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Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Sea to Summit Ultra Mesh Stuff Sack > Test Report by Kara Stanley

SEA TO SUMMIT MESH STUFF SACK
TEST SERIES BY KARA STANLEY
LONG-TERM REPORT
May 22, 2013


CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO THE LONG-TERM REPORT

TESTER INFORMATION

NAME: Kara Stanley
EMAIL: karguo (at) yahoo (dot) com
AGE: 30
LOCATION: Phoenix, Arizona
GENDER: F
HEIGHT: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
WEIGHT: 175 lb (79.40 kg)

I have been hiking most of my life and backpacking since 2006. I have hiked mostly on the east coast, doing weekend trips in the Appalachian Mountains. Since moving to Arizona, my hikes have ranged from short desert hikes to overnight backpacking trips in the mountains. Recently I have taken up canyoneering and off-trail hiking/backpacking to spice things up. I currently use a solo non-free standing tent, canister stove, purification tabs, and lightweight trail runners, conditions permitting, to cut down on weight. My hikes are solo and range from an overnight trip to 4-5 nights on the trail.


INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

IMAGE 2
From Sea to Summit's website
Manufacturer: Sea To Summit
Year of Manufacture: 2012
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.seatosummit.com/
MSRP: Not Listed
Listed Weight: 0.4 oz (10 g)
Measured Weight: 0.4 oz (10 g)
Size Tested: Small (6.5 L)

From Sea to Summit's website:

Ultra-Mesh stuff sacks are some of the lightest stuff sacks available to organize gear in your pack, suitcase, or bag. We use an advanced 15 D multi-filament nylon mesh only recently developed. These stuff sacks are 45% lighter than our Ultra-SilŪ stuff sacks and have to been seen to be believed how small and light they really are!

* 15 D multi-filament nylon mesh for strength
* Ultra-SilŪ Nano draw- cord throat for smooth operation
* Sea to Summit logo label and size label used to pull stuff sack open
* Double stitched and reinforced seams for greater durability
* Black mesh for better visibility
* Round base design
IMAGE 1
Empty 6.5 L bag next to a 1 L water bottle


Sizes available:

XXS/2.5 Liter 4 in x 8.5 in 0.2 oz / 6g
XS/4 Liter 5.5 in x 10.5 in 0.3 oz / 8g
S/6.5 Liter 6.5 in x 12 in 0.4 oz / 10g
M/9 Liter 7 in x 13 in 0.45 oz / 11g
L/15 Liter 8 in x 16 in 0.5 oz / 14g
XL/20 Liter 9.5 in x 17.5 in 0.6 oz / 17.5g
XXL/30 Liter 10 in x 21.5 in 0.7 oz / 20g

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

When I removed this bag from its packaging, I noticed that the bag was very light and the mesh soft and pliable. The bag is mesh with a fabric pull-cord tube at the top. The tag functions as a pull to release the bag.

TRYING IT OUT

I took this bag on a 3-day 45 mile (72 km) backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. When packing I put my base layers, socks, and undergarments for the trip in the bag.
IMAGE 3
The bag with a few items post trip
I really liked being able to reach in and easily find my socks as often my socks end up in the bottom of my pack and are hard to find. As the trip wore on I found myself adding batteries and other small things to the bag in order to easily find them as my backpack does not have many external pockets. The mesh is very flexible which allowed the bag to be stuffed into small spaces in my pack. The bag closes tightly with the draw string and stays closed. Sea to Summit's website suggests that their logo label and size tag can be used to pull the bag open, however I did not find them to be useful for opening the bag and simply pulled on the sides or mouth of the bag to open it.

SUMMARY

This was the first time that I had used a mesh stuff sack for backpacking and really enjoyed the organization it brought to my backpack.

Pros:

* Light-weight
* Easy to stuff into small opening in a pack
* Made it easy to locate small items and articles of clothing in a pack

Cons:
* None yet - however I will be interested in seeing how the light-weight mesh holds up over the next few months

My Long Term Report will be out in about 4 months time, so check back to see how this mesh bag holds up! I would like to thank Sea to Summit and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this mesh bag.


LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Superstition Mountains, Arizona
February 23-24, 2013
Distance: ~10 miles (~16 km)
Elevation: 680 ft/207 m to 1,680 ft/512 m
Trail Conditions: about half of the trail was a maintained trail and half was off trail in a canyon bottom. The off trail portion required wading, rock-hopping and scrambling, and bushwhacking.
Weather: Everything - sunny, cloudy, a sprinkling of rain, and finally a few snow-flakes on the way out.
Temperatures: Highs about 65 F/18 C and lows about 32 F/0 C

Grand Canyon, Arizona
April 5-7, 2013
Distance: 18 miles/29 km
Elevation at trailhead: 2,260 ft/689 m to 7,260 ft/2,213 m
Trail Conditions: Maintained trail with lots of dust and sand
Weather: Sunny
Temperatures: Highs 80 F/27 C Lows 50 F/10 C

Havasupai, Arizona
April 25-27, 2013
Distance: 20 miles/32 km
Elevation: 3,862 ft/1,177m to 5,172 ft/1,576 m
Trail conditions: maintained trails that are dusty and sandy
Weather: Sunny
Temperatures: Highs in the 80's F/27 C Lows in the 50's F/10 C

Fossil Springs, Arizona
May 4-5, 2013
Distance: 8 miles/ 13km
Elevation: 4,200 ft/ 1,280 m to 5,580 ft/1,701 m
Trail conditions: old jeep track, with some loose rocks and rock hopping at the bottom of the canyon.
Weather: Sunny
Temperatures: Highs about 65 F/18 C and lows about 40 F/4 C

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I used the mesh bag on all 4 trips. I stored all the small items that I normally carry in the lid of my backpack - toothbrush and paste, pocket knife, salt and sugar packets, tissues, bandanas, first-aid items, headlamp and spare batteries, and nail clippers. I loved having all the small items in the mesh bag so that when I opened the lid, nothing falls out. I had both a sugar and salt packet burst inside the mesh bag - the salt when through the mesh, but the sugar was larger grained raw sugar and was contained in the mesh bag. I found the mesh bag easy to use.

For weekend car camping trips, I just throw in mesh bag into my overnight bag and go because all the things I need are in one place.

The bag has held up well, it shows no signs a wear. The draw string worked just as well on the last trip as it did on the first trip.

SUMMARY

I love this mesh bag, it has become a fixture among my backpacking gear. It keeps me organization and all of my small items falling out of backpack lid.

This concludes my long-term test report. Thank you Sea to Summit and BackpackGearTest.org for the chance to test this product!

This report was created with the BackpackGearTest.org Report Writer Version 1. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Read more reviews of Sea to Summit gear
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