Reviews > Packs > Pack Accessories > Simblissity Unslack Pack > Jamie DeBenedetto > Field Report

Simblissity Ultralight UnSlack Pack™
(with optional Hipbelt Kit)

Field Report - July 4th, 2006

Reviewer's Information

Background/Experience

I began backpacking eighteen years ago after tagging along with my dad to various wild places in Arizona and California as a child. At present I hike in some capacity about fifteen times a month, mostly in Arizona with either the Canine Hiking Club of AZ or with my family. I prefer to sleep in a hammock and I gravitate toward multifunctional gear that will enhance my comfort level for minimal weight. I consider myself a lightweight packer but not ultralight. My total pack weight year round is rarely above 25 lbs (11 kg) for outings of two to three days.

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Product Information

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Product Description

The Simblissity UnSlack Pack is listed by the manufacturer as an "ultralight front-mounted carry system". In a nutshell it is a small pouch with a main compartment and a smaller mesh front pocket. For a more detailed description please see my Initial Report.

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Experiences Thus Far

Since receiving the Unslack Pack in April I have used it about a dozen (12) times. So far I have only used it in the shoulder strap position but I have tried it on three different packs. The following is a break down of the relevant locations and conditions in which the accessory pack as been used along with my thoughts.

Bi-Weekly Evening Hikes at North Mountain Park

North Mountain is a local desert recreation area located in the heart of Phoenix. The path I take is part desert, part paved road and due to a fairly steep grade it makes for a quick little workout. I normally carry my Ultimate Direction Rampage loaded with about 15 to 20 lbs (7 to 9 kg) of gear in an effort to enhance the fitness potential of these walks. Elevation ranges between 1,400 ft (430 m) at the trailhead up to 2,100 ft (640 m) at the top. Summer days are not hospitable for hiking here in the Southwest so all of these hikes took place in the post sunset hours when the temperatures had dropped back down into the 90's F (32 C). I have yet to experience any rain or other inclement weather on any of these evening jaunts.

I initially installed the UnSlack Pack on my shoulder strap with the top connection band hooked just above my sternum strap. This seemed to be a good location giving me access to the contents with both hands and a good visual of the pack as well. In this position I did experience rubbing on my upper arm from the outside corner of the pack. This was most noticeable when I was wearing a sleeveless top. Otherwise the pack functioned well at this location and I didn't have any problems with it sliding down the shoulder strap.

On most nights I carried a travel size package of tissue and lip balm in the front mesh pocket and a Garmin eTrex GPS unit along with a Black Diamond Cosmo headlamp in the main compartment. All of these items fit with room to spare. On one occasion I tried carrying an 8 fl oz (240 ml) water bottle in the main pocket along with the tissue, lip balm and an emergency whistle in the mesh. Everything fit but when I would remove the bottle the items in the mesh would shift positions making it hard to put the bottle back in without opening the mesh pocket and readjusting. The 8 fl oz (240 ml) size bottle seemed to be a good size for the pack and with draw cord cinched it stayed in place nicely with very little sway from side to side.

The elastic draw cord has worked well to tighten everything down regardless of what I have carried in the pack up to this point. I have not noticed any slippage from the tiny cord lock either. The only aspect of the pack that has been somewhat problematic is the closure system used on the main compartment, specifically the strip of "gentle-touch Velcro". I have noticed a slow decline in its holding power. After a few months of use it has now started to loose its adhesion on the sides next to the pack's side seams. The snap in the middle of the hook-and-loop strip helps hold the rest of the strip together so up to now the open ends of the Velcro have not allowed any of the contents to pop out. I am wondering if the issue will grow over more months of use, however. I will note any significant changes or advances in the holding power of the closure system in my Long Term Report.

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Car camping at Burro Creek

Burro Creek Canyon is in northwestern AZ, elevation 2,000 ft (610 m). It is a riparian area surrounded by portions of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. When I was there in late April the nighttime lows stayed around 60 F (16 C) with near 90 F (32 C) temperatures in the daytime. Weather conditions were clear, dry and calm.

