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Ursack Minor
BY Charles Nichols
OWNER REVIEW
November 30, 2011
TESTER INFORMATION
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NAME:
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Charles Nichols
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EMAIL:
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hikingshoesATyahooDOTcom
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AGE:
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48
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LOCATION:
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Corinth, Mississippi, United States
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GENDER:
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m
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HEIGHT:
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5' 11" (1.80 m)
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WEIGHT:
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218 lb (98.90 kg)
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Over the years, I have come to love hiking/backpacking. I have hiked sections of the Appalachian Trail, Palmetto Trail in South Carolina, Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama, and Big Hill Pond State Park in Tennessee. I started out with a 45 lb to 50 lb (20 to 23 kg) pack. After meeting other hikers using lighter gear has encouraged me to get lighter gear of my own. My current pack weight is 28 lb - 30 lb (13 to 14 kg) now.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
*Pictured here with and without optional aluminum liner
*Photo Courtesy of Ursack website
Manufacturer: Ursack
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: www.ursack.com
MSRP: US $ 49.95
Listed Weight: 2.7 oz ( 77 g)
Measured Weight: 2.6 oz ( 74 g)
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION :
Over the years I've used a stuff sack as my food bag along with a zip lock bag. I was looking for a food storage bag that would keep my food protected from small critters, but not bears. I had a friend who has hike the Appalachian Trail twice turned me on to the Ursack Minor. At first the food bag was stiff and hard to close the top, but over a period of time using the food bag on the trail it became more flexible/soft, not to the point that it wouldn't protect my food. I now own the Ursack Minor (hereafter referred to as "food bag") for a year now, which I love. If you're not familiar with the (Ursack), they're made of Kevlar fabric, which is the same fabric that bulletproof vests are made of. The food bag has an integrated 4 ft (1.22 m) cord which is ran through a channel at the top of the food bag to close the top using a double overhand knot. See picture below. 
At 8 inches (20 cm) x 13 inches (33 cm) tall the food bag holds about 650 cubic inches (10652 cc ) I can pack 3 - 4 days of food with no problem and if needed 6 - 7 days of food. Once the food bag is packed and secured, I'll hang using the Pacific Crest Trail method or I'll tie the food bag to the base of the tree using a figure eight knot, because it is easy to untie even after Ursack has been pulled on by a 500 pound bear (227 kg) per Ursack website.
FIELD USE
The Ursack Minor has been with me on numerous backpacking trips like the Appalachian Trail, Palmetto Trail in South Carolina, Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama, and Big Hill Pond State Park in Tennessee. Here are just a few trips where I have use my Ursack Minor car camping (2-3 days) and (3-4 days) backpacking trips.
 IMAGE3
09/05/2010 - Hanging my food bag on the Appalachian Trail (AT). The weather was awesome, sunny, nice breezes was blowing and the temperature was in the upper 70's F (25 C) and lower 50's F (10 C) at night. After I summit Max Patch at 4629 ft (1411 m) I set up camp and had some dinner. After dinner I packed my food items in my food bag and headed off the summit to find a tree to hang my food bag for the night.
 IMAGE 4
04/09/2011 - In the picture (IMAGE4) is my Ursack Minor bag attached to the picnic table for testing. I normally use the Pacific Crest Trail method (PCT method) to hang my food bag, but at the time I wanted to test my food bag. It was a very nice night for car camping on the Tennessee River in Pickwick, Tennessee. The weather was in the upper 60's F (18 C) lows in the 50's F (10 C), with a light wind blowing. Once I was in bed I heard something outside my tent so I looked out and it was the biggest raccoon I have ever seen. After looking for my camera and light and making all that noise in the world I would think the raccoon would have left. After taking pictures and video for about 15 - 20 minutes and trying three times to open the food bag he was done. It was funny the trash bag hanging up in the background was never touched by the raccoon the entire two days we were there camping.
SUMMARY
Overall, I am very pleased with the Ursack Minor. Having seen a raccoon try to gnaw its way into the food bag, the Ursack was not compromised.
The Ursack Minor was never penetrated by the raccoon. That's what sold me on buying this food bag.
THINGS I LIKE
* Keeps my food safe from critters (not bears).
* Weight isn't bad.
* It holds 6-7 days of food (if needed), plus my cook pot as well.
THINGS I DON'T LIKE
*The Ursack Minor is not waterproof, but along with a plastic liner, sil-nylon, or other method it will keep the food dry.
SIGNATURE
Charles Nichols
This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1.
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
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Read more gear reviews by Charles Wayne Nichols
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