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The ABS Vario 30 uses our top pick among airbag systems, has one of our favorite overall pack designs for backcountry utility and it excels at a wide range of uses.
REASONS TO BUY
Very modular
Awesome airbag system
Do-everything pack
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
The Vario 30 just barely replaces its bigger volume sibling the ABS Vario 40, which was our Editors' Choice award winner last year. It was a tough decision between the two. It was only after rigorous testing and side-by-side comparisons that the 30L proved to offer greater versatility and excel in the primary applications that more people use. The Vario 40 is good at day touring and excels at multi-day and hut-to-hut tours but the Vario 30 is also excellent at day touring and performed better where a smaller pack is more ideal, like heli, cat and side-country skiing and snowboarding. We love the airbag system that ABS uses and thought it was the best on the market, with air travel problems being the only major downside. We loved the zip-on pack versatility of the Vario line of packs. If dropping $1100 is just not in your budget, we recommend checking out the best buy winner, the Backcountry Access Float 32 which is half the price.
Discontinued November 2014
The ABS Vario 30 has been discontinued, but if you're looking for an avalanche airbag within the same price range, consider the Ortovox Tour 32 + 7 ABS Pack or the The North Face Patrol 24 ABS - both win our Top Pick Award.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Airbag Features
The ABS airbag technology is our top pick of those available on the market. The twin bag system gives you 170L of volume, the greatest volume among all airbag system available. ABS claims that by having the airbags on the sides of the pack, instead of near the head, it helps keep your body in a more horizontal position, spreading your body surface out to further reduce the amount you'll sink into the snow. This information was based on a study from the University of Chicago as well as ABS's own studies. But like lots of other stats and theories in the avalanche airbag world, this claim is sometimes disputed. Using compressed nitrogen instead of compressed air allows ABS to use a smaller canister and thus save more space that you can use in your pack. An another advantage of the ABS system over our second favorite system, the Mammut PAS (Protection Airbag System), is that with the PAS once you pull the trigger it can be hard to see whether you still have an opportunity to to get off the slide, but the ABS system doesn't block your field of vision.
Showing a diagram of the inflated airbags and the back panel of the ABS Vario Base Unit.
Credit: ABS
Backcountry Utility
The Vario 30 was one of our top picks for backcountry utility. We really like the huge snow safety gear pocket that fits almost any shovel or probe even longer than average sized ones. On top of snow safety gear we could easily fit skins in this pocket, helping to keep puffy layers and extra gloves dry in the main compartment. The main compartment is accessed via a zippered "lid", so the Vario 30 packs like a top loader. That gives you the option to jam as much stuff as possible and still be able to easily zip it closed, compared with a clam-shell type closure which can be difficult to close when full. On the zippered "lid" there are too sizeable zippered pockets for smaller items like sun glasses, ski wax, etc. The Vario 30 feels smaller than the BCA 32, more than the 2L of difference might imply, but because of the top loading "feel" of the Vario 30 we could pack an equal amount of stuff in it.
Showing the massive snow safety gear pocket on the ABS Vario 30 avalanche airbag pack. This is one of our features of this pack, it opened really wide so it was easy to get into and it fit skins even with larger than average sized probe, snow saw and shov
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Carrying Skis or Snowboard
The ABS Vario 30 can carry skis diagonally or a snowboard vertically. Its ski carrying system is average and not as quick or as easy to use as some other packs we tested like the Float 22 and Float 32. For carrying a snowboard you utilize the same two straps you would for diagonal ski carry plus the help of two daisy chains. Snowboarders who carry their board on a regular basis should consider the Mammut Ride RAS 30L or The North Face Patrol ABS 24.
Showing the ski carrying system on the ABS Vario 30.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Comfort and Fit
The ABS Base unit, which the Vario series of packs zip onto, comes 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 frame. Of all the airbag packs we tested, this along with the Ortovox Tour ABS 32+7 is the pack we would want for heavier loads on longer tours. It didn't move with us as nicely as some of the other packs such as The North Face Patrol 24 or the ABS Powder 15, but it was still above average compared to most of the airbags we tested.
