Ski touring backpacks · Test magazine 2025
Tech talk with Tobias Baier, EVOC
Head of Sales and Marketing · Print page 45
Who is Tobias Baier? Head of Sales and Marketing at EVOC
Tobias Baier is Head of Sales and Marketing at EVOC, responsible for the brand’s strategic direction in these areas. At the time of the BACKLINE 2025 test magazine, he has been with the company for four years. A passionate mountain biker and ski tourer, he contributes practical experience to product development. He has skied since childhood, snowboarded since the age of 14 and successfully participated in the PDG in 2022.
Discussing ski touring backpacks, Baier emphasises carrying comfort as the interplay between pack weight and the fit of the carrying system. Weight savings should not compromise comfort. His example is the SUMMIT, available in 20- and 30-litre versions and weighing well under one kilogram. Features include a quick-access crampon or climbing-skin compartment, a separate avalanche emergency equipment compartment and vest-like shoulder straps.
For winter 2025/26, Baier also describes the LINE PRO with a back protector and the LINE R.A.S. with an avalanche airbag system. He says separate emergency equipment compartments and a compact emergency guide are standard across EVOC’s touring backpacks. Future priorities are low weight, robustness and durability. Baier identifies both specialised racing packs and versatile alpine all-round backpacks as market trends.
What does EVOC focus on with ski touring backpacks?
EVOC is known for the extensive and well-thought-out detailed solutions on backpacks and travel bags. Our focus remains on clever solutions that make using a ski touring backpack easy and straightforward. An important aspect – for me, even the most important – is carrying comfort and thus the interplay between backpack weight and the fit of the carrying system.
What innovations or new technologies are currently being incorporated into your ski touring product line – and how do ski tourers specifically benefit from them?
The idea of a backpack with an integrated back protector for freeriding was born over 20 years ago by Holger Feist (co-founder and owner of EVOC) after he suffered a spinal injury in an avalanche accident. This product then became one of the first EVOC products. Therefore, innovation and technology development have been firmly anchored in EVOC's DNA (EVO lutionary C oncepts) from the very beginning. Researching and testing new materials and technologies – also in practice – is a matter of course for us. Continuous exchange with technology providers such as avalanche airbag manufacturers is just as essential as the “experiments” in our in-house R&D Lab, where, among other things, we operate our own drop test facility to further develop our protector technology. The latest generation of our touring backpacks stands out primarily for their lightness, combined with excellent carrying comfort. This is less about integrating technology partners and more about achieving the optimum in materials and components used.
Safety is central in the backcountry: what features does EVOC integrate to actively improve the protection of winter sports enthusiasts?
In the current EVOC Winter 25/26 assortment, we offer various backpack models with different feature variants. In addition to the lightweight touring backpack SUMMIT, there is the LINE family, which we equip with a back protector in the PRO version and offer in another variant with the well-known avalanche airbag system R.A.S. – the LINE R.A.S. All our touring backpacks come standard with separate compartments for emergency equipment and a compact emergency guide.
How does EVOC balance weight, functionality, and robustness in touring backpacks?
Especially when ski touring, weight is a decisive criterion. However, it should not come at the expense of carrying comfort on relevant components such as the carrying system. Especially during long excursions, an uncomfortable backpack can become a torment and significantly spoil the enjoyment of the tour. Our newest member of the touring backpacks – the SUMMIT (20 and 30 liters) – masters this combination with flying colors. At first glance, the backpack appears very light (significantly under one kilogram empty weight) and the back plate almost too thin and flexible, but precisely this balance ensures the direct yet comfortable carrying feel that athletes need when ski touring. Necessary features such as an crampon/skin compartment with quick access in the lower bottom area, a separate internal compartment for avalanche emergency equipment, and the slightly wider, vest-like shoulder straps with integrated mesh pocket for bars, gels, or even compact mobile phones complete the overall package. Of course, skis can be fixed to the backpack both diagonally and in an A-frame system.
Where do you see the future of ski touring backpacks – what will be your focus for future products?
We see two different developments in ski touring backpacks. On the one hand, there are increasingly specialized products for explicit purposes, e.g., ski touring races – super lightweight and minimalistic. On the other hand, ski touring backpacks are also being used more and more frequently as all-round backpacks in alpine areas, as the requirements for the product are quite similar here. Our focus is clearly on lightness combined with the robustness and durability of our products.
