Originally Posted By: MooseTracks
Those Backcountry Access (BCA) packs run about $700, have replaceable cartridges once they've been deployed. The theory is that it increases your surface area, keeping you on top of the snow.



they work quite well in that respect. As far as statistics are available, they increase your chance not to get buried at least by a factor of 10.

http://www.wildsnow.com/3736/airbag-overview/

problem is that $700 buys you only the most basic day pack. The bigger models are significantly more expensive ($1300), and even the biggest models are just 45 liters and too small for extended backcountry travel, which is what I have in mind. Still, those are 5 pounds of extra weight I'd happily carry for weeks, especially if I were to go alone when a beacon is just dead weight.