Performance on the Down
Performance on the down is how well each pack handled and moved with us while skiing and snowboarded on the descent. The Vario 30 was above average; it rode better than the Backcountry Access Float 22 or the Ortovox Tour ABS 32+7, but not quite as well as the ABS Powder 15 or Ortovox Free Rider ABS 24L. Despite its volume and how burly the base unit is, the Vario 30 moved with use nicely and offered great freedom of movement.
Tino Villanueva wearing an ABS Vario 30 pack on the very steep and extremely technical descent down Pontoon, Chugach range AK.
Credit: Ryan Murray
Weight
At 7 lbs the Vario 30 is on the heavier side. If weight is a big factor, then consider the Backcountry Access Float 22 (6 lbs), the Mammut Light Protection(6 lbs) or the Mammut Ride RAS 30L (6 lbs 6 oz), which all have around the same volume. It is lighter than some of the more heavily featured packs like the Mammut Pro Protection 35L (7 lbs 3 oz), or the Ortovox Tour ABS 32+7 (7 lbs 3 oz).
Canister Options
There is a carbon fiber canister currently available in Europe but isn't yet allowed in the US; ABS is working hard to get it approved. The carbon canister would save around seven ounces from the overall weight, which would bring the the Vario 30 on the lighter side of average.
Long time OGL friend Tino Villanueva getting a feel for and putting his two cents in for the ABS Vario 30 on top of Pontoon, one of the most famous, difficult and elusive ski descents in the Chugach.
Credit: Ryan Murry
ABS Vario Pack Zip-on Packs Versus Other Modular Airbag Packs
ABS makes the Vario line of modular zip-on packs offering the greatest number and the widest range of volumes from 5 to 55 liters. The other primary modular airbag companies are Ortovox, which uses its MASS (Modular Airbag Safety System) unit and Mammut's RAS (Removable Airbag System) and PAS (Protection Airbag System) interchangeable systems. Both the MASS and the PASS airbag systems cost around $700 and that does not include the compressed gas canister. The RAS is $100 less at $600. All of those are less than the ABS Base unit that retails for around $980. But on the flip side, once you have a base unit and cartridge/trigger, each additional zip-on pack is much less expensive, with most models running between $80-$140 per zip-on. That compares with Mammut and Ortovox, where each additional pack will run you around $300-$320. None of the base units includes a cartridge.
Comparing various airbag packs that use ABS technology.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Best Application
The ABS Vario 30 is a bit of a do-it-all size. The Vario 30 is big enough for someone to go backcountry touring all day and even a hut-to-hut overnight trip if they packed light enough. But also it wasn't so big and rode with us well enough to make a fantastic heli, cat or side-country skiing pack.
Vario 30 vs. Vario 40
A lot of people considering ABS packs will consider both the Vario 30 and the Vario 40. The Vario 30 is big enough for almost any day trip but is still small enough that we would recommend it for heli, cat or side-country skiing or snowboarding. The Vario 40 is big enough that it can work as an overnight or hut-to-hut pack as well as a daypack. The Vario 40 is a top loader, which is easier to pack tightly, but the Vario 30 feels like a top loader with its design. Both are solid pack designs that we though offered some of the best backcountry utility of any pack in our review.
Comparing the ABS Vario 30 (left), the ABS Base Unit (Middle) and the ABS Vario 40 (Right). Both are versatile packs but the Vario 30 is more suitable for heli, cat and side-country as well as day touring were as the Vario 40 is best for all day tours and
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Bottom Line
The Vario 30 has one of the most backcountry user friendly packs, the best airbag system and was a top performer in comfort and ride-ability/performance on the down. If you want a little it bigger pack for hut-to-hut or overnight tours, thenthe Vario 40 was better. It just wasn't as good for short trips or mechanized skiing or snowboarding.
