Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Molehill Mountain Back Pack Diaper Bag > Jamie DeBenedetto > Field Report

Molehill Mountain Equipment Backpack (Diaper Bag)

Field Report - January 10th, 2006

Reviewer's Information

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Product Information and Description

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Field Test Locations and Conditions

The Molehill Mt. Backpack has been used almost everyday since it arrived in Oct. of 2005. For the most part our use of it has involved being worn by my husband or me while out and about or day hiking, transferring it between our vehicle and home several times a weeks and/or attachment to the handle of our stroller while zooming around town or walking the path at our neighborhood park. The elevation for most of this was around 1,500 ft (500 m). As far as the temperatures the pack as been used in, they have been very mild. Winter has apparently decided to take a holiday from the desert southwest and in its place we have had temperatures ranging throughout the 70's F (21 C) with lows around the mid to upper 40's F (5 C). Yes, we are totally spoiled here!

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Field Experiences in the First Two Months

My first order of business was to transfer all my kid stuff from my current backpack style diaper bag to the Molehill backpack. Everything fit, thank goodness, but I certainly could have used more room in the small front pocket. Since the main compartment of the day pack is a single large pocket, (meaning there aren't any spaces designated for smaller items or partitions in there) any small objects I need to carry and have easy access to have to go into either the small front pocket or the mesh pockets in the diaper bag section. Although, I think it's important to note that the mesh pouches in the diaper bag section are somewhat shallow and do not zip or fasten closed in any way (other than the "dirty duds" pouch). This has so far resulted in gear "jumping" out of these compartments, which in my opinion takes away the practicality of using them for little items, leaving me with only the small front pocket as a viable place to store this kind of gear.

Now the main bag of the pack on the other hand has been quite sufficient capacity wise. It holds a ton of stuff; I have to admit it has truly surprised me. The main bag easily takes all the belongings my family of four needs for a day hike and with the kids along we are certainly not going to win any awards for our minimalist approach to hiking. To give you a better picture of the amount of stuff I've stowed in the Molehill pack here's a little excerpt from my test notes.

December 25th, 2005
"We are heading out for a full day of family time at my sister-in-laws. I was hoping all our junk would fit in the new Molehill Diaper Bag and amazingly it did. I have loaded two pairs of kids' shoes and socks, two jackets, two sets of pajamas, a back up pair of size 4T pants and underwear, a digital camera, three cloth diapers, a bib and a beanie style hat in the main compartment with room to spare. Cool!"

That list did not include the items in the small front pocket, the diaper bag section, or the mesh side pockets. It also didn't include the daisy chain along the top of the zipper on the main bag, which I regularly use to clip my cell phone or keys. I like not having to dig to find these items and it frees up space in other pockets. The daisy chain is a feature I originally didn't think I would use but it has so far been a nice addition.

As convenient as the daisy chain is however, my favorite design feature of this pack so far is the two oversized mesh pockets on each side of the bag. They are just so darn useful I have to say someone was definitely using their noodle when they came up with these. Each one will easily contain a 32 fl oz (1 L) water bottle and a 16 fl oz (.5 L) bottle. What really make the receptacles so functional are the lockable, adjustable shock cords. They allow for a myriad of diverse items to be loaded into the pockets quickly and easily. For smaller items like my camera, I just cinch up the cord nice and tight and it stays put. With the cords fully cinched there is still a small amount of room between the opening and the side of the pack but I would say only maybe a 2 or 3 finger width so it's not much. I have not had any pieces of gear wriggle their way out of the side mesh pockets yet and I have carried sippy cups, toys, cameras, a pocket sized bible, various sized water bottles and kid's shoes in addition to water bottles in these pouches. Their adjustability is quite impressive.

The diaper bag section is also an area where I would say I've been mostly pleased so far. I really like the removable changing pad. It's wide and long enough for my almost two year old to lie down and have most of this body off the ground. It also provides enough cushion so he's protected from the rocks or sticky things we have on the ground out here in the desert. Its storage location is very convenient too. A quick fold and it fits right back in its little partition, no fuss or unzipping anything. I plan to try it as a sit pad and an extra insulation pad while we are camping. I'll report my findings in the Long Term Report.

The "dirty duds" pouch has done a fair job of housing used diapers and containing the odors but it's not very spacious. At most I was only able to squeeze two disposable diapers in there and that was pushing it. Had they been really full diapers I don't think they would have fit. This could be an issue while on trail or out for a long day but so far I haven't had an opportunity to test that scenario. An alternate thought I have had for the "dirty duds" pouch would be as a place to store some important small items. Because it zips shut I have been temped to use it as a safe bag for all the little things I need like diaper rash cream, hand sanitizer, etc. I'll give it a wash to see how well it cleans up and try it out in this capacity during the remainder of the test period and report my findings in the Long Term Report.

The mesh pockets have given me mixed feelings. On the one hand they are in a convenient location so I don't have to go searching around the pack for diapering items. On the other hand they don't hold very much and since they do not securely close I have often found things I put into a pouch loose in the bottom of the compartment. The two deeper pockets work nicely for diaper storage but I have only been able to load three size 3 disposable diapers in each pocket. I think a slightly more generous space would be nice so for longer trips I could fit more diapers in this section of the pack and save the main pack compartment for other gear. The smaller top pockets are really only useful for very tiny items like a small tube of rash cream or my spare set of keys. I would prefer if these were a bit deeper as well and with some way to close them.

On the outings where I have lugged the pack on my back I have been a little disappointed with overall comfort. With the changing pad in place and the straps properly cinched I haven't felt any of the contents inside the bag so the back panel is fine. The shoulder straps on the other hand just do not feel like they have a sufficient amount of padding. Here is another excerpt from my testing notes after a recent day hike.

January 6th, 2006
"I took a little morning hike with the boys today. The Molehill backpack easily carried the few items we brought along, even with the kids jackets stuffed inside, but the shoulder straps bugged me again. I thought about this as I hiked and I think since the full weight of the pack has to be on my shoulders I would like to have more padding and maybe a sternum strap."

The shoulder straps are very basic and that's fine when the bag is hanging from my stroller but wearing it for a few hours is totally different situation. I personally put comfort very high on my priority list for any backpack I'm planning to wear for longer than a half an hour. I don't know at what weight the pack starts to feel uncomfortable as I haven't been weighing the loaded bag before heading out, but I will start and post my findings in the final report.

Overall I'm enjoying the pack but I can see some areas for improvement for sure. I have several more aspects I plan to test over the remainder of the test period, all of which will of course be reported on. I am especially interested in a better solution for storing and keeping handy those pesky little things that easily get lost in the pack, ways to improve the overall comfort, and how well the pack will perform in a more rugged environment than my local desert mountain parks. I think we are going on eight-five days without rain now so I cannot guarantee the pack will see inclement weather conditions but you can bet if we get a storm I wont squander the opportunity to get the pack out in it for some testing.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
January 10, 2006

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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Molehill Mountain Back Pack Diaper Bag > Jamie DeBenedetto > Field Report