Sea
to Summit Pack Tap
Test Series by Kurt Papke
Tester Information
| Name: |
Kurt Papke |
| Age: |
58 |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Height: |
6' 4" (193 cm) |
| Weight: |
232 lbs (105 kg) |
| Email address: |
kwpapke (at) gmail (dot) com |
| City, State, Country: |
Tucson, Arizona USA |
My backpacking background is a combination of the Minnesota area,
where I have lived most of my adult life, and Southern Arizona where
I moved a little over two years ago to Tucson for a new job. I
carry a lot of water on my hikes due to the arid climate and
lack of water sources in the Sonoran Desert.
Initial Report
Product Facts
Product Information
|
Manufacturer
|
Sea to Summit
|
Photo courtesy Sea to Summit
|
Manufacturer website
|
http://www.seatosummit.com
|
Year manufactured
|
2011
|
Model
|
Not applicable
|
Color tested
|
Green/black (seems to be the only color for 4 liter size)
|
Size tested
|
4 liter (135 oz)
Also available in:
2 liter (67 oz)
6 liter (203 oz)
10 liter (338 oz)
|
Size measured
|
3.8 liter
|
MSRP
|
$24.95 USD from listed retailer (no pricing on
manufacturer website)
|
Weight
|
From manufacturer: 4 oz (113 g)
Measured: 5.3 oz (150 g)
Note that the measured weight was taken after filling and
draining the bladder, so the weight difference could be
easily accounted for by residual water
|
Material - bladder
|
Mylar |
Material - exterior
|
420 D ripstop nylon |
Key features as stated by the manufacturer include:
- One-handed operation with self-shutting valve
- Security cap on tap
- Multiple Hypalon® lash points allow you to hang or secure
the Pack Tap in many spots
- Can be rolled and squeezed into tight spaces, flexible and
foldable
- Fabrics used are very abrasion resistant
- Double bladders will withstand significant pressure
- Completely after taste-free: based on the same material used
for wine bladders, food safe
Initial Inspection
On removal from the packaging I inspected the unit and could find no
issues with material or workmanship, no loose threads, no plastic
molding issues. It seems quite durable on the outside: the
ripstop nylon looks like it would take a lot of abuse.
The three lash points are easily visible in the photo above.
They seem very sturdy. Also visible is a front strap for
holding the unit while dispensing water, or perhaps hanging it from
a tree branch. What is not visible is a rear strap on the
bottom behind the cap: this seems like it would be convenient for
carrying or holding the bladder with the cap at the top of the
bladder, perhaps for filling.
The unit has a zipper opening with pull cord on the zipper for
access to the bladder. I unzipped it and had a look: yes,
definitely a Mylar bladder in there. The bladder looked a
little cramped inside the pouch, and I wondered if it would take the
rated fluid capacity. I don't expect to use the zipper opening
often, there doesn't seem to be much reason to get in there other
than to replace the bladder.
It wasn't immediately clear how to fill the unit, but on the
backside beneath the carrying strap is a picture and instructions
"Remove cap to fill" in English. I managed to pry off the
cap/valve piece and filled up the bladder to the brim, and replaced
the cap, spilling some water in the process.
I left the bladder sitting in a sink upside-down for 24 hours and
could detect no leaks. So far, so good. I drank some of
the water that had been in the bladder, and could detect no
aftertaste.
I drained about 1/2 of the water and timed a 1 liter (34 oz)
dispense: about 24 seconds, a good flow rate. When I let go of
the valve it snapped back and shut off without shedding a
drop. By the way, water is dispensed by pressing on the valve
opening, most easily with a thumb. It is indeed a one-handed
operation, if you do not count a hand to hold the unit up in the
air, which would not be needed if it was hanging from a tree.
I then filled the unit to its utmost capacity, repeatedly blowing
air into the bladder to fully inflate, then measured out the
contents. As shown in the table above it was about 5% short of
rated capacity. I refilled to the brim, and tried to get the
cap on, and sloshed quite a bit out trying to do so. Not easy
to get the cap/valve assembly back on when filled without a bit of a
spill.
