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Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > High Sierra Col 35 Backpack > Test Report by Patrick McNeilly
HIGH SIERRA COL 35 PACK
INITIAL REPORT - April 05, 2010
TESTER INFORMATION
I have been hiking for over 20 years but backpacking only since about 2002. Most of my backpacking is done as overnight trips and occasional weekend and weeklong trips. My typical packweight is approximately 18 to 20 lb (8 to 9 kg) before food or water. Most of my backpacking is the three season variety in the mountains of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In addition to backpacking, I also fish, hunt, and enjoy orienteering. As a result, some of my backpacking equipment gets used in a number of different venues. PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: High Sierra Sport Company INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
My first impression of the High Sierra Col 35 is that it looks very sturdy. The fabric seems tough, especially on the pack's bottom. The seams appear to be well done. I noted that some strap attachment points have double bar tacks while others, such as where the shoulder straps attach, do not. So, I'm hoping that the pack is as tough as it looks. READING THE INSTRUCTIONS
The Col 35 pack came with single card attached to the pack which described its features. I found it interesting that the card was attached in a way that I could really only read the front. There was some important information on the back, including torso fit range and other sizing information. SUMMARY
The High Sierra Col 35 Pack is top-load internal frame pack for day and overnight hikes. FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS I have used the Col 35 pack on five day hikes over the course of this testing period. All of these hikes were done in Maryland near Washington, DC, including Seneca Creek State Park, Little Bennett Regional Park, and the C&O Canal National Historic Park. These hikes ranged from 4 to 8 miles (6 to 13 km) and were all on maintained but sometimes rocky trails. The temperatures ranged from 45 to 85 F (7 to 29 C) with clear to overcast skies. On one hike, I did encounter light rain. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
The Pack is pretty comfortable. I initially had to adjust the single aluminum stay so that it would fit the curve of my back. This was very easy and after some fine adjustment the pack seems to ride fairly well. I even filled it with about 25 lb (11 kg) of gear to get a better idea of how it handles with a heavier load and felt that it was fine with that much weight. One problem I do have is that my torso is probably a little too long for the pack. The shoulder straps seem like they need to be a little longer but since I have a longer torso than recommended that would account for the shorter shoulder straps. The same can also be said for the load lifters. The pack rides lower than what might be optimal and doesn't allow for any useful adjustment of the load lifters. As a result, the pack tends to feel like it is always pulling back on the shoulder straps. The sizing information was difficult to locate and I should have been more careful about the torso size. The pack has a large volume for day hikes which is great when having to carry extra gear for a long summit hike or one with carrying the family's gear. I was a little concerned that when I carried smaller amounts of gear that items would be flopping around. I am pleased to say that this is not the case and found that the compression straps in the bottom and sides of the pack do a great job of decreasing the volume of the pack and keeping all things in place. The pack is hydration compatible and I found it very easy to feed the tubing through the exit ports and elastic webbing on the shoulder straps. One thing I noted was that the hydration sleeve inside the pack is very wide and extends all the way to the bottom of the pack. This tends to cause two related problems. First, if the pack is not fully loaded the bladder can shift in the pack enough to move away from my spine and have the load leaning to one side which can be uncomfortable. When I loaded 25 lbs (11 kg) of gear in the pack, including a full 2 liter bladder, I found that the bladder tended to sink to the bottom of the pack and may have contributed to the feeling that the pack would tug on the shoulder straps. I would have preferred that the bladder ride higher on my back for better stability. As I noted in my Initial Report, I find that the pack's lid does not cinch down tight. This was even the case when I filled the pack with gear. The lid pocket is a nice size and holds raingear and other small items that I might need but I find it very annoying to have the lid so loose. I did take one hike where I removed the lid altogether and felt that the pack worked just fine by rolling the spindrift collar and securing with the single strap at the top. In general, the shoulder straps and hipbelt are comfortable. I haven't had any problems with the hipbelt but have found that the left shoulder strap tends to slip. This is another annoying thing that causes me to continually be adjusting at the shoulder strap. I didn't have too much rain during my hikes but I did leave the pack out during a moderate rain while at home, with its rain cover on. I left it in the rain for about 45 minutes. I found that water tended to bead up on the rain cover but did find its way through the seams. This was particularly noticeable in the area where there is a window for an identification tag sewn into the rain cover. While the pack was not completely soaked, there was water getting through. I also discovered that the rain cover isn't large enough to completely cover items attached to the outside of the pack. Planning is in order when I carry items like trekking poles on the outside of the pack. The side mesh water bottle pockets will hold a 1 liter bottle and seems to be easy to access even when the pack is full. I found that the electronics pocket seemed to stick out quite a bit on the shoulder strap which I didn't care for. Since it is only held on by hook and loop fasteners, I simply removed it and attached it to one of the straps on the hipbelt. It seems to work fine there. SUMMARY
After using the Col 35 Pack for a couple months, I feel that the pack has some very nice features and could be a great pack but there are a few flaws which keep it from reaching that level. The pack is a good size and compresses easily to accommodate a variety of loads for day hikes. The padding of the back and hipbelt are comfortable and the single aluminum stay is easily adjusted for wearer. Problems I noted include that the shoulder straps tend to slip, the floating lid will not cinch down tight and the rain cover can leak. LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS
During the long-term testing period, I took the Col 35 pack along on four day hikes. These included hikes in Maryland near Washington, DC, and in the Ramapo Mountains of northern New Jersey as well as in the tidewater area of Virginia. These hikes ranged from 4 to 6 miles (6 to 10 km) and were all on maintained trails. The temperatures ranged from 65 to 95 F (18 to 35 C) with clear to overcast skies. I didn't have any rain on these hikes but a couple of hikes were in very humid conditions where it might just as well have been raining. PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD
During this phase of the testing, I was able to better assess a few additional features of the pack that I hadn't either noticed or paid attention to. The long-term testing period has been pretty hot and humid here in the mid-Atlantic. One thing that I notice with the pack was the performance of the back panel. This panel is very firm and has a channels which are designed to promote air flow and keep the wearer's back cool. I have not found the Col 35 to be particularly hot or uncomfortable on my back. I'm not saying that I haven't had my back sweat while wearing the pack but it hasn't bothered me. This is fairly significant because during the summer, I typically use a lumbar pack for day hikes, so that I don't have a full wet back at the end of the hike. Otherwise the pack has continued to perform reasonably well over the long-term testing period. I have still had problems with the shoulder straps slipping and the issue related to cinching the lid tight really can't be remedied without modifying the pack. The removable electronics pocket works better for me on the hip belt than on the shoulder strap but can be loose if I forget to tighten the belt's lumbar adjustment. SUMMARY My likes and dislike haven't changed from those listed in my Field Report. The pack is large enough for longer hikes with extra gear and can easily be cinched down to a smaller size, when necessary. The hip belt and pack panel are comfortable but the shoulder straps tend to slip. The pack's fabric appears to be study but I had some problems with the hip belt webbing tearing on thorns. Overall, the pack is functional but there are a few things that make using it less than optimal. CONTINUED USE
Although this pack does have some nice features, there have been enough problems with the pack to make me say that I am unlikely to use it much in the future. If I do, I would alter the way the top lid attaches which I feel would make it more useful. Read more reviews of High Sierra Sport Company gear Read more gear reviews by Patrick McNeilly Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > High Sierra Col 35 Backpack > Test Report by Patrick McNeilly |