Name: Gail Staisil
Age: 53
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 140 lb (64 kg)
Location: Marquette, Michigan USA
Email: woodswoman2001@yahoo.com

Photo Album Website: http://community.webshots.com/user/isleroyalegirl

For the last 16 years, backpacking has become a passion. I am a four-season backpacker and an off-trail navigator. Although I do take yearly trips to the American West or Southwest, the majority of my trips are in Michigan and Canada. My pack weight varies considerably, but my base weight is below 20 lb (9.1 kg). I am primarily a tarp camper, who averages over 50 nights a year backpacking in a huge variety of weather conditions including relentless rain, wet snow and sub-zero temps.

---

simBLISSity UnSlack Pack-- Description

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Simblissity
Website: http://www.simblissity.net
Contact: info@simblissity.net
Model: UnSlack Pack
Model Year: 2006
Color: White
Materials: Silicone Coated RipStop Nylon, Nylon Mesh
MSRP (Pack): $21.95 US
MSRP(Hipbelt Kit): $2.55 US

Manufacturer Values:

The Simblissity UnSlack Pack arrived with a sheet of instructions for set up and a Hipbelt Kit was tucked inside the pack. Although I have owned and utilized many aftermarket pocket products over the years, this is by far the lightest I have ever seen or used. The main pocket of the UnSlack Pack is made out of white Nylon Ripstop fabric while all the other materials used in the pack are black in color. Those include the Nylon mesh outer pocket material as well as the stretch compression cord and grosgrain ribbon and Velcro closures. The website does list additional color choices of green and blue for the main pocket. 

The UnSlack Pack is sort of shaped like a flat sandwich bag with a folded box-like bottom that easily unfolds into shape. When folded out the bottom is 1.5 in (3.81 cm) wide and it gives the pocket a 3-D shape. The top pocket opening has matching loops comprised of 1 in (2.54 cm) long grosgrain pull tabs that are stitched in place on the front center and back center of the top opening. When each of these loops are grasped, the center snap can be undone quite easily. In addition to the center snap, a strip of Velcro closes the top opening and that pulls apart at the same time as when the snap is opened. I will certainly test these two protective features to determine how securely they help to hold items inside of the pocket. The back grosgrain pull tab has a length of sturdy Nylon webbing running through it with a ladder-lock buckle attached to one end. That webbing is used to secure the UnSlack Pack to a shoulder strap or waistbelt of a pack. 

The front of the UnSlack Pack is overlaid with an extra pocket made out of black Nylon mesh. This pocket has a middle gusset which adds approximately 2 in (5.08 cm) of room to the pocket to swallow up a bigger item. The top edge of the mesh pocket is trimmed with a 0.75 in (1.91 cm) piece of grosgrain ribbon and backed by strips of Velcro. A small diameter braided loop measuring 1.25 in (3.17 cm) is stitched to  the center of the top ribbon. It can be grasped and used to pull the Velcro opening apart. 

The backside of the UnSlack Pack has two 2 in (5.08 cm) long grosgrain attachments with double tunnels for an 11 in (27.94 cm) piece of shock cord to be drawn through twice to the front side. The cord is knotted at the end and secured with a micro-size cordlock in the front of the pack. This is what comprises the Circumferential Compression Mounting System which is a notable feature of the pack. The drawn cordlock allows items in the pack to be further secured in place.

In addition, a Hipbelt Kit was sent with the pack. This ordinarily doesn't come with the pack itself but can be purchased for less than three dollars.The Hipbelt Kit includes extra nylon webbing (38 in/97 cm) with a ladder-lock buckle and a longer compression cord with micro cordlock.This would allow the pack to be attached to hipbelts as wide as 8 in (20.34 cm).

Structurally I am impressed with the UnSlack Pack. I turned it inside out and noticed that the side seams and the bottom seams were all sewn with black thread in the French Seam style. All of the attachment points for webbing or Velcro are reinforced with backstitching or double stitching.