Finally, I inflated the bladder with air by blowing in it as much as
possible to see how well it would air dry. Keeping bladders
clean and reasonably clear of germs is always a concern, and air
drying is always the simplest method. After 24 hours there
were still some beads of water on the inside of the bladder when I
peered down into it, so drying may take a while.
Summary
I am excited to get this unit into the back country. I am
particularly interested to see how well it packs, and how convenient
it is to refill water containers or bottles on the trail.
Kudos:
- Excellent out-of-the-box quality
- Easy valve operation
- Good flow rate from the valve
- Sturdy outer construction
Concerns:
- Not easy to fill to the rated capacity, especially without
spilling
Field Report
Field Use
Date
|
Location
|
Trail
|
Distance
|
Terrain/ trail type
|
Weather
|
Altitude range
|
November 6, 2011
|
Santa Catalina Mountains, Coronado National
Forest
|
Samaniego
Ridge
|
4 mi
(6.4 km)
|
Mountain ridgeline, trail is steep, rocky,
snow-covered
|
Part Cloudy, 45 F (7 C)
|
5000-6500 ft
(1520-1980 m)
|
| November 10, 2011 |
Tortolita Mountains, Northwest of Tucson,
Arizona |
Alamo Springs
|
6.6 mi
(10.6 km) |
Rock, gravel and sand in canyon |
Sunny, 60F (16 C), dry |
2700-3900 ft
(820-1190 m) |
| November 11, 2011 |
Dragoon Mountains, Coronado National Forest,
near Tombstone, Arizona |
Cochise
Stronghold
|
4 mi
(6.4 km)
|
Rock, gravel and sand in canyon, smooth
granite boulders |
Partly sunny, 65 F (18 C), dry |
5100-6000 ft
(1550-1830 m) |
| November 12, 2011 |
Silverbell Mountains, Ironwood National
Monument, West of Tucson, Arizona |
Ragged Top
|
3 mi
(4.8 km)
|
Very rocky, little perceptible trail, strewn
with cactus |
Partly cloudy, 60 F (16 C), dry |
2400-3300 ft
(730-1010 m) |
| November 24, 2011 |
Sedona, Arizona |
Sedona
|
5 mi
(8 km) |
Rolling hills in the state park and steep
slickrock at Cathedral Rock |
Partly cloudy, 65 F
(18 C) |
3800-4750 ft
(1160-1450 m) |
| November 25, 2011 |
Tucson Mountains, Saguaro National Park West
of Tucson, Arizona |
King Canyon
|
7 mi
(11.3 km) |
Sandy wash then steep rocky ridgeline |
Sunny, 70 F
(21 C) |
2900-4700 ft
(880-1430 m)
|
December 11, 2011
|
Santa Rita Mountains, Coronado National
Forest, South of Tucson, Arizona
|
Agua Caliente
|
5 mi
(8 km)
|
Very steep canyon trail, snow on the upper
half
|
Sunny, 32-55 F
(0-13 C)
|
5000-7300 ft
(1520-2220 m)
|
January 15, 2012
|
Santa Catalina Mountains, Coronado National
Forest |
Esperero
|
7 mi
(11.3 km)
|
Steep canyon
|
Partly cloudy, 60 F (16 C), dry |
2700-4400 ft
(820-1340 m)
|
Field Usage Observations
Samaniego Ridge Trail
 I've
hiked the Southern section of Samaniego Ridge before, but the
Northern section had remained beyond my grasp as it can only be
reached by a difficult Jeep trail. The Forest Service graded
the trail last year, so thought I'd give it a try. It had
rained in Tucson two nights before, but it looked like most
of the snow in the mountains had melted.
After a bone-jarring one-hour Jeep ride up Charouleau Gap I arrived
at the trail head an noticed patches of snow on the ground.
Once I got on the trail the snow covered the ground, with the depth
increasing to about 3 inches (7.6 cm) by the time I turned
around. Even with the snow, the air was dry, and I had to stop
and refill my water bottle from the Pack Tap at the turn around
point as shown in the photo at left.
It's a little hard to see at the top of the photo, but I hung the
Pack Tap from a branch that was a bit low to the ground. I
normally would have just held it in the air, but I needed my right
hand to snap the picture.
I found it quite easy to fill my 1 L Nalgene, though as can be seen
it does have a nice wide mouth which makes it an easy target to hit,
and it is very stable standing upright without support.
