HIGH SIERRA SPORT COMPANY  NAJA 70+10 BACKPACK FIELD REPORT: JANUARY 2004

Personal Information

• Name : Graham Blamey
• Age : 59
• Height : 1.82 m (6' 0")
  
• Weight : 75 kg (165 lb)
• Email : gg@higray.fsnet.co.uk
• County : Essex
• Country : UK
• Additional product related information
  
• Torso :  53.3 cm (21")
• Chest : 106.7 cm (42")
• Waist :  86.4 cm (34")

Backpacking background

I first went camping at about age five and have been camping, on and off, ever since.  I started serious walking about 21 years ago and backpacking a few years later.  I have backpacked, with my wife Ginny, mainly in Europe and the UK. We have spent three weeks of each year for the last six years, backpacking on variations of the GR11, a long-distance, high-level route that follows the spine of the French/Spanish Pyrenees.  We are fortunate in living in an area surrounded by countryside and are able to walk daily on a network of public Rights of Way that exist in the UK.  We additionally spend at least one day a week on long day-walks in different areas within a two hour drive of our home.  We take a number of three-to four-day backpacking trips throughout the year and take part in several night and weekend orienteering events.  Our backpacking style, although essentially traditional (mid-weight backpacks, Therm-a-Rests, tent etc.) is getting increasingly lighter as we explore the possibilities brought about by new materials and designs.

Product  Information

• Manufacturer: High Sierra Sport Company
• Manufacturers website: http://www.highsierrasport.com

The following is taken from the information leaflet included with the pack:

• 70 liter (4272 cu in) capacity, top-load main compartment with gusseted drawstring closure under the lid
• 10 liter (610 cu in) easy-access drop-bottom compartment
• Adjustable lid with neoprene sport flap holds a helmet
• Multiple compression straps secure gear
• Lashing hardware holds ice ax or hiking poles
• Elastic shock cord on front holds a shovel or other accessories
• VAPEL mesh Airflow padded back wicks moisture
• Ergo-Fit VAPEL mesh Airflow padded shoulder harness with adjustable load-lifters 
• VAPEL mesh Airflow adjustable padded waist belt helps secure the pack
• Adjustable sternum strap stabilizes the pack
• Dual-side mesh water bottle pockets
• Reflective accent piping for safety
• Stowable rain cover in bottom zippered pocket
• Torso length: 14"-18" (35.6-45.7 cm ) (Internal frame adjusts from 18"-20" (45.7 -50.8 cm)
• Pack weight:  6 lb (2.7 kg)
• Size: 28.5" x 14.5 x 9" (72.4 x 36.8 x 22.9 cm)
• Made with High Sierra's super-durable 1000-denier Duralite, 600-denier Duralite, Duralite Diamond and Mini Ripstop
• Hydration port (reservoir not included)

Product Overview

 
The HSSC Naja 70+10 is a big, fully featured backpack,
suitable for multi-day trips and winter use.
It has a 70 L (4272 cu in) main compartment and a 10 L (610 cu in) base compartment.
It has a 'floating' lid that can be extended but not completely removed, lid pockets, side mesh pockets and a number of attachment points for axes and/or trekking poles.  
A helmet can be carried under the Neoprene flap on top of the pack and other incidentals can be attached under the side compression straps, on the various gear loops on the harness or under the elastic cord on the front.

For a full, detailed description of the pack and my initial impressions, see my:   HSSC Naja 70+10 INITIAL REPORT

Field testing

My field testing of the Naja started, by necessity, in my local Outdoor store.  I really wanted to try out the Neoprene helmet flap and the loops and fixing clips for ice axes and trekking poles, but not having these items to hand, I had a word with my local store manager and he gave me free use of what I needed.

The Neoprene helmet flap looks at first sight as if it would function admirably, but in reality was a little disappointing.  It's not as 'stretchy' or flexible as it appears. With the main body of the pack loaded full (but not the top pocket) inserting a helmet under the flap was easy, but as can be seen from the photo, in my opinion, the flap did not stretch around the helmet sufficiently to hold it really securely.  As can be seen, the straps are fully tightened, but the flap just doesn't cover enough of the helmet and it was easy to slide the helmet through the gap.  It might have made a difference if the top pocket had been loaded but that can't always be relied on.  I think the flap needs to be softer and more 'stretchy' or of a different shape and size.

The next items to be tried on the pack were ice axes.  The provision on the pack for these is two, fairly rigid, D-shaped reinforced loops near the base of the pack and two clamps, involving plastic cam-hooks and elastic cord, near to the top, (see photo left) but seeming to be in a place that conflicts with the main pack fastening straps.  I first attached a walkers axe and to do this, it was necessary to insert the spike of the axe into the lower loop and then clamp the shaft into the upper position with the cam-locking clip.  It's also possible to tighten the elastic part of this if the fixing feels a bit loose and once fixed it appeared to hold it pretty firmly.  The lower loop was certainly tight and held the spike very firmly, there appears to be little expansion in this, but the upper fixing has quite a lot of scope for adjustment.  The loops and fixing clips are slightly offset to the vertical line of the pack so the axe head did project slightly outside the line of the side of the pack (see photo right). This might be a nuisance when negotiating a narrow gully or hazard or when walking in close proximity to companions and as, when axes are in place, they do conflict with the main pack fastening straps, I think the top clips should be moved a little towards the centre line of the pack.  