The easy set-up instructions that accompany the UnSlack Pack seem to be very user friendly. There are diagrams illustrating each step to make set-up procedures easier although I think most of it is intuitive after a quick examination of the pack. However I know that instructions make it easier for many people. The instructions basically help a person find the correct position for their UnSlack Pack, help with suggestions for preventing the pack from slipping and also suggest alternative methods for mounting the pack.  

I mounted the UnSlack Pack to one of my backpacks to see if it was as easy as it looked. I quickly looped the attachment strap over the  harness strap of my backpack to secure the top position. I then undid the torso strap from its bottom ladderlock buckle and slipped the torso strap through the compression cord on the back of the UnSlack Pack. The strap was rethreaded into the buckle and cinched. Alternatively this could be done by taking the compression cord out of the micro cordlock and re-wrapping it around the harness.

I put my Olympus Stylus 410 Camera in the main pocket and it easily slipped into the pocket. Out of curiosity I instead put my padded camera case with camera in the main pocket  to see if it would fit. It did! If I ever felt that more padding was necessary for the camera, I would use that option. Although I will probably use the UnSlack Pack for my camera regularly, I am excited to test it storing other items as well. I will be testing it with a water bottle, maps, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm and the like.

---

simBLISSity UnSlack Pack--Test Plan

During the next few months, I will test the UnSlack Pack during several spring and summer backpacking trips. They include a four day trip to the Hiawatha National Forest in early May, a four to five day solo trip in May and several lengthy trips in the following months. All trips will be in the state of Michigan or to the province of Ontario in Canada. The testing conditions will be at low elevation or altitude 600 ft (183 m) to 2000 ft (610 m), with mostly semi-cool to warm conditions and mid-to-high range humidity (50-95 percent). The amount of time in the field will far surpass the minimum requirements for this test. In addition to these planned trips, I will most likely be taking several weekend-type trips during the testing period. I will also test the UnSlack Pack during my frequent trail runs and dayhikes. Those local trails utilized are of the steep, hilly and rocky variety under mostly heavy forest cover.

 

Rampant temperature change and much precipitation is expected during the four month testing period. Testing location temperatures will range from the average low in April of 27 F ( 4 C) to a high of 46 F ( 17 C). July being the hottest month of the test period historically has an average high of 75 F (29 C) and an average low of 53 F (11 C).  Precipitation averages for this time period add up to over 12 in (30 cm). All of these trips will be taken to hilly boreal or deciduous forest. Many of these trips are of the bushwhack variety, so in addition to the above, I will be encountering wet swampy areas and the like.

 

I will address the following concerns and more:

Comfort/Fit: Will the UnSlack Pack hinder my movement while backpacking or running? Can I easily get out of my shoulder harness with UnSlack Pack attached to it? Will the attachment points on the pack irritate or cause discomfort? Will the pack stay centered and not bounce when I do? Will the Circumferential Compression Mounting System eliminate that problem? Will the attachment point and webbing be of sufficient size so that it fits around various sizes of harnesses and belts?

Workmanship: Will the ends of the webbing and compression cord stay unraveled through the long-term testing period? Will the seams of the UnSlack Pack hold up to heavy use?

Durability: Will the materials used in the UnSlack Pack hold up to constant use? Will the 70 denier Silicone-coated Ripstop Nylon stay waterproof and the seams stay water resistant? Will the ladder-lock buckle, webbing, snap, Velcro closures, cordlock and compression cord perform over the long haul? Will the stitching hold up to items being taken in and out of the pack hundreds of times?

Care: Is there any special care that I need to address to keep the UnSlack Pack functioning properly? Does it have to be washed? If so, how is this best handled?

---

I will gladly address all these issues and any additional pertinent issues, as I test the UnSlack Pack. Thanks to Simblissity and BGT for this great opportunity during the next four months.