I found it quite easy to remove the cap and to engage the spout with
my gloves on, though the gloves are very thin and have good
dexterity. As can be seen in the photo it was pretty chilly
with snow on the ground, but all the plastic parts worked without
problems.
The Pack Tap was easy to stow and remove from my day pack. It
doesn't fit into the hydration sleeve, so it definitely wanted to be
at the bottom of the pack.
Alamo Springs
During this hike, and the next two, I was the mule for my hiking
buddy, carrying the spare water to refill our bottles. The air
was quite dry, causing me to drink a lot of water. I easily
refilled my bottle from the Pack Tap en route.
Cochise Stronghold
 This was a pretty good ascent out of the
valley up to a saddle point. My hiking buddy and I both
refilled our water bottles at the summit. As can be seen in
the photo at left, the Pack Tap worked well with the more
narrow-mouth bottles often used by cyclists.
Ragged Top
 This hike is a nasty
scramble up a steep mountain in the Silverbell range, as one might
infer from the name of the peak. There are very few trees on
the mountain, so I managed to hang the Pack Tap from a rocky crag to
refill my bottle at the halfway point as can be seen in the photo at
right.
Despite the fact that the Pack Tap was not completely vertical, I
was able to fill my bottle without spilling a drop. I was
pleased with how well it hung from the rock - I had no problems with
slipping.
Sedona
 On
Thanksgiving Day we knocked around Red Rock State Park in the
morning, and Cathedral Rock in the afternoon. The morning hike
was along Oak Creek. I was the "mule" on this trip and it was
my job to keep everyone's water bottle replenished, which is what I
am doing in the photo at left.
It was nice to be able to carry enough water for four people for a
day's outing. It cuts down on the number of packs, bottles,
etc. that have to be organized and toted along the trail.
Agua Caliente
 This trail gains a lot of altitude in a very short
distance, which makes me breathe pretty hard and lose a lot of
moisture in a very short time period. The Pack Tap did a great
job of refilling my Nalgene at the top of the hike, but on the way
down I saw the perfect hanging spot on this alligator juniper tree,
so I had to take a picture of the gear as shown at right. (It is
easy to see how this tree got its name, making it one of the trees I
can always identify in the backcountry with the distinctive bark).
There is a moral to the story: there is not always a place to hang
the Pack Tap when needed, and sometimes there's a place to hang it
when you don't need to. With one hand required to operate the
spigot, I find I either need a place to hang the Pack Tap, or I need
a bottle with a wide bottom and opening so I can use two hands (as I
did in Sedona above) and not have to hang on to the water container
being filled.
The Cap and Valve
 The cap and
valve assembly are shown in close-up at left. The Pack Tap
is refilled by pulling the plastic valve off of the mating piece
on the reservoir. Every time I do this I have the feeling I
am going to break it. That fear may be totally unfounded, as
it is still working fine after removing it many times.
On the plus side the valve itself has been very reliable. I
haven't had a drop of water leak from it. The design seems
very robust: the tab is pushed up by a finger which flexes the
plastic beneath it pulling it away from the opening on the
bottom. There are no real "moving" parts here, nothing to
wear or break, unless the whole piece is torn.
Summary
Good things:
- No leaks after two months of use.
- I was too lazy to empty and dry it out after most of my hikes,
so I have had water in the Pack Tap for most of the last two
months and I have detected no off odors or flavors in the water
after extended amounts of time.
- Stows easily in my pack.
- Easy to operate the spigot valve
- Fluid flows nicely vertical from the valve, it doesn't spray
out horizontally at all.
Concerns:
- Either two hands are required for use (one to hold, one to
hold the valve open), or it must be hung from something.
There are times when I wished I had three hands.
- I still worry I am going to break the valve when I take it off
to refill.
- The cap falls down and somewhat gets in the way when I am
trying to fill a bottle. This is visible on all the photos
above showing the Pack Tap in use filling a bottle. Not a
major issue, more of a nuisance than anything.
