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Metolius El Cap Haul Bag Review

This big, burly bag is one of our favorites for carrying large loads
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metolius el cap haul bag
Metolius El Capitan
Credit: Metolius
Top Pick Award
Price:  $300 List
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Manufacturer:   Metolius Climbing
By Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief  ⋅  Jan 18, 2010
92
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#3 of 8
  • Durability/Material - 40% 10.0
  • Capacity - 10% 10.0
  • Waterproofness - 10% 10.0
  • Closure systems/Ease of Access - 20% 7.0
  • Carrying/Suspension System - 20% 9.0

Our Verdict

This large haul bag from Metolius Climbing is one of the best. It is big, burly, and relatively comfortable for carrying big loads. It is a perfectly sized bag for any serious big wall climber that plans to do a bunch of walls. This bag is bomber, versatile, and pretty darn waterproof. If you can only afford one haul bag, we would probably get the El Cap size because it will give you the most options. But overall, we prefer the Half Dome.
REASONS TO BUY
Durable
Comfortable
Water-tight closure
Lots of volume
REASONS TO AVOID
Hard to access the bottom
Takes some time to get in and out of the top of the bag

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
Awards Top Pick Award Editors' Choice Award Top Pick Award  Top Pick Award 
Price $300 List
$299.95 at Amazon		$280 List
$279.95 at Amazon		$220 List
$219.95 at Amazon		$190 List
$189.95 at Amazon		$70 List
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line A hefty bag with a good amount of burl that can carry heavy loadsThis is one of the best haul bags we know of, especially for shorter wallsAn ideal haul bag for short walls or as a supplementary haul bagDue to its small size, we would choose a different option unless you're going on a fast and light missionAn incredibly convenient and intelligent design
Rating Categories Metolius El Cap Hau... Metolius Half Dome... Metolius Quarter Dome Metolius Sentinel Metolius Waste Case
Durability/Material (40%)
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
Capacity (10%)
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
1
Waterproofness (10%)
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
10.0
Closure systems/Ease of Access (20%)
7.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
Carrying/Suspension System (20%)
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
0
Specs Metolius El Cap Hau... Metolius Half Dome... Metolius Quarter Dome Metolius Sentinel Metolius Waste Case
Volume (cu inches) 9600 7600 4200 2800 500
Weight 8 lb 7 lb 7 oz 5 lb 1 oz 4 lb 11 oz 10.6 oz
Main container material Durathane Durathane Durathane Durathane Durathane
Closure material Ballistic nylon Ballistic nylon Ballistic nylon Ballistic nylon Ballistic nylon
Sewn or welded seam Welded Welded Welded Welded Welded

Our Analysis and Test Results

Likes


This haul bag is big and burly. With the welded seams on this, seam blowout is nearly impossible (we have blown out a few haul bags that have traditional sewn seems). More importantly, the haul bag material is bomber. While you still have to carefully pack the bag for lower angle terrain (as you do with all bags), you are much less likely to wear a hole in the side of this one. In fact, if packed properly on every wall, there is no reason this bag should not last for 50 plus big walls. While it is impossible to keep everything dry if you are in a downpour, the Metolius and Yates closure systems do the best job. For an improvised summit bivy, the extra skirt has you covered.

Lastly, this bag gets all the details right. The bottom of the bag is easy to clip your ledge and extras to and is rated to over 300 pounds. The carrying system now tucks away nicely and is comfortable. The internal pocket is right where you need it. The El Cap Haul Bag has reliable compression straps across the top with the Yates model we tested. Other bags tested did not. When your bag is overstuffed, good straps over the top help a lot.

Dislikes


This bag is deep; maybe too deep. You have to really dive to get to the bottom. At a hanging belay, it is hard to get to the bottom. They should make this bag two inches wider and two inches shorter. You would create about the same volume, but the bag would be much easier to access.

Value


While not cheap, considering how long this bag will last you, it is a great value. We did maybe ten walls with ours and then were able to sell it for a good price because there was not too much wear.

Conclusion


This is ideal on a route like The Nose, where you want to get everything into one bag. It is also a handy size if you are going to spend a week on a steep El Cap route and need to pack the whole junk show. In a perfect world, we would own both this and the Metolius Half Dome Haul Bag. When possible, we would take the smaller Half Dome because it is easier to access stuff in a smaller-sized bag. But if everything would not fit in the Half Dome, we would switch to the El Cap.

— Chris McNamara
 

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