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Reviews > Communication Gear > Accessories > Sea to Summit TPU Accessory Case > Test Report by David Wyman
Sea to Summit TPU Accessory Case
Test Series by David Wyman  (image from website) Test Phases: Initial Report - January 3, 2012 Field Report - March 24, 2012 Long Term Report - June 28, 2012 Tester Information
While I've been camping for years, I've only been backpacking for a short time. I'm trying to find the right equipment, alternating between tent and hammock. My dog usually comes along on the longer hikes, and my wife and toddler join me on the shorter ones. I tend to carry more gear than I need resulting in a heavier pack, but I'm working on that. When I hike with my dog and/or my wife and son, we take it a bit slower, stopping frequently to enjoy the forest. I rarely hike fast unless I'm trying to make up time. Initial Report - January 3, 2012 Product Information
Initial Impressions My first impression of this case was that it felt flimsy. The material is very thin and it didn't appear much more durable than a basic Ziploc® bag. The roll top closure folds over three times and is secured by two strips of Velcro. The design of the closure does seem fairly robust. The whole case is very lightweight and, despite seeming flimsy, appears well made. Trying It Out The case may seem fragile but, upon stuffing it full of items I might normally carry in it (wallet, keys, cell phone, small camera, spare matches and fire starter), it held up surprisingly well. Its thin material allowed it to stretch a bit to accommodate the various sized items and it had a very solid closure even when full. The included neck strap works fine for what it is, but the accessory case seems a bit too large to hang around my neck when hiking to this will likely ride in one of the cargo pockets on my pants or in my pack. I can see the strap being useful at night to hold the case in my hammock to keep some essentials close at hand. Field Report - March 24, 2012 Trips Taken February 18 - 21: 4 days, 3 nights in Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania Temps ranged from 40 F (5 C) during the day to 20 F (-7 C) at night.
Thoughts and Impressions This case works very well for me as a small essentials case. It fits inside the cargo pocket on my cargo pants and is waterproof enough that I use it for my critical items. I stuffed it full with my small ID wallet (license, credit card, a bit of cash), emergency blanket, small LED light, pocketknife, matches, and a few fire-starters. Having those protected from the elements in my pocket is definite peace of mind. I tried to use it with neck strap but the thin strap is a bit uncomfortable around my neck and the lack of a quick-release attachment makes me a little leery of keeping it around my neck. The neck strap does come in handy, however, inside my hammock. I clipped a small carabiner to it and attached it to the top end of the hammock which let it hang just far enough in the hammock to keep a flashlight, a granola bar or two, my gloves and balaclava close at hand. The plastic held up in my cargo pockets despite some rough use. No rips or tears and the closure kept the moisture out as well. The cold temperatures were not extreme and the plastic never got brittle or hard. I forgot my camera on this trip so I didn't get to test how well it worked at keeping it protected or how well pictures could be taken while inside the case. Long Term Report - June 28, 2012 Trips Taken May: Two overnight trips in the Laurel Highlands/Ohiopyle area of Pennsylvania. Each trip covered about 6 to 8 miles (9.5 to 13 km) with temps ranging from the mid 40s F to upper 60s F (7 to 20 C) June: Eight days of hiking in Colorado, including one two-night trip and a single one-night trip, all around Estes Park, Colorado. Did around 40 miles (64 km) overall in temps from 50 F to 85 F (10 to 30 C) Thoughts and Impressions The accessory case continues to work in several roles. The obvious role as a small "essentials" case is an ideal one. I continue to carry it in my pants pockets as I'm not comfortable using the neck strap. It hasn't shown any significant signs of wear which doesn't surprise me as I haven't had many occasions to actually take it out and use anything from inside of it when it's filling the "essentials case" role. As it's gotten warmer, it's also been very useful keeping the extra sweat out of the kit.  Essentials kit in the case  Essentials kit unpacked - small wallet, emergency blanket, lighter and firestarter, knife It also continues to work well in my hammock, though I've stopped storing granola bars in it now that I'm more concerned about bears. It is a bit annoying unpacking it at night so I can use it in my hammock so I'll likely be getting a second pouch to keep packed with my hammock so that this one can take on a more permanent role as an "essentials" case. Summary Likes:
Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Sea to Summit for this opportunity.
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