Granite Gear Air Compressor Stuff Sack

Initial Report – May 24, 2004

Tester Information:

Name: Jason Boyle
Age:  26
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 6”/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: Waldorf, Maryland, U.S.

Backpacking Background:

I have been camping and backpacking for about 15 years.  I started with the Boy Scouts when I was 11.  I first started hiking mostly in the southeastern United States (Florida, Alabama, Georgia).  Later, I went to college in Connecticut and became versed in the New England outdoors.  I currently live near Washington D.C. and hike and backpack in the Mid Atlantic Mountains.  I have been section hiking the Appalachian Trail and have completed all of the Connecticut and Maryland sections, and I am currently working on the Virginia section. I used to carry everything and the kitchen sink, but I have become weight conscious in recent years and have attempted to lighten my load.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Granite Gear

Model: Air-Line Air Compressor

Size: Medium, 8 in x 18.5 in (20 x 47 cm)

Year of Manufacture: 2004

URL: www.granitegear.com

Listed weight: 3.4 oz (96 g)

Measured weight: 3.0 oz (85 g)
**Disclaimer: the closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces**

MSRP: $26.00 US

Arrival:

            The stuff sack arrived in a standard white United Parcel Service bag.  The bag contained a 3.5 in x 2.6 in (9 cm x 7 cm) plastic cylinder covered with large bubble wrap for protection.  The cylinder has a clear hangtag for store display.  The stuff sack was rolled up inside the cylinder.  There was no other accompanying material such as catalogs of Granite Gear equipment etc…

Description:

            I immediately opened the cylinder to check out the stuff sack.  It looks like a standard end cap style compression sack.  It has two end caps and a main body.  None of the parts are made to be removable.  The bottom end cap is sewn to the main body and the top end cap is attached to the bottom end cap via four nylon straps.  The nylon strap ends, after passing through the buckle, are triple folded and sewn together to prevent the user from removing the top cap.

What separates this bag from other standard end cap type of compression sacks is the material it is made of.  The body of the stuff sack is made from 30 D Sil Cordura Nylon.  It is a lightweight fabric that is also supposed to be water resistant.  The silnylon is smooth and makes a crinkly noise when touched.  The end caps are made of 210-denier nylon to provide even more strength where the greatest stresses are expected.  This fabric is smooth, similar to the main body, but doesn’t make nearly as much noise when touched.

The bottom end cap has a 2 in x 8 in (5 cm x 20 cm) silnylon handle sewn on the ends to the end cap that serves as a billboard for the sack.  There is a large Granite Gear logo in the middle of the handle with a small “size” tag placed directly beneath it.  At the top of the handle is a tag advertising “Cordura, made only by Dupont.”  The top of the main body is folded over 1.25 inches (3 cm) to make a tunnel for the “micro cord”, a small piece of nylon twine, that serves as the closing mechanism for the main part of the sack.  The micro cord runs through the tunnel and exits through a “Hypalon Grommet” and then is run through a standard cord lock.  The “Hypalon Grommet” is a .75 x .75 in (2 cm x 2 cm) square piece of thicker material that protects the tunnel by strengthening the exit point of the nylon rope and providing padding against the cord lock. The compression straps have ergonomically friendly buckles that allow for easy release. The stitching on the sack appears to be done very well with no ragged stitches or fraying pieces.

The color of the bag is the same as the pictures shown on the website, black end caps and an opaque white body.  The colors suit me fine; I am not picky when it comes to my stuff sacks.  The opaque white body does allow me to see some of the color of what is being stored inside the sack. I don’t believe that Granite Gear makes this stuff sack in any other colors. 

Initial Impressions/Use:

            The stuff sack is just what I expected to receive based on the information on the website.  It is a standard end cap style compression sack, except that it is made with lighter fabrics.

            Using the stuff sack is a simple process.  The first step is to set the bag down on the bottom end cap and grab the opening of the main bag. Step two is to begin stuffing a sleeping bag, tent, whatever into the bag.  As I am stuffing, I like to rotate the sack around to make sure I am getting a uniform stuff.  After the stuffing is complete the fun really begins. The octopus that is the four nylon straps and the top cap have to be slid over the top of the main body.  This is where I generally have had the most problems with this style of stuff sack.  Once the top cap is over the main body, the compression straps can be tightened.  I like to start with one strap and take the slack out of that then move around the bag in a counterclockwise motion taking the slack out of each strap.  Once I have taken the slack out, I begin to compress each strap a little at a time until the sack has achieved maximum compression.  Decompression is much easier.  I just tend to let each compression strap out all the way, slide the top end cap off, remove the compressed contents, and toss the stuff sack to the side.  It is the last step that gets me in trouble.  Tossing the stuff sack to the side helps ensure that the compression straps are tangled the next time I use the sack.

Testing Plan:

            I will be taking this stuff sack with me on every outdoor trip that I take over the next six months.  I will be car camping with my scout troop at various places at least once a month. I will also be taking several weekend backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail in MD/VA.  Additionally, I will be taking two week plus backpacking trips, one to the Adirondacks and the other on the AT in Central VA.

My main use for the sack will be to carry my sleeping bags.  I use three sleeping bags, 2 synthetic bags: an EMS 20 bag, and an old Coleman mummy (I am unsure of the style) and one down bag: a Golite Feather bag.

The following are specific things I will examine during test, however, this list is not all-inclusive:

Durability:
How strong are the seams where the compression straps are attached?  I think this has the potential to become a weak spot.  How durable is the 30-D Sil Cordura body?  Is it subject to easy tearing if dropped on rocks and/or other material that may be on the forest floor?  Is the sil cordura waterproof?

Convenience:
How well do the side compression straps work? Will it allow me to
compress my stuff more than normal? How easy is the system to use?  I know on the compression bag I currently use, it is a huge puzzle when I am trying to untangle the straps. Is Granite Gear’s system any easier to use than the standard compression strap type of bag? 

Thanks again to BGT.org and Granite Gear for the opportunity to participate in this test.