Gear Review | Ortovox Avabag LiTRIC

First impression

We already had the opportunity to briefly test the LiTRIC system over a year ago, and were of course all the more pleased that the backpacks with this pioneering system is now available in a wide range of versions. The base unit is very light and compact for an airbag system and is easily stowed in the upper part of the rucksack. The rucksack can therefore be filled easily, regardless of the zip-on, and does not have to be packed around the airbag system like a tetris, as it is sometimes the case with competitor products. Of course, the option of recharging the system at home has major advantages. Additionally, there are no costs or effort involved in procuring cartridges and the system can also be easily transported on an aeroplane. Furthermore, test deployments, of course, are much more frequent if you only have to pack up the airbag again afterwards. What's more, the airbag system is produced entirely in Germany, which is always nice to know.

I had two Zip-Ons available for the test, the rather compact Freerider 18 and the rather large Tour 40. The former is actually very compact and can therefore only be used for ski tours with really very small equipment, but of course its area of use is also freeriding in the ski resort. The Tour 40, on the other hand, can really hold a lot of equipment and is therefore also suitable for demanding tours and multi-day tours (at least if you are based in huts). Both attachments have an outer compartment for valuables or small items, the Tour 40 also has its own compartment for avalanche equipment, while the Freerider 18 has an inner compartment for this. Of course, skis can also be attached to the outside, diagonally in the case of the Freerider 18 with stowable straps, while they can also be attached to the side in the case of the Tour 40. Both zip-ons have a stowable helmet holder.

The large Zip-On (almost) fully packed. You can see the airbag unit on the right in the picture or at the top of the backpack.

Lorenzo Rieg

Ortovox Avabag LiTRIC mit Tour 40l Zip-On

Testers and test conditions

I am 183cm tall and weigh about 80kg. I ski a lot, especially on ski tours. I've tested a few airbag backpacks over the years, but personally I still use the Arc'teryx Voltair.

I have tested the LiTRIC so far this season. As you know, the season has got off to a strong start, so it has already been in frequent use in the ski area and on ski tours.

Test report

Firstly, I test the rucksack with the small Freerider 18 Zip-On, I can just about fit the essentials in here, but I even manage to go ski touring with it. Of course, I do this with very little luggage, i.e. a small camera, 0.7 litre water bottle and I also have to hold back on clothing. There is a small catch: there are practically no options for attaching a jacket or similar to the outside of the rucksack. However, you can easily fit the essentials, including the skins, if you pack well. Ultimately, however, the small zip-on is of course aimed at freeriding, and here it performs really well. The rucksack sits very well on the back, is light and doesn't weigh you down. This means it doesn't get in the way on the ascent, hardly weighs anything on the descent and can also be left on in the chairlift, especially as it is very flat and tidy on the outside.

The airbag-specific details are also great. The deployment handle can be activated and locked by simply turning it. This is very quick and much better than the stowing or fixing required with other airbag backpacks. You can also see at a glance whether the handle is "active". The leg loop is attached to a special loop with a snap hook - so there is no annoying threading in the hip belt buckle and it can be used as a normal buckle. The latter in particular is a big advantage in my eyes, as the metal buckles that are often used on airbag backpacks never really work that well. This means that the rucksack sits well and the weight is also transferred to the hips in a sensible way, although with the small Freerider 18 attachment you probably won't have a very heavy backpack anyway.

The zip-ons can be changed very easily and quickly. They sit firmly on the base unit, the Tour 40l is fastened with small straps and hooks in addition to the zip. With the large attachment, there really is a lot of space in the rucksack, even on longer tours on the ascent I can easily fit everything in the rucksack, including helmet, SLR camera and 3-layer outerwear. The large attachment is almost too big for me for normal day trips, but you can compress it quite well after careful packing, so that shouldn't be a problem. The very large opening allows you to open the rucksack and quickly access everything inside, although you have to lay it on the ground with the back section, which is not always ideal in the snow. All in all, the rucksack with the large zip-on is very easy to use, however, in my opinion, the interchangeable system cannot quite keep up with larger airbag rucksacks without interchangeable systems. This is particularly evident in the carrying properties and the ski holder, although this comment should not be misunderstood, as both work very well. However, there are slight compromises compared to large rucksacks without an interchangeable system, which are also designed for heavier loads. On the other hand, the LiTRIC Avabag really is a flexible system for all rucksack sizes, which is of course an important argument given the price of airbag rucksacks.

Finally, some brief information about charging - this took longer than I thought, at least when I compare it with my Arc'teryx Voltair. However, the advantage is that the LiTRIC can be charged with a USB-C cable and no specific cable is required. Once charged, you can also use the rucksack for a long time. I haven't kept a record here, but a tour lasting several days should also be possible. Ortovox claims 60 hours, which I certainly didn't max out, but I regularly charged the rucksack at home.

Conclusion

A great airbag system with many advantages, thanks to the various zip-ons with a very wide range of uses, which I was reluctant to return at the end of the test period. The smaller zip-on is a very good and compact rucksack for freeriding in the ski area, and the larger zip-ons make it suitable for a wide range of tours.

Advantages and disadvantages

+ really light system

+ Very versatile thanks to zip-on system

+Release handle and leg strap very well solved

Information on

RRP €1130 (with Freerider 18) or €1190 (with Tour 40)

One of the lightest and most compact airbag systems on the market at just 1100g
Chargeable in just 25 minutes via USB-C
Intuitive and simple operation from the deployment handle and leg strap to packing the airbag
At least 2 deployments are possible on one charge
Operating time of 60 hours is sufficient for multi-day tours
Variable thanks to the zip-on system

Here is the Ortovox website with information about the system and an overview of the various backpacks and zip-ons. Here you can buy the different models from our partner shop Sport Conrad.

The backpack was provided to PowderGuide by the manufacturer free of charge for the test period. You can find out how we tested it in our test statement.