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Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Compression Sacks > SealLine Compression and Cinch Sacks > Test Report by Marina Batzke

SEALLINE COMPRESSION DRY AND CINCH BAGS
TEST SERIES BY MARINA BATZKE
LONG-TERM REPORT
July 08, 2019

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TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Marina Batzke
EMAIL: mbbp2013 (at) yahoo (dot) com
AGE: 59
LOCATION: Los Angeles County, California, USA
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
WEIGHT: 132 lb (60.00 kg)

I converted from day hiking and car camping to backpacking in 2013. My backpacking trips are one or two weekend excursions per month in Southern California. The locations range from Joshua Tree National Park desert areas in the cooler months to mountainous elevations in the summer months. I always hike with a group and like the gear talk in camp. While I am looking for ways to lighten my pack, I am not an ultra-lighter: I like sleeping in a tent with a sleeping bag on a comfortable pad. In January 2017, I added snowshoeing to my winter activities.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: SealLine, a division of Cascade Designs, Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2019
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.seallinegear.com
MSRP Compression Dry Sack 10 L: US$35.95
Listed Weight: 3.4 oz (90 g)
Measured Weight: 3.9 oz (109 g)
Size: 21 x 11.5 in (53 x 29 cm)

MSRP Compression Cinch Sack 5 L: US$21.95
Listed Weight: 2 oz (0.06 g)
Measured Weight: 2.4 oz (68 g)
Size: 13.5 x 8.5 in (34 x 21.6 cm)
IMAGE 1
Packaging front view
IMAGE 2
Packaging backside view

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

I received one BLOCKERLITE Compression Dry Sack with 10 L (2.64 US gal) capacity in alerting bright green color and one BLOCKERLITE Compression Cinch Sack with 5 L (1.32 US gal) capacity in blue.

Both sacks are made of a 20 Denier silicone/polyurethane-coated nylon. Fabrics with a low denier count - such as 20 D - tend to be sheer, soft and silky. And I agree: when I am touching these two fabric sacks, they feel very soft and pleasantly silky. They each are available in 5 L (305 cu in), 10 L (610 cu in) and 20 L (1220 cu in). Each sack has the trade name SealLine imprinted in white on the lower right.
IMAGE 3
Compression dry sack 10 Liter

The Dry sack is waterproof and at its top opening, the Dry sack has wrinkle-free stiffening strips that ensure a secure seal. One of these strips is visible as grey plastic and will gain importance later-on in the sealing process. The green sack is accented with 4 grey compression straps 0.59 in (15 mm) wide that connect with the green top cap that goes over the opening. This set of four strips is described as special continuous compression system that encircles the sack and minimizes seam strain, thereby increasing durability and waterproofness. Another feature is the special PurgeAir valve that vents trapped air out of the sack and thereby allows further compression.

The Cinch sack is splash-proof and has a draw cord opening for easy access. The blue sack is accented with 4 grey compression straps 0.59 in (15 mm) wide that connect with the blue top cap that goes over the opening.
IMAGE 4
Compression cinch sack 5 Liter

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Each sack came with instructions that have clear, easy to understand graphics (I could follow the few drawings and would know what to do) and written instructions in English, French, German and a fourth language.

Compression Dry Sack: After I have filled the contents into the sack, I shall press and hold the top sealing strips together. It is important that there are no wrinkles. Now I push down on the sack so trapped air can press out. I shall tightly fold the top over at least three times so that the grey sealing strip is no longer visible. I connect the buckle in the opposite direction to the direction that I had just three-times-folded the top strips. I position the compression cap over the rolled-up, sealed top. First I make sure the grey compression straps are not criss-crossed or twisted, then I pull evenly one-by-one on each of the four straps for optimum compression of the sack contents.

Compression Cinch Sack: After I have filled the contents into the sack, I hold the end of the drawstring cord in one hand while I push down the cord lock towards the sack opening and cinch it tight. I place the compression cap over the cinch closure, making sure none of the grey compression straps are criss-crossed or twisted. Then I pull evenly one-by-one on each of the four straps for optimum compression of the sack contents. To open, I firmly pinch the sides of the cord lock with my right hand and grab some of the sack fabric with my left hand. Next I pull the cord lock away from the sack opening and pull apart the gathered fabric of the opening to get to the sack contents.

WARRANTY:
SealLine products are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the useful life of the products.

CLEANING:
SealLine sacks can be hand washed with a soapy sponge and rinsed. The sacks must be stored completely dry both inside and out.
IMAGE 5
Comparison against a 32 oz bottle
IMAGE 6
comparison of the filled sacks against 32 oz bottle

TRYING IT OUT

I stuffed my EUREKA BERO 30 F Synthetic Sleeping Bag (reviewed under SLEEP GEAR on www.BackpackGearTest.org) with its 78 x 34 x 26 in (198 x 86 x 66 cm) into the Compression Dry sack. It took quite an effort to stuff this pretty large-sized sleeping bag into the green dry sack. I got it done and had just enough space to three times fold over the sealing strips, so the grey strip was no longer visible. I pulled the top cap over. Using the four compression straps, I pulled evenly on the four sides and it turned into a 14 x 8 x 6 in (36 x 20 x 15 cm) tight, firm bundle.