On this outing I day hiked on two different occasions wearing a very minimal daypack made by Granite Gear. The shoulder straps on this pack are not padded and as such would not hold the UnSlack Pack's attachment strap in place, despite cinching it tightly. I took this opportunity to try an alternate attachment option for the little accessory pocket. Instead of wrapping the attachment strap around the shoulder strap I hung it from a piece of the sternum strap, which is sewn to the shoulder strap. There was definitely more side to side sway with this setup but it worked well enough to hold my camera, tissue, lip balm and car keys. It did not work well with a 24 fl oz (710 ml) water bottle inside the main pocket. There was plenty of room for the bottle to fit with a few items in the mesh pocket but the bulk of the bottle mixed with the more relaxed attachment option allowed for far too much sway as I walked. To add insult to injury, the bottle, which of course stuck out above the Velcro strip on the main compartment, would fall out when I bent over. I plan to try this same size bottle (which is the size shown on the manufacturer's website) again when the UnSlack Pack is more firmly fastened to another, more padded backpack. I also noticed on the manufacturer's website there is a picture of the larger bottle being worn in the pack. In this picture the user has the top section of draw cord pulled up over the top notch of the bottle. This appears to create a more secure hold on the bottle. I will try both and see if they have an affect on performance.

The picture here shows a 24 fl oz (710 ml) water bottle inside the UnSlack Pack while it is attached to the shoulder strap of my UD Rampage. When used with a bottle of this size only a small bag of tissue and my lip balm fit in the mesh compartment. (not shown here)

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Overnight backpack in the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness

Aravaipa Canyon is northeast of Tucson, AZ, elevation 2,600 ft (800 m). It is a lush riparian area surrounded by typical Sonoran Desert landscape. We had a nighttime low of about 60 F (16 C) and daytime highs up around 95 F (35 C) or slightly higher when I was there at the end of May. Weather conditions were clear, dry and for the most part calm with an occasional light breeze in the afternoon and early evening.

The conditions on this trip were perfect for lightweight gear so I chose to use my Six Moon Designs Comet backpack and again wear the UnSlack Pack on the shoulder strap. This is the third backpack to which I have affixed the UnSlack Pack during the Field Report phase. It has slightly less padding than my UD Rampage but far more than the Granite Gear day pack. The accessory pocket easily attached to the Comet and stayed put without needing readjustment over the two days of walking.

For the first time since receiving the pack I was carrying both my GPS unit and my Kodak EasyShare camera, which is 4 x 1.5 x 2.5 inches (10 x 4 x 6.5 cm). I decided to see if both would fit in the pack's main compartment. Though it was possible to put both inside, it was not very practical when it came to removing them. It was a tight fit and difficult to pull one out without the other coming out along with it. Trying to stuff either of them back in next to the other while walking through dense brush and watching for rattlesnakes was also more easily said than done. Individually they fit with room to spare so I ended up taking the GPS out to make it more convenient to reach my camera.

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Proposed Test Strategy for the Remaining Two Months

Short hikes in the night time hours will continue throughout the next few months and I anticipate being able to use the UnSlack Pack on at least three full day hikes and possibly one more backpacking trip during the final months of the test period. It is unlikely I will be able to try the UnSlack pack on my son's backpack child carrier as I had listed in my Initial Report. He has become more independent and less enthused about riding in the carrier but I will still be using the accessory pocket on my two other backpacks, on my daypack and on the diaper bag daypack I often tote while walking with my kids.

A few other areas I have not had a chance to evaluate but will be looking at in the Long Term testing phase are; a) the manufacturer's claims regarding the UnSlack Pack's wet-weather protection abilities, b) the durability of the fabric and the hook-and-loop strips, c) the stability of the pack while I'm doing more strenuous activities like jumping, rock hopping, running, etc., and d) how well the pack works mounted on the hip belt.

Finally, as I mentioned in the paragraphs above I have a few tests involving repositioning the pack on the shoulder strap to see if it fixes the issue of the corner rubbing on my arm and I want to again try the larger water bottle in the main compartment. I think a more creative use of the compression cord and a more stable attachment on the shoulder strap will help. I will report on any resulting change in performance on either of these issues.

Thank you Backpackgeartest.org and Simblissity Ultralight Designs for the opportunity to be part of this test series.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
July 4th, 2006

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