Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > SealLine Storm Sack > Kathy Waters > Field Report

Field Report: SealLine Storm Sack  
September 19, 2006

Contents:
Tester Biographical Information
Product Information
Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results
Summary to Date
Continuing Test Plan

Tester Biographical Information    <back to top>

Name: Kathleen Waters
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight: 124.5 lb (56 kg)
Email address: kathy at bysky dot com or TheMiddleSister at usaring dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, MI USA

Backpacking Background: My husband and I started hiking in 1998 after an eye-opening climb up Hahn's Peak in Colorado.

Hooked, we return to Colorado often. We've hiked/snowshoed glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley.

At home in Michigan, we plan for 2-3 hikes of 6-8 mi (10-13 km) weekly and one weekend hike monthly. Weekday hikes take place in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a mixture of heavily-wooded moderate hills and flat terrain. Weekend hike locations vary.

My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) including food and water.

Product Information, Including Picture (from website)    <back to top>
http://www.seallinegear.com

Manufacturer: SealLine
Year of Manufacturer: 2006
Models: SealLine Storm Sack

Description: * Roll-Down Closure * Sewn and Taped Construction * PVC-Free 210D PU-Coated Nylon Body * PVC-Free 210D PU-Coated Nylon Bottom "Our lightest, most versatile dry bag is also plenty rugged. It boasts a roll-down closure and seam-and-taped construction to ensure watertightness. Use it for organizing and protecting gear in a pack, or on its own when you really need to watch every ounce."

Product Information (from tester) Size: 20.5 L (1310 cu in) Weight: 3.8 oz (108 g) Color: Blue For a more detailed description of the SealLine Storm Sack, please see my Initial Report. Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results    <back to top> During this portion of my field testing of the SealLine Storm Sack, some of my hiking took place in the familiar terrain of Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. Elevation range was very limited from 177 ft to 800 ft (54 m to 244 m) and temperatures over this torrid summer varying from 80 F to 101 F (27 C to 38 C). A weeklong trip to Cañon City, Colorado also tested the Storm Sack in high desert conditions. While most of my hiking was in sunshine, I did encounter two misty showers, one steady rain and one 10 minute torrential downpour. Michigan Average Temperatures/Precipitation during test period   Jul Aug Sep Avg. High 84 F/29 C 81 F/27 C 74 F/23 C Avg. Low 60 F/16 C 58 F/14 C 52 F/11 C Mean 72 F/22 C 70 F/21 C 64 F/18 C Avg. Precip. 2.8 in/71 mm 3.3 in/84 mm 2.9 in/74 mm Colorado Average Temperatures/Precipitation during test period   Jul Aug Sep Avg. High 88 F/31 C 86 F/30 C 78 F/26 C Avg. Low 61 F/16 C 56 F/13 C 50 F/10 C Mean 75 F/26 C 74 F/23 C 65 F/18 C Avg. Precip 1.9 in/48 mm 1.9 in/48 mm 1.3 in/33 mm Summary to Date    <back to top> The SealLine Storm Sack is a really neat piece of equipment! I don't know how I got along without such a system before. Well, actually, I do - I threw my clothes into my backpack and prayed for no rain. If it did rain, I used a clammy poncho to cover both me and my backpack. Ick! The Storm Sack is so easy to use. I just stuff it full with my clothes and the roll the top down (letting out the excess air). When there is no slack in the Sack, I clip the quick-clip buckle and, voila! I'm packed, my clothes are safe from the elements and there is a convenient handle to make the Sack easy to carry. I can easily pack a whole week's worth of 4 season clothing in the SealLine Storm Sack with plenty of room to spare. On my recent trip to Colorado, I packed the Sack less than 3/4 full and carried: 4 pairs of socks plus 1 sock liner, 3 pairs of underpants, 1 bra, 2 tank tops, 1 tee shirt, 2 long sleeved shirts, a set of long silk underwear for sleeping, 1 pair of convertible pants, 1 pair of shorts, a fleece jacket, a rain/wind jacket and 1 pair of rain pants. All in the Storm Sack. And the Sack easily fit into the bottom of my Granite Gear Nimbus Ki backpack, leaving lots of room for the rest of my gear. When I am on a weekend/overnight hike, I can even pack my Coleman Cloudcroft sleeping bag also in the Storm Sack. The SealLine Storm Sack lives up to its name keeping my clothing dry in even the worst downpour that I've encountered recently in southeast Michigan at Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. For over two hours I was rained on and even though my backpack was soaked and the outside of the Sack was wet, my clothes still remained dry. On another occasion, I had deliberately (it was the last day of my trip) left the Storm Sack outside of the tent in a light rain. In the morning, the Sack was wet with water beading up on the outside, but still the contents were dry. I was able to quickly wipe off the outside of the Storm Sack with a tee shirt, put the Sack into my backpack and be on my way. Neat! An unadvertised use I found for the SealLine Storm Sack was that of a pillow. It was very comfy under my sleeping bag at night, although, due to the slipperiness of my sleeping bag and the Sack materials, I tended to slide off a lot. And obviously, the Sack is too big to put inside my sleeping bag hood. The only negative aspect of the SealLine Storm Sack thus far, is the inability to easily find items in the Sack. I tend to unpack and repack the bag several times because I don't rummage neatly when I'm looking for something in the Sack. I'm getting better though and look forward to the rest of my testing period. I'm curious to see if the SealLine Storm Sack holds up to snow in Colorado and critters in Florida! Continuing Test Plan    <back to top> During the next two months of testing, I've got two one-week trips to Colorado and a one-week trip to southern Florida planned as well as my usual weekly "training" trips on local hiking trails. Without a doubt, I will encounter rain in Florida, mostly snow in Colorado and a range of wet/dry, cool/cold weather in Michigan. I will continue to use the SealLine Storm Sack for carrying my clothing and supplies as a liner within my backpack, as a storage sack in base camp and as a "pillow" at night under my sleeping bag. Some questions still be to answered Under normal use, does the Storm Sack retain its shape? Under normal use, will the Storm Sack seams "hold?" Does the Storm Sack tear under normal use? If a tear does develop, can I repair it in the field? At home? Does the Storm Sack resist stains? What are the care/cleaning instructions? I will also report any other issues that arise during the testing period. Kathy Waters Read more reviews of SealLine gear Read more gear reviews by Kathleen Waters Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > SealLine Storm Sack > Kathy Waters > Field Report