to the main compartment without unpacking everything.
Inside, there’s a sleeve for a water bladder, and on the front, you’ll find two additional pouches: one for your phone and another for a soft bottle. The side straps make it easy to secure a climbing rope across the top of the pack, which is especially useful for alpine or multi-pitch days.
The flexible design makes packing for a mountain day straightforward. Without a rigid back panel, the pack conforms well to your gear, allowing for efficient stuffing without awkward pressure points. I’m a big fan of the lid design—it’s sleek and functional—but if you tend to pack everything into your lid, this might not be the ideal setup. When the main compartment is full, fitting something like an OS map into the lid can be a bit of a squeeze.
The side zip is a standout feature, offering quick access to gear buried at the bottom of the pack—no need to unpack everything to reach that one item. The side straps also double nicely for securing a helmet or rope externally, as seen in the photo above (Firecrest 38L on the right and the Chiru 25L on the left).
As for the front pouches: while the phone pocket doesn’t accommodate larger phones, I’ve found it useful for items like cash, ski-lift passes, or a Garmin InReach. The soft bottle pouch, though not something I use for hydration, is handy for stashing snack wrappers or small bits of rubbish—keeping the mountains clean without hassle. Even if you don’t use these pockets for their intended purpose, they’re unobtrusive and add to the pack’s overall utility (see them in more detail in the photo below).
In all honesty, I find it difficult to fault the Blue Ice Firecrest 38L. If you're looking for a reliable, all-round pack for mountain days—whether you're walking, scrambling, climbing, or tackling icy terrain—this bag delivers. It’s compact enough to stay out of the way, yet capable of carrying a substantial load comfortably and efficiently. For those who value performance without bulk, the Firecrest is a standout choice.
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