Guest - Not logged in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > RIBZ Sportswear > Test Report by brad banker
RIBZWEAR - RIBZ FRONT PACK SYSTEM
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE FIELD REPORT
TESTER INFORMATION
I went on my first backpacking trip at 5 years old, and hiked quite a bit growing up. I picked it back up again in my 20's and have regularly backpacked now for over 10 years. I backpack the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia on 1-5 night solo or group trips, mostly on or around the Appalachian Trail in all seasons in temperatures from 90+ F (32 C) to under 0 F (-17 C). My companions are my wife and my two golden retrievers, or whoever wants to disappear into the woods for a while.
INITIAL REPORT
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Ribzwear INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Ray from Ribzwear called me before he sent the pack system, due to my measurements being on the upper end of the large size with with full layers on. In sizing the pack system the measurements used were waist and bust size, My waist is 38 in (97 cm), but being a larger chested male at 6'0"(1.58 m) and 240 lb(109 kg) or so my bust was 53 in (135 cm) with the total sum of all of my possible cold weather layers. Ray said that the sizing tends to follow the waist size more so than the bust size, due to the pack's position on the ribs. He recommended the large size. The pack system is significantly lighter than advertised on the website on my scale. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS No specific instructions were included. It seemed self explanatory to me. Zip the front to close, adjust the straps to fit, put stuff in the pockets. MY HISTORY WITH FRONT PACKS
Years ago, after college, I backpacked Europe for 5 months. I think my starting pack weight was somewhere around 70 lbs (31.75 kg). This type of backpacking was completely different from wilderness backpacking. This type of packing was mostly riding trains, walking city streets, country roads, and going from hostel to hostel from September through February from Neutron Africa to Denmark. One method I developed to balance my heavy load was carrying a day pack on the front of my chest. I found it balanced my load very well, and I had easy access to water, camera, guide book and maps, food and rain gear. It also kept my money and passport near my hands. Pickpockets are sneaky there in the touristy areas. SUMMARY This concludes my Initial Report. Please be on the lookout for my Field Report in two months after some cold weather testing. I would like to thank Ribzwear and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this pack. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS This pack was tested in winter conditions as a complement to my regular smaller-sized 3000ci (50L) pack system to make a lighter winter system. I used it on 2 separate 3-day and 1 4-day overnight backpacking trips in snow/ sleet/ freezing rain in southwest Virgina along the Appalachian Trail at altitudes of 5700 ft (1737 m) in temperatures varying from 0 F (-18 C) to 40 F (7C) as planned. In addition to the overnight trips it was used as day pack on 5 day hikes in central North Carolina at elevations of 400 (122 m)ft to 800 ft (244 m) in more moderate temperatures. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
Overall, I have been very pleased with this pack's performance. I found it to be very comfortable as a day pack and in addition to my backpack. I decided to put my first aid and toiletry supplies, camera, knife, fire starter, bandanna, glasses, sunglasses, hat, rain jacket, gloves, snacks, 2 soda bottles with water, water filter, and emergency supplies in it for both dayhiking and backpacking. I found that the volume of items that I wished to stow fit nicely into the system. I consider these items essential for both applications. SUMMARY
Overall, I am very pleased with the Ribz Front Pack System as of this field report. It has survived cold, wet, snow, ice and a big guy who is rough on his gear for several months, and I will continue to utilize it for the foreseeable future. I have found that the nylon material is water resistant to a greater degree than anticipated. TESTING STRATEGY I plan to continue to use this pack to amend my small volume pack and as a day pack. I want to put a bit more wear on it, and will then follow up with my long term report and some more pictures to demonstrate the wear and tear. LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS I have used this front pack system in winter rain, snow and sleet as a complement to my regular smaller-sized 3000ci (50L) pack system to make a lighter winter system. I used it on 4 separate 3-day and 2 4-day overnight backpacking trips in snow/ sleet/ freezing rain in southwest Virgina along the Appalachian Trail at altitudes of 5700 ft (1737 m) in temperatures varying from 0 F (-18 C) to 40 F (7C) as planned. In addition to the overnight trips it was used as day pack on 10 day hikes in central North Carolina at elevations of 400 (122 m)ft to 800 ft (244 m) in more moderate temperatures.I have used it in warm spring weather, including rain and sun. The majority of its use was as a secondary front pack to my light weight pack to improve the volume of my winter backpacking system. I have also used it as a day pack in several configurations: with and without a hydration pack, as a stand alone pack, and for other outdoor adventures such as trail work and range shooting. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
Overall I have been very pleased with the performance of this pack in the field. It is lightweight, although I would hesitate to call it ultralight (for the purists out there), but as I am only a lightweight backpacker and not a gram weenie I am very satisfied with it. SUMMARY In summary, I have been very pleased with the performance of this product. It has served well as a accessory component to my winter packing system, as a day pack and as an all around gear hauler. Again I would call it lightweight, but not ultralight. In my opinion an ultralight version could be easily made by removing excess strapping, paring down the zipper size, possibly pack volume and going with a lighter weight material. That being said, it works great for me and my proposes, but of course as I have said earlier, I am a big guy who is rough on my gear. RIBZ has stood up to the test so far. CONTINUED USE I plan to continue to use RIBZ front pack system for backpacking, hiking and other outdoor adventures. Thanks to BGT and RIBZ for the opportunity to test this product. This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.Read more reviews of RIBZ Sportswear gear Read more gear reviews by brad banker Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > RIBZ Sportswear > Test Report by brad banker |