Long Term Report
Field Conditions
Date
|
Location
|
Trail
|
Distance
|
Terrain/ trail type
|
Weather
|
Altitude range
|
| January 21-22, 2012 |
Rincon Mountains, Saguaro National Park East
Unit, East of Tucson, Arizona |
Quilter
|
20 mi
(32.2 km) |
Desert ridgelines |
Mostly sunny, 29-65 F
(-1.7-18.3 C) |
2700-5500 ft
(820-1680 m) |
Feb 5, 2012
|
Silverbell Mountains, Ironwood National
Monument, West of Tucson, Arizona |
Ragged Top
|
3 mi
(4.8 km)
|
Very rocky, little perceptible trail, strewn
with cactus |
Mostly sunny, 60 F (15 C)
|
2400-3300 ft
(730-1010 m) |
| Feb 24-26, 2012 |
Organ Pipe National Monument, and Cabeza
Prieta National Wildlife Refuge near Ajo, AZ |
Charlie Bell
|
11.5 mi
(18.5 km) |
Basalt and granite rock fragments on a Jeep
trail |
Sunny, 50-80 F
(10-27 C) |
825-1500 ft
(250-460 m) |
Quilter Trail
This was a weekend backpacking trip to a brand-new section of the
Arizona National Scenic Trail on the south side of the Rincon
Mountains in Saguaro National Park. It was an in/out hike, so
the distance was spread equally over two days. We were pretty
sure we would have water at the Grass Shack campsite we were staying
at, but I filled up the Pack Tap before I left just to be certain of
having water.
Indeed there was great flow in the stream at the campsite due to the
winter snows and recent rains. I was a little dehydrated from
the hike in so I drank the remainder of the water in the Pack Tap,
then set out to filter water from the stream for the first time with
this gear:
Fortunately, as can be seen in the picture, there were some
good-sized rocks along the stream bed that allowed me to prop up the
Pack Tap for filling. This worked pretty well, and I estimate
I was able to get about 3.5 L (3.7 qts) before the water starting
running out of the opening. The experience did make me
appreciate the ease with which I can filter into a hydration
bladder, where the tubing connects right up to my filter and I can
just set the bladder on the ground anywhere and never spill a drop
while I fill it to capacity. It would be nice if Sea To Summit
would provide a fitting for the Pack Tap opening that would do the
same.
Ragged Top (reprise)
Charlie Bell
 This
was a two-night weekend backpacking trip. On Friday night I
camped at Organ Pipe National monument in the park campground
which had a water supply.
Saturday we drove as far as we were allowed up Charlie Bell pass
into the Cabeza Prieta wilderness, parked our vehicles and
backpacked into our campsite across the pass. This was
planned to be a dry camp, so I was carrying 6 L/qts of water, four
in the Pack Tap, one in my Nalgene and one in another
bottle. It was a good thing I did as I consumed every last
drop.
The photo at right shows my Nalgene getting filled at the
campsite while the Pack Tap was still pretty full, hanging from a
Palo Verde tree branch. One thing I noticed this time, since
I needed every last drop from the vessel, I needed to literally
wring out the last bit of water from the bladder to drain it
completely. The outer fabric is quite heavy and stiff, which
is a good thing from a durability perspective, but it does make it
a little more work to get the last bit of water out.
Summary
I never did really use the side slots to tie the pack tap down,
probably because I normally do not take stretch cords or rope with
me to do these sorts of things. I always carried the Pack Tap
inside my pack, located right against the back panel so the weight
was as close to me as possible.
The Pack Tap has a well-earned permanent spot in my kit whenever I
need to carry large amounts of water, which is pretty often here in
Arizona. I have come to trust its reliability, ease of stowing
in my pack, and large carrying capacity. I really like not
having to treat the vessel with "kid gloves"; I can fling it into my
pack and not worry what I pack next to it, nor be concerned about
accidental spillage or leaks.
Good Things:
- Still no leaks after 4 months. For me, nothing is more
important from a water vessel than reliability.
- The valve never failed despite repeatedly being tugged from
the fitting to fill or drain the Pack Tap. It must be made
from some pretty tough plastic.
- Easy to hang from pretty much anything using the provided
strap.
Recommendations:
- Provide a plug-in fitting for the opening to allow direct
connection from a water filter as an option.
Many thanks to Sea to Summit and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this product.
Read more reviews of Sea to Summit gear
Read more gear reviews by Kurt Papke
|
