Smashing
The idea is so obvious, I wanted to stick a bolt in my forehead for not thinking of it. Take the ubiquitous chalk bag, rip out the obstructing collar, find a better way of closing the thing, and make a fortune. Unfortunately, by the time I got my hands on a MagBag™, they'd already slapped a patent on the ingenious design.

Here's how it works: a hinged hoop surrounds the neck of the chalkbag. Press on the front of the bag and the hinge snaps shut with an audible clack. Hook your fingers into the resulting smile and, voila, it pops open.

It seemed like a neat idea, so I scammed a MagBag™ to try at the crag. From the outset I purred with delight at the way it stayed wide open; there was nothing but a gaping hole between my hands and the chalk. At the top of each pitch, the bag was a piece of cake to close - no more two handed struggles with a drawcord. Opening took a little practice, but after a few blind gropes I soon dialed the technique: feel for a hinge, run a finger along the seam, and pull from the middle. As I did this, the bag spewed a fine cloud of chalk. This seemed negligible outside, but could exacerbate "white lung" in crowded gyms and poorly ventilated woodies. On the plus side, no matter how much I kicked the closed bag around, it never leaked.

Chalkbags are also, of course, a relatively inexpensive way to make a fashion statement. At the moment, Pacific Motion has one style of MagBag™, the Eclipse™. This retails for $22.95 and comes in a wide range of colored patterns- I chose a rather dashing Scottish tartan. The Eclipse™ looks chic, but it's long, thin, cone-shape made me stretch too far to chalk, and my hand felt cramped when it got there. Fortunately, Pacific Motion is preparing a shorter, fatter, square-bottomed bag, the Redpoint™ to be out early next year. They will also produce a big-wall bucket (Ursa Major™) and, for real fashion victims, a "little dipper" called, you guessed it, Ursa Minor™.

Problem Solved
Pacific Motion's Eclipse MagBag™ has solved my chalkbag problem. It's snap-open-and-shut design, like all good designs, is simply a blinding flash of the obvious.

For years, I have started climbing and forgotten to open my chalkbag, only to arrive at a route's first hard move, get pumped and stick a slimy hand behind my back for chalk - only to discover my bag pulled tightly shut. Cussing, I struggle to loosen the drawstring and work the bag open, desperate for the relief of the magic white powder.

Nowadays, I calmly pop the Eclipse MagBag™ open with a flick of my fingers and, relaxed, dose myself with chalk - a big improvement over my old, conventional chalkbag. It's now a permanent part of my climbing system.

The Easiest to use Chalkbag
There you cling, momentarily stumped on a vexing climb, when you reach for some chalk, only to discover your chalk bag still cinched shut. You fumble at the balky cordlock with sweaty fingers, but it's no use — you'll have to climb down and start over. Unless you happen to have the new Eclipse™ chalk bag from Pacific Motion ($23), which solves this frustrating problem with a snap-open-and-shut design. The round plastic rim is hinged on each side so that when closed it folds in against itself to form a crescent moon; wedge your thumb between the halves and it pops open like a coin purse, allowing you free access to a full two ounces of helpful chalk. Ingenious. A four-inch opening makes the fleece-lined, 2.8-ounce Eclipse™ good for sport climbers, and two bigger sizes are on the way for crack climbers.

Bag to the Future
When you're clinging to the side of a monster rock face, the last thing you want to worry about is the drawstring on your chalk bag. So check out the MagBag™. With it's patented design, the MagBag™ pops open to give you wide, unobstructed access to that much needed friction producer. When you pop it closed, the bag keeps it's shape and won't leak or spill. Give it a try. After all, climbing is stressful enough. MagBag™: $22.95.