I stuffed a 57 x 67 in (145 x 170 cm) down blanket into the Compression Cinch sack: it was easy to stuff in more and more and more of the large blanket until it was all inside the blue sack. I put the top cap on and firmly pulled on the four grey compression straps. It easily turned into a neat little bundle of 9 x 6 x 5 in (23 x 15 x 13 cm) and I could have pulled in the four compression straps even a bit more.

A close inspection of both compression sacks shows no flaws and inconsistencies.

SUMMARY

The SealLine ultralight compression sacks are designed to help protect and organize my gear.

LIKES:
bright alerting colors, easy to find in my pack
super lightweight
very good instructions on how to use these sacks

DISLIKES:
none so far


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Mission Creek Preserve, Southern California, USA
3 day/ 2 night car camp
Elevation: 2450 - 3600 ft (750 - 1100 m)
Sunny and pleasant with just a light wind on Sunday
Temperature: 69 - 45 F (21 - 7 C)

Henninger Flats, Angeles National Forest, USA
3 day/ 2 night backpack
Elevation: 2600 - 4400 ft (790 - 1340 m)
Cool and foggy
Temperature: 65 - 48 F (18 - 9 C)

Lake Skinner, Southern California, USA
2 day/ 1 night car camp
Elevation: 1500 ft (460 m)
Temperature: 72 - 50 F (22 - 10 C)

Little Jimmy Campground, Angeles National Forest, USA
2 day/ 1 night backpack
Elevation: 7500 ft (2300 m)
Temperature: 70 - 53 F (21 - 12 C)

Mt. Pinos, Los Padres National Forest, USA
2 day/ 1 night car camp
Elevation: 8850 ft (2700 m)
Temperature: 65 - 47 F (18 - 8 C)

Little Jimmy Campground, Angeles National Forest, USA
2 day/ 1 night backpack
Elevation: 7500 ft (2300 m)
Temperature: 74 - 55 F (23 - 13 C)

Little Jimmy to Throop, Angeles National Forest, USA
2 day/ 1 night backpack
Elevation: 7500 - 9000 ft (2300 - 2750 m)
Temperature: 79 - 53 F (26 - 12 C)

Yosemite National Park, California, USA
4 day/ 3 night backpack
Elevation: 8600 - 10200 ft (2620 - 3100 m)
Temperature: 73 - 35 F (23 - 2 C)

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The Sealline bags have been a great addition to my backpacking gear over the last few months.

I have used the bright green 10 L compression dry sack on each and every of my outings. It fits perfectly for both my EUREKA BERO 30 F Synthetic Sleeping Bag and for my older voluminous down sleeping bag, shown below.
IMAGE 1
My sleeping bag is about to get compressed

IMAGE 2
Stuffing the sleeping bag in


While sitting inside my tent, I position the green compression sack on my legs. I use my feet as end stop. I start inserting one end of the sleeping bag and I make sure to insert it into all corners of the sack. I keep stuffing and pressing in, making sure to not leave any gaps or vacant spaces in the sack. Amazing how I can insert an entire sleeping bag and it is not even difficult. Once all stuffed in, I press the grey sealing strip against the green sealing strip. I fold the strips over at least three times, often even get them folded over four times. Next I close the plastic buckle. I pull the compression cap over this buckle side and pull on the four compression straps, one at a time, once all around, then a second time all around. Done is my compact bundle, ready to go into my backpack.
IMAGE 3
The buckle closed

IMAGE 4
My sleeping bag compressed



During my recent Yosemite backpacking trip, I got a few streaks of soil on the green fabric. While I could have hand washed the sack, I simply wiped off the dirt with a moist microfiber cloth once back at home and I got the dirt off just fine.

I have not used the blue cinch bag all that often because of its smaller size. The blue bag is perfectly sized to compress my down blanket, yet during the cooler spring months, I have always traveled with a sleeping bag. Now that the warmer summer months have arrived, I will be able to use my down blanket instead of a sleeping bag and the blue cinch bag will get more use. In order to test it, I have stuffed clothing in, such as my nighttime layers and a spare T-shirt. I hold the end of the drawstring cord in my right hand and I press onto the flat, wide sides of the cord lock with my left hand's thumb and pointing finger, while gliding the cord lock to the sack opening and tightening the cinch. I pull the compression cap over the closed bag end and I pull on the four compression straps, one at a time, once all around, then a second time around. To open the blue cinch bag, I release the four compression straps and move the cap out of the way. I release the cord lock by pressing onto its narrow sides, which allows me to pull the cord lock away from the tight closure and thereby opening the bag.

I like the fabric handle at one end of the sacks, which makes it easy to pull each bundle out of my pack.

SUMMARY

The green BLOCKERLITE Compression Dry Sack with 10 L (2.64 US gal) capacity and the blue BLOCKERLITE Compression Cinch Sack with 5 L (1.32 US gal) capacity are excellent to compress bulky, fluffy items and make them much easier to pack. I will continue to use both sacks on my future outings - they are great!

LIKES:
easy to stuff items in
easy to close and compress
great way to pack my backpack contents efficiently
durable: no signs of wear
lightweight

NO DISLIKES

A super-big thank you to SealLine, a division of Cascade Designs, Inc. and to BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to compress, protect and organize my gear with these efficient and handy bags.

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

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