Field tested: The North Face Cobra 65

The North Face Cobra 65 is a pack meant for climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing…and it shows. Apart from its blindingly white colour (the old Cobra 60 was black), the first thing you notice about this pack is the fancy features and tech oozing out of it —there’s a lot going on.

Firstly, the body is made from a 210D Spectra® ripstop nylon fabric with a non-PFC DWR, with sturdy TPU on the base and external pocket. On the outside you’ll find dual side compression straps, dual ice-tool carry, dual slots at the base for poles/probes/wands/stakes, a small pocket on one side of the hipbelt (enough for a small camera or PLB/in-reach) and gear loop on the other side. There are two top straps, a white one to secure the floating lid, which features zippered pockets both on top and underneath, and a red strap under that for rope carry (or to close the pack if you remove the floating lid, essentially turning it into a Phantom 50 with a crampon pocket). There is also the usual hydration sleeve, removable internal frame, standard style harness system, and drawstring closure.

Despite all this they’ve managed to keep the weight down to just 1.65kg, no doubt thanks to the literally translucent (well…semitranslucent) fabric, which is supposed to help you spot where gear is within the pack. While this sounds like a gimmick, I must admit that it actually works! Of course, the cruel irony is that you’re then taunted by a piece of gear you can see, but cannot reach since there’s no side access or full length zipper (like those on the BD Mission 55/75 or Ferrino Instinct 65). 

I have found the fabric surprisingly durable (given how thin it is), so you don’t need to treat the pack as though it’s made of glass—though you’d be foolish not to carry some patches just in case. It’s also done a surprisingly good job of shedding moisture (rain/snow/slush), as has the foam on the carry system, which is covered in a special ‘Teksever’ fabric to reduce absorption. The external pocket (which is TPU coated and has drainage holes) is extremely useful as a dedicated spot for carrying stuff you’d prefer to keep separate, like crampons or used wag bags (but never both!), it will also fit a also fits a small-ish snow shovel if needed. Another well thought out feature is the ice tool carry, which keeps the tool tips covered so they don’t snag/stab anything (unlike a lot of technical packs which leave the picks exposed) and allow each tool to be secured or removed separately.

In terms of actual carry comfort, I found the Cobra to be just ‘okay’. After carrying some more moderate loads (20-23kg) on some full day approaches, I found myself slightly underwhelmed by the harness system. It’s certainly not uncomfortable, but I would say there are more comfy packs within this category (albeit heavier ones) and not something that sets the Cobra apart. For me, the most impressive thing about this pack has been how well it can strip down from a fully loaded 65L gear hauler, to what feels like a 35L day pack for ascents. After removing the rigid internal frame, floating lid, hipbelt, and cinching all the compression straps, the Cobra weighs an impressive 0.9kg—it will even pass as a carry-on bag for your flight over! 

It’s not like other technical packs don’t slim down, but the Cobra does this in a way where it still felt like a complete pack afterwards (not just a big pack missing its floating lid). Unfortunately the hipbelt webbing (like most of the buckles and straps) is stitched on, which means once you’ve removed the large piece of foam padding—which is a bit of a pain—you’re left with two long pieces of webbing that no longer function as a hipbelt (since all the adjustment is on the padded section you just unthreaded) and don’t have anywhere convenient to tuck away, leaving them loose to dangle. For a pack that otherwise strips down so well, this feature doesn’t feel as well thought out as other aspects of the Cobra. While not a deal breaker, I do think most users will find this a bit annoying (hopefully they update it in future). 

Final thoughts on The North Face Cobra 65

The North Face Cobra 65 offers some great improvements over its predecessor (the Cobra 60) and is packed to the gills with features for those going into the mountains—the ice-tool carry and crampon pocket are particularly nice to have. It’s impressively light in its class at 1.65kg (0.9kg once stripped down), but in exchange for average carry comfort. The Cobra shines when it comes to bridging the gap between something to lug all your gear to the base/hut/camp and something you’d still consider wearing for your actual ascent/descent/traverse, with just a few annoyances (mostly the removable hipbelt design) at a slight price premium compared to similar packs