Reviews > Packs > Pack Accessories > Simblissity Unslack Pack > Jamie DeBenedetto > Long Term Report

Simblissity Ultralight UnSlack Pack™
(with optional Hipbelt Kit)

Long Term Report - August 29th, 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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Field Locations and Conditions of this Test Series

This is the third and final report in a series of three on the Simblissity UnSlack Pack. All testing was conducted in Arizona on both desert mountain trails and in heavily wooded forests. Elevations ranged from 1,400 ft (430 m) in the desert up to 9,150 ft (2,800 m) at the summit of Mt. Lemmon near Tucson. Temperatures fell in the 55 F (10 C) to 100 F (38 C) range on all outings. Weather was clear or partly cloudy with one thunderstorm in August where we had about a half an hour or so of light rain.

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Long Term Findings

In the last two months of testing I used the UnSlack Pack about fifteen more times on either my Ultimate Direction Rampage or a couple of different lumbar packs. During these outings I focused most of my attention on five specific attributes of the pack centered around either problems encountered during the field testing phase or aspects I did not have an opportunity to evaluate previously.

UnSlack Pack as a Hipbelt Accessory

One neat thing about the UnSlack Pack is its versatility as an accessory pocket. Not only can it be front mounted off a shoulder strap it can also be fastened to a hipbelt. Simblissity included a "hipbelt kit" with the original product shipment, which was made up of a longer nylon strap and a longer compression cord presumably to accommodate heavily padded backpack hipbelts. None of the packs I own have wide hipbelts so I have not needed to use the hipbelt kit's components yet. Regardless, the hipbelt position worked great. In fact, I preferred it in this location because it alleviated the rubbing I had experienced on my arm when the pack was up on the shoulder strap and I still had an extra pocket to store all my little "must have" items. I did not have any problems attaching the pack to or removing it from the hipbelt nor did I have any problems with items falling out of the pocket as a result of it lying sideways along the belt.

Durability of the Hook-and-Loop

After my initial ten or so outings I started to notice a slight decrease in the holding power of the hook-and-loop strip used on the main compartment of the UnSlack Pack. This strip is a finer grade hook-and-loop and therefore is less aggressive; unfortunately the byproduct of this is a noticeable loss of its adhesion on the sides next to the pack's side seams. Although I noticed this happening fairly early on it doesn't appear to be getting worse, at least not at a rapid rate. Most importantly the decrease has not resulted in anything falling out of this pocket but I think the snap in the middle has a great deal to do with that.

Trouble with the Corner Hitting my Arm

Before switching the pack to a hipbelt fixture I wanted to spend a little more time on the experience I had with the outer corner of the pack rubbing on my upper arm as I walked. This was more annoying than obstructive but since I wear sleeveless shirts at least half the year while hiking I wanted to find a solution if possible. I searched the manufacturer's website for some help and noticed the male model pictured was wearing his UnSlack pack higher up on his pack's shoulder strap. I tried this location with good results but found it a little higher than I would prefer with regards to getting into the pouch and getting items out. It's not a bad trade off, however, since it does correct the arm rubbing and of the two I find that to be far more bothersome.

UnSlack Pack as a Water Bottle Caddy

When I tried using the pack as a water bottle holder previously I didn't have very good results. In my initial tests I had two problems. The bottle was too bulky and bobbled around quite a lot and it was not securely lashed into the compartment by the compression straps. I have since retried this experiment with the same 24 fl oz (710 ml) water bottle but this time it was attached to a thicker shoulder strap (I originally used a thin one) and I restrung the compression straps as suggested on the Simblissity literature. Unfortunately, although my approach was different my results were the same. The bottle shifted from side to side either hitting my arm or my chest. It also took a bit more work to get the bottle in and out of the pack each time. If I had a bottle with a straw so I didn't need to remove the bottle to get a drink, I would say it was doable. Without that option, however, the process took a little more time and energy than I'm willing to spend just to have a "quick" blast of water.

It is important to note that despite my dislike for how the UnSlack pack performed while toting a water bottle the manufacturer's claim that the pack can carry this size container is ultimately true. The UnSlack did securely hold the bottle and the compression strap was useful in keeping it in place even when I bent down.

Waterproof Fabric and Water-resistant Construction

As the end of the test period drew closer I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get a chance to see if the pack's fabric and construction would protect its contents from the elements. The hose was beginning to look like my only option, and then finally in mid August we had a little thunderstorm. Following the advice from the Simblissity website I used a zipper-lock style baggie into which I encased a big paper towel. I then placed both inside the main compartment of the pack and sealed it shut. As a control I put a second paper towel inside another zipper-lock baggie and then tossed both the UnSlack Pack and the exposed baggie out in the rain for about a half an hour. At the end of the shower I brought both bags inside and checked the paper towels for dampness. Neither was wet. I came away from this little trial with two thoughts, first I must be choosing a good brand of baggies, and second it is inconclusive as to whether or not the UnSlack Pack's fabric actually has good waterproof qualities. The real test will be on a day I'm in the field and an unexpected rain starts and I don't have any of the contents of the pack in a baggie. Unfortunately, I'm sure that time around I will be carrying something a bit more important than a paper towel.

I have really enjoyed testing the UnSlack Pack these past few months. It has turned out to be a very versatile and useful accessory item. Thank you Backpackgeartest.org and Simblissity Ultralight Designs for the opportunity to be part of this test series.

Jamie J. DeBenedetto
August 29th, 2006

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Reviews > Packs > Pack Accessories > Simblissity Unslack Pack > Jamie DeBenedetto > Long Term Report