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Granite Gear Air Compressor
| Initial Report |
May 11, 2004 |
Personal Biographical Information
Name:
Michael Herman
Age: 20
Gender:
Male
Height:
5' 11'' (1.8 m)
Weight:
195 lb (89 kg)
Email: Backpackman (at) mailbolt (dot) com
Location:
Northwest, Indiana
Backpacking
Background
I started camping with my family in the car and the RV when I was real young. I did a lot of camping with the Boy Scouts and then did my first
backpacking trip (three days) with my dad when I as 13. From then on I took a
backpacking trip once a year until high school where I started going more often.
Now in college I do many outdoor activities with the outing club. I backpack
often as well as participate in other activities such as caving, adventure racing, kayaking and
climbing; however, backpacking is my primary activity.
My backpacking style is packing light
but not ultralight (yet); however, I do not skimp on eating well. I continually
want to find ways to get better meals on the trail while not adding much weight.
I also don't want to shortchange myself with low living conditions just to save
a couple of ounces (grams). I want to find other ways to reduce weight while
staying comfortable.
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Product Information
Product: Air Compressor
Manufacture: Granite Gear
Year of
Manufacturer: 2004
URL: http://www.granitegear.com
Size: Large (9x20 in 23x51 cm)
Listed Weight: 4.0 oz (113 g)
Measured Weight: 4.1 oz (116 g)
Description: A light stuff sack with 4 compression straps on the side and
a draw string opening.
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Initial Impression
The stuff sack arrived stuffed
in a small plastic jar. After pulling it out I was a bit surprised on how the
stuff sack actually works. The website didn't give me enough information about
the design of the stuff sack. More pictures could of helped. The material that
the main body is made out of, 30-D Sil Cordura Nylon Rip-Stop, is very light,
thin and soft. The material at the ends is made out of 210 denier nylon which is
thicker. On the end of the sack is a 2 in (5 cm) handle made out of the 30-D Sil
Cordura Nylon Rip-Stop material. The bag (a Large) s 20 in (51 cm) tall and has
a 9.5 in (24 cm) diameter.
The bag looks very well put together. All the stitching looks durable. I put the
bag with some of my clothes in the sink and let the water run on it for a couple
of minutes. The bag did not let any water get to my clothes. I also played
around with compressing the sack. This is my first compression sack and I feel
it may be hard to use at night, or with gloves on. The process of compressing
the sack mentioned above where the "end cap" of the sack needs to be positioned
on the top and then the straps tightened is tricky, but I do hope that this
process will be second nature soon and I will report if it gets easier. If the
bag is left lying around for awhile the straps could also get slightly tangled
with themselves. Also the rope
used to close the stuff sack is very thin and the toggle that is on the string
that holds the bag closed is also very small. This might make it hard to use
while wearing gloves or in the dark. I will report on it after I have been able
to test it. After stuffing the bag with different amounts of material I found
that the bag does work best when it is full. As it gets less full then the sack
is harder to use. I hope that as I get more used to the sack it will become
easier to use the sack when it is not completely full. I want to use it for my
clothes, sleeping bag and food among other things.
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Test Plan
Testing
Locations
I will be testing this bag mostly in the
Midwest and Indiana during the summer when it can get up to 100 F (38 C) and be
very humid. I will also be testing this stuff sack at other locations such as
the Rockies, West Virginia and possibly the Smokies. I will also use this bag
when I travel to make my luggage smaller. I will be sure to bring this stuff
sack on other trips I have not planned yet. Testing conditions of these
locations will be reported in my other reports.
Some of the things I want to test:
Will it be easy to load and unload the sack?
Can the sack be used as a bear bag?
Will the sack function properly half full?
Will it be easy to use in the dark?
Will the material last?
How much will it compress different items?
Can I use it as a pillow when I put clothes in it?
Will the stuff sack stay waterproofed? Will the seams leak?
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Read more reviews of Granite Gear gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
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