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A great day pack that will happily take you from a 10 pitch rock climb to the climbing gym with ease and style.
Hidden away amongst the vast array of climbing, caving, canyoning and rope access hardware that PETZL offer is a hidden gem – the climbing software. They have quietly been making high quality crash pads, chalk bags and specialist packs for well over a decade. The last piece of kit we reviewed was the excellent KAB rope bag (now superseded by the KLIFF) and this review takes a close look at the updated PETZL BUG pack.
The original BUG pack was designed as a compact, climbing specific pack that could be used for multi pitch climbing and the updated 2026 version continues that legacy, morphing what was a specialist climbing pack into a more versatile pack that can be used for a variety of activities both outdoor and lifestyle. This definitely makes for a more useable pack that should appeal to a variety of climbers; whether you are an indoor or outdoor climber this pack has something to offer.
There have been some significant upgrades from the original version, the front of the pack is now made using a TPU coated material that helps make the pack more durable, adds structure and water resistant. This extends from the lid down the front of the pack: so not only will it cope with the knocks and scrapes of being hung on belays, it will keep your back dry on the way to the climbing gym on wet roads. The rest of the pack is made using tough, high denier recycled polyester including the extra tough and padded base. The side panels, bottom and all webbing straps are made from 100% recycled polyester with no degradation in performance.
The daisy chain tapes have now been moved to the edges of the front which offers more flexibility for attaching kit to as well as making the side compression straps more versatile when attaching a rope to the top of the pack. So it’s now super easy to attach some elasticated cord for extra carry to the crag – for example stashing a lightweight down jacket for breezy conditions. A rope can be carried using a strap that can sit inside the pack when not in use and then threads though the hydration slot when you need to deploy it. I should stress that if you are intending to use the pack with a rope you should spend some time at home getting it right as it only works perfectly when you have packed the BUG correctly to ensure the lid is as flat as it can be! The shape of the pack does help here and the lid is designed to pack flat.
There are plenty of features on the new, updated BUG. There are three, zipped pockets for stashing a whole array of kit into. The front pocket has now been moved to the side so it less obtrusive. This provides ample space for all those bits of kit you want to keep to hand on a belay or at the boulders – food bars, brushes, finger tape, guidebooks, belay gloves, hats can all be stashed here without having to access the main compartment.
Inside the pack there is a lid pocket for keeping phones, wallets and other stuff you want secured in the pack. The meshed zip pocket that is attached to the integral laptop sleeve has a key clip and the laptop sleeve will accommodate a 15” laptop or large tablet as well as doubling up as a hydration bladder sleeve for those thirsty uphill slogs to the crag. Finally, on the features front there is a removable waist belt and a helmet holder that is fully detachable and hooks onto four loops at the corners of the front. The lid closes with a burly YKK coil zip that keeps everything secure and the grab handle is nice and big so it can be hung onto a belay anchor with ease.
So, the updated PETZL BUG is a great little pack, with a volume of 18L it’s a bit of a stretch for a typical day of sport climbing, but with a little careful planning you can get enough in for a lightweight day out. So, for alpine multi pitch climbing on bolts it’s going to be fine, indeed Kev recently recommended it in his alpine packs article and it lives up to it’s legacy in this respect. I have been using it for bouldering, trips to the climbing gym and cycling around the city and for this it has been perfect. The only changes I would recommend would be to add a bottle sleeve onto one of the sides and make the logos reflective – but that’s, maybe, for a future update. In the meantime the PETZL BUG is a great pack, it performs brilliantly and looks good too so if you are looking for a versatile pack that is full of climbing specific features that you can also use for the office commute then you won’t be disappointed.
The PETZL BUG comes in one size (18L) and three colour options including the signature PETZL orange.
The SRP is £85 and it can be purchased at specialist retailers.
Disclosure – CGR reviewers and writers are never paid to provide a review and the website does not take advertising or link to affiliate sales. We are a bunch of keen climbers and travellers who accept sample products and offer an honest and independent review of the item.
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