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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Molehill Mountain Back Pack Diaper Bag > Chuck Carnes > Initial ReportMolehill Mountain Equipment
Backpack Diaper Bag  by Chuck Carnes Report Date: November 4, 2005
Carrier / User
Name: Chuck Carnes Age: 35 Gender: Male Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 175 lb (79 kg) E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Greenville, South Carolina USA Items carried in pack for Name: Jonah Age: 17 Months Gender: Male Height: 31 in (79 cm) Number of diapers used in a day: 5 - 6
Chuck:
I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking since then. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one-man tent camper for now. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can. Jonah: He really enjoys the outdoors also. He loves looking at the wildlife when it is around. He goes on many day hikes with us as a family and enjoys sleeping in a tent. He is still in diapers and can walk pretty good but not quite stable enough to let him hike on his own without being carried or strolled.
Manufacturer: Molehill Mountain
Model: Backpack Diaper Bag Year of manufacture: 2005 Color: Purple / Black URL: www.molehillmtn.com Weight as listed: None listed MSRP: $49.99 US Feature (taken from the web site): Our diaper bags continue to be the best on the market. Fold-out changing pads, innovative carrying features, generous bottle pockets, sanitary "dirty duds" pockets, and durable construction extend the lives of these packs by becoming functional day pack features after the kids are out of diapers.
The
Molehill Mountain Backpack Diaper Bag is much more than I anticipated
in a diaper bag. It arrived in a clear plastic bag that was inside a
brown box. It showed up in excellent condition. The color that I
requested was blue/black but I received a purple/black bag. I certainly
was not disappointed because it was a nice color and to me, the bag
quality is
what is most important. I started inspecting the bag for loose threads but I
did not find any and all of the seams are correctly sewn.
I have had, and still have, a lot of experience with diaper bags. As a father of three boys, I have had my share of carrying diaper bags. The Molehill Mountain Backpack Diaper Bag has really impressed me with a simple design but has gone over the top on functionality. To me, a bag does not have to have a ton of useless pockets for it to function properly as a diaper bag. The main compartment of this diaper bag is large in capacity and has a lot of room for clothes, blankets and larger items that don't fit in the changing compartment. It does not have any pockets on the inside which is nice because I don't have to worry about putting something in them, packing it to the maximum capacity and not even being able to get to the pocket. The main compartment is accessed by way of double zipper that zips from mid-way of the pack on one side, up and over, and down mid-way to the other side. Both zippers have zipper pulls and the opening is very large for packing bulky items. Between the main compartment zipper and the shoulder straps are six daisy chains that run the length of the main compartment zipper. On the top is a loop handle made with 1.0 in (2.5 cm) web strap. On the front of the main compartment is a pocket that is smaller than the main compartment and is accessed by a single zipper. This pocket is good for small items such as kid books, medical kits or anything in the like. This pocket does not have a key chain clasp or any clip that might be used for such a thing. I would like to see some kind of clip so that I wouldn't have to go digging for my keys at the end of the day of hiking when it is raining, have a crying child ready to get in the car or for just plain convenience. On the front of this pocket is a very small mesh sleeve. I personally describe it as a sleeve because it really has no depth to it. It measures 9.5 in (24.1 cm) wide and 4 in (10 cm) tall. It is closed by a single zipper. This pocket is good for small trash such as candy wrappers, used baby wipes from cleaning hands and faces or small semi-flat objects. The back panel is what I consider the changing compartment of the pack. This is where the diapers, wipes, ointment, lotions and things that you would normally use for changing a baby are stored. I am truly impressed with this area. The panel is accessible by way of two two-way zippers. The zippers run from the bottom corner, up, across the top and back down to the bottom corner on the other side. The panel opens to expose the inside of the changing area. Attached to the back portion of the pack are four mesh pockets. Two of them are the perfect size for diapers and a travel case wipes container. These two pockets measure 6 in (15 cm) wide and 10 in (25 cm) tall each and expand out to about 2 in (5 cm). Five to six diapers will fit in one pocket and an additional two or three will fit with the travel case. Above these two mesh pockets are two more mesh pockets that are smaller in size. They measure 6 in (15 cm) wide and 3.5 in (8.8 cm) tall each and also expand out of about 2 in (5 cm). These pockets are good to hold small items such as snacks, small bottle, liners, soiled diaper bags, wash towels and things like that. In front of the two larger mesh pockets is a clear plastic pouch that measures 11 in (27.9 cm) wide and 7.5 in (19.0 cm) tall. This pouch is removable by two hook and loop tabs in the upper corners of the pouch. The pouch is sealed by a single zipper. This pouch is named the "Dirty Duds" pouch for use of, well, I guess dirty duds. Attached to the panel portion of this area is the changing pad. The panel has a sleeve that is attached and allows the folded changing pad to be placed in this sleeve. The pad is a very nice size and is folded in thirds. The pad is covered with a slick nylon that will allow easy cleaning of the pad. See pictures below.    
Part
of my test plan will be to visit
these locations with Jonah during my test period. The locations and
their
information is as follows.
Jones Gap: Conditions: The temperatures don’t get too bad until November and December but coming off the summer months the rain and humidity makes up for it in October. Elevation: 4500 to 5500 ft (1372 to 1676 m) Temperatures and precipitation average for this testing period:
Are the organizational pockets in the middle and front pockets located in a good, easy to access place? Does most items have a designed place to fit such as bottles, wipes and small items? Is the changing pad attached to the pack or can I put it in any pocket? Is there a clear pouch also for small items? Is there a separate pouch for soiled or wet items? If I am backpacking with my son, is it easy to attach the diaper bag to my main pack?
Read more reviews of Molehill Mountain gear Read more gear reviews by Chuck Carnes Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Molehill Mountain Back Pack Diaper Bag > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||