Black Diamond Creek 50
Reviews, Rock & Ice

Black Diamond Creek 50 – Crag Bag Bliss

Black Diamond really nailed it with the Creek 50.  The haul bag inspired cragging pack is well thought out, nicely featured and fits all the gear you’ll ever need for a day on the rock and more.  If you’re in the market for a new cragging pack the Creek 50 should be on your radar.

Black Diamond Creek 50
The Creek 50 Pack in the Creek. Photo by Bonsta.ca

Features:

  •  Top-loading, stand-up design
  • Haul bag style main compartment with full length side zip
  • Full height side pocket with small zippered compartments
  • Draw-cord top closure for main compartment
  • Rope strap (works great to close the top of the bag as well)
  • Stowable rain cover
  • Weight:   2Kg
  • Materials:  1200 denier polyester with TPU coating

The main compartment of the pack is a basically a large barrel for dumping gear into.  Rope, rack, draws, shoes, coat, six-pack, etc., it all fits easily in the large, smooth walled chamber.  An added bonus is that with all the available room I’ve been able to stash my helmet on top of the gear without worrying about damaging it.  Access to the gear once at the crag is also easy with the full length two-way side zipper.

Black Diamond Creek 50
An assortment of cragging gear that easily fits in the voluminous Creek 50.
Black Diamond Creek 50
All the same gear as the above picture stowed away in the Creek 50.

The stand-up design works great for the crag as it keeps the padded harness and back pad out of the dirt.  This reduces wear-and-tear on the softer fabrics of the carry system and keeps them cleaner.

Black Diamond Creek 50
The rope strap on the top of the Creek 50 also closes the top of the pack off nicely.

The large side pocket features two small compartments that are great for stowing smaller items such as keys, wallet, tape, phone and so on.  The main section of this pocket is great for storing a jacket, some lunch, water and a guidebook as well.  There’s a large top-to-bottom zipper along the side of this compartment for easy access.  Unfortunately without a means of securing the top of the zipper it can slowly creep down if the side compartment is overloaded with heavier items like water or guidebooks and the main compartment is empty.  A problem that only seems to arise when shuttling from climb to climb at the crag.

Black Diamond Creek 50
The large side pocket of the Creek 50.

The 1200d polyester body of the pack is not as durable as vinyl-laminated nylon used on the BD haul bags.  It’s still tough stuff just don’t expect to be able to beat on it like a haul bag.

Despite the bulky haul-bag nature of Black Diamond’s Creek 50 it’s surprisingly comfortable.  The shoulder straps have both top and bottom adjustments to snug the bag firmly against your back eliminating movement and increasing stability.

Black Diamond Creek 50
I find that the top adjustment on shoulder straps key to a comfortable fit when it comes to a pack. Luckily the Creek 50 has them.

The main downside to the bag is that it’s limited to rock climbing.  With no ice tool attachment points, taking it to the dry tooling or ice crag is a bit more difficult.  This is unfortunate as it’s nice to have some extra layers and maybe even a small stove at the crag in the winter.

Pros:  The well thought-out bag fits a ton of gear and carries comfortably.

Cons:  Summer specific, no way to attach tools for winter cragging.  No clip to keep the side compartment zipper secured.

Overall:  A superior summer cragging pack!  It fits everything you need and more for a day at the crag and carries well to boot.  If you’re in the market definitely check it out.

I was provided with a review sample however this did not influence my review in any way.  Cover photo was taken by bonsta.ca.