Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Sea to Summit Ultra Mesh Stuff Sack > Test Report by Jamie Lawrence

SEA TO SUMMIT - ULTRA MESH STUFF SACK
TEST SERIES BY JAMIE LAWRENCE
INITIAL REPORT
December 26, 2012

TESTER INFORMATION

I was introduced to bushwalking/tramping/hiking as a young child in Boy Scouts and through my school physical/adventure education. After leaving school, I mainly did short daywalks until recently when I have started to again re-walk some of Tasmania's key hiking routes and try walks I have yet to attempt. I mainly walk in the winter months, in Tasmania's central highlands areas. I prefer light gear, extended walks (3-5 days) in a group of 3 or shorter walks (1-3 days) walking solo. I would generally carry a base weight pack of around 8 kg-10 kg (17 lb-22 lb).

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Sea to Summit
Year of Manufacture: 2012
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.seatosummit.com/
MSRP: Not Listed
Listed Weight: 0.4 oz (10 g)
Measured Weight: 0.4 oz (10 g) - but my scales is not super accurate at this light weight
Sizes Available:
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - XXS/2.5 Litre - 0.2 oz / 6g
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - XS/4 Litre - 0.3 oz / 8g
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - S/6.5 Litre - 0.4 oz / 10g
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - M/9 Litre - 0.45 oz / 11g
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - L/15 Litre - 0.5 oz / 14g
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - XL/20 Litre - 0.6 oz / 17.5g
Ultra-Mesh Stuff Sack - XXL/30 Litre - 0.7 oz / 20g

I am testing the S size (6.5 Litre) which features a bright orange band around the opening of the sack.

Sack in Packaging

Being constructed of 15 denier multi-filament nylon mesh, this is a simple drawstring mesh sack that has double stitched seams and a round base. On their website, Sea to Summit claims that this sack is 45% lighter than their Ultra-Sil range of sacks.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

I've been a big user of stuff sacks for many years as I simply hate not being able to find things quickly and easily in my pack, so I use colour coded sacks to allow me to quickly identify what I am after in my pack. I have previously used a large mesh sack for food but the mesh was too wide and I found corners of packets or boxes would get caught up in the mesh so I steered away from this style of sack.

However I think I may start changing my mind. This sack is seriously light! I couldn't believe when I first took it out of the packet it feels smooth like silk but is nearly totally see-through. The mesh is seriously fine, which immediately relieved my previous concerns about mesh sacks. However it appears to be quite strong, as I grabbed a piece of mesh either side of a seam and pulled to see if the seam would struggle to hold together. Nothing! The double stitching appears to be quite strong.

My only initial concern about this sack is the size of the toggle on the drawstring. It is tiny, 1/4 of the size I would expect. I suspect this is a weight saving measure, which I hope is strong as I hate it when toggles break on stuff sacks and they slowly work their way open.

SUMMARY

I look forward to testing this stuff sack on my up coming camping/hiking trips. At 6.5 Litres, it is a little small so I will be interested to see what uses I find for it.

My thanks to Sea to Summit and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this product.

Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Sea to Summit Ultra Mesh Stuff Sack > Test Report by Jamie Lawrence