The photo on the right also shows a second, climbing axe, fixed to the sack.  This axe, because of its thicker shaft, took some pushing to fit it into the bottom loop and, being shorter than a walkers axe, just made it to the top clamp.  Admittedly I did have quite a bit of the spike in the bottom loop and in retrospect, this was a mistake, as it then wasn't easy to remove the axe.  This axe, despite the difference in head shape, still projected a little  from the side of the pack body.

I then tried fitting a couple of hiking/trekking poles (see photo left), fairly standard, and with a collapsed length of  63.5 cm (25"). These, obviously being slimmer, were a sliding fit in the lower loops with room to spare, but clamping them into the upper clips was, surprisingly, more difficult than fitting the thicker axe shafts.  I needed to take in all of the elastic adjustment and even then they slid up and down.  This meant that, in effect, they slid down until the handles stopped them sliding any further.  I felt that they were pretty secure and there was no danger of them slipping out, but a longer pole might slide down and project beyond the base of the pack and prove to be inconvenient.

It's also possible to carry a climbing rope under the compression straps on either side although these place it fairly near to the back of the sack and, very slightly, impede the wearers arm movement.

The adjustable, elastic 'bungee' cord that runs, criss-cross, down the front of the pack will take a fleece or waterproof and hold it fairly compactly and tidily.  The mesh pockets on either side of the pack will take a 0.75 L (25 oz ) water bottle but with a hydration sleeve inside the pack these might be more useful for other things that need to be readily accessed (a hat, gloves etc.).  On each side, at the base of the pack, is a small zippered pocket.  These will just about take a set of car keys or other small objects.

The hydration sleeve, fitted on the harness side inside the pack, takes my 2 L (68 oz ), narrow Platypus bladder comfortably and I feel sure would be sufficiently large enough to take a 3 L (101 oz ) bladder of the same shape.  The tube threads easily out of the custom outlet on either side and then is in exactly the right place to run over the shoulder strap and end up with the bite-valve near to the sternum strap.

Field testing proper has, so far, been a bit limited.  A projected four day trip that I had organised in December had to be postponed at short notice due to family illness, so the only use the pack has had, has been on day walks.
Loaded with my usual gear for a day has not taxed the Naja's cavernous size too much but neither does it do much for it's stability.  It feels unbalanced with the load unevenly distributed, but that's only to be expected.  I can usually get everything for a winter days walk, including my full 2 L (68 oz) Platypus and food, comfortably in a 35 L (2000 cu in) pack (this is for lowland walking in moderate weather not mountain walking).  In the Naja, without using the bottom pocket and with the divider zipped closed, this load occupies about one third of the main compartment and puts the bulk of the weight near to the bottom of the pack.  I do like having a dedicated hydration sleeve and outlet, although how it will be re-filling it with a full pack I've yet to find out.  Without a full load (in terms of volume and weight) the lack of length in the back-length adjustment, which I expressed concern about in my Initial Report, hasn't been too much of a problem but I still can't get the hip-belt to ride low enough for my tastes.  I'm hoping that with a load of about 15 kg (33 lb) the pack will be persuaded to ride a bit lower and I'll find it more comfortable.

Further Field Testing

I have initially been using the Naja on day-walks, to get the fit and carrying comfort right. I'll probably load it up with an average 3- 4-day load and use it on a day-walk, as it will be interesting to see whether the Naja's adjustment scope can meet my demands.  Is it as comfortable as it first appears to be?  Can I carry it loaded all day with no discomfort? Are the various pockets and lashing points useful?  Does the rain cover work well?  I'll probably need to bend the alloy stays a little for it to conform to my slightly curved back shape, will this be possible?  It's a heavier pack (base-weight) than I would normally carry, but will the apparent comfort make me forget this?  How well will it stand up to the stresses and strains that are par for the course when backpacking?

As we are now in mid-winter here in the UK and we enter the next phase of testing the Naja, we can look forward to wet, windy, cold weather - or wet, windy, mild weather  - or any possible combination.  Weather in the UK (especially at the moment) is notoriously unpredictable.  We have, so far, had quite a bit of rain but during clearer periods, have had overnight lows of -5 C (23 F).  Last winter was very wet but not especially cold, we only had snow on a couple of occasions. We can get prolonged periods of rain, followed by periods of clear, cold, frosty weather with temperatures hovering around 0 C (32 F) and below.  All of this applies to the south-east UK where I live, winter can be quite different and very hostile in the Scottish Highlands or the Welsh mountains and some of these areas have experienced blizzard conditions so far this winter.

I'd like to thank BackpackGearTest and High Sierra Sport Company for the opportunity of testing this pack.