Watchful Eye Designs Aloksak Bags Field Report

Tester Bio

Name: Evan Cornell
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 5” (1.65 Meters)
Weight: 105 Pounds (47.5 Kilograms)
Email Address: llenrocnave AT backpacker DOT com
City, State, and Country: Milan, Ohio, U.S.
Date: January 28, 2004
Backpacking Background: I started backpacking more than a year ago (fall of 2002), and been taking weekend trips with the occasional weeklong trip. I like my pack to be as light as I can make it, but don’t consider myself a minimalist hiker. I like to use full tents, not tarps; packs with full, supportive suspension; and the occasional luxury item such as a camp chair. I normally hike with my scout troop, in Ohio, and the temperature is in the normal four-season range of 0 F (-18 C) in the winter to about 90 F (32 C) in summer.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Watchful Eye Designs Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2003
Manufacturers website: http://www.watchfuleyedesigns.com/
Listed Weight: weights not listed
Weight as delivered:      #1- 1/4 ounce (7 grams)
                                    #2- 3/8 ounce (11 grams)
                                    #3- 1/2 ounce (14 grams)
                                    #4- 1 1/4 ounce (35 grams)
                                    O.P.SAK- 1 ounce (28 grams)
Sizes of bags:                #1- 4 1/2” x 7” (11 cm x 18 cm)
                                    #2- 6 3/4” x 6” (17 cm x 15 cm)
                                    #3- 9” x 6” (23 cm x 15 cm)
                                    #4- 12” x 12” (30 cm x 30 cm)
                                    O.P.SAK- 16” x 12 1/2” (41 cm x 32 cm)
Product Description: The Watchful Eye Designs Aloksak Bags are a set of “liquid and airtight storage system,” as described on Watchful Eye Designs website. The O.P.SAKs included are odor proof and are made of a slightly lighter grade material than the Aloksaks, and they have a gusseted bottom. Further testing in my field and long-term reports will attest to the truth of these statements.
The Aloksak bags are similar to other plastic storage bags, but are constructed of a heavier material. The material feels somewhat like a thin rubber sheet, but is stated on the bags as a “Super stretch, high-tenacity, polymer bag material.”
The closure of the Aloksaks is a zipper closure, and appears to be made out of multiple layers of the same material as the body of the bags. The actual zipper closing is narrow, and has three ridges on each side of the opening, which closes together to form a tight seal. The edges of the bags are sealed, being hopefully more durable than other, weaker zipper closure bags.
The instructions for use of the Aloksaks are printed on the outside of the bags, along with the Aloksak logo, and volume of the bag, and with other information concerning the company and contact information. The instructions say to seal the bag at least “three times to guarantee a proper seal,” as stated on the Watchful Eye Designs website. The Aloksak bags are more durable and better suited to backpacking than other, lighter grade plastic bags.
On December 28, 2003 I received a white Tyvek® envelope containing two more Aloksak bags and a letter from Linda Kennedy from Watchful Eye Designs. This letter expressed how I mentioned in my initial report that none of the current sizes were large enough for my sleeping bag and tent, and that two new sizes were put in to production, and that the new sizes were also to be tested. The stats for the two new sizes are:

Listed weight: N/A
Weight as delivered:     #5- 3 oz (85 g)
                                    #6- 3.75 oz (106 g)
Size:                             #5- 16 1/4” x 24 1/2” (41.28 cm x 62 cm)
                                    #6- 31” x 16 1/2” (79 cm x 41.91 cm)
Product Description: The two new sizes are constructed of the exact same material and closure zipper as the other Aloksak bags, except in a larger size.

The contents of the bags varied with each trip, depending on what I take, but here is a general idea of what I store in each bag:

#1- headlamp and spare batteries; one time use camera
#2- single blade pocketknife, compass, duct tape, and black nylon cord; small pocket bible, and a deck of cards
#3- GPS; personal care items
#4- clothes
#5- sleeping bag
#6- tent
O.P.SAK- trip food and trash
*A semicolon denotes the use of a second bag of that size

Field Information

I have only had the chance to go backpacking once during the field-testing period. I have gone backpacking at Zaleski State Forest in southeast Ohio. The Zaleski Backpack Trail has numerous hiking options of which I hiked a short, two-day, ten-mile loop. The trip would have been extended to a three day, nineteen-mile loop had there not been time constraints. The terrain at Zaleski was rugged, having many ridges and gorges to traverse. Each ridge had an elevation gain of about 200 feet in less than a half mile. The weather in early December at Zaleski was frigid with minimal precipitation. The nighttime lows were around 20 F (-7 C). The only precipitation on the trip was a light, granular snow for only about 15 minutes. During this trip, the Aloksaks held the majority of my gear. The bags kept all my gear dry, and kept the small, loose items from sliding around. The performance of the bags in the cold weather was adequate, although I found it difficult to open the bags with gloves on. The bags were hard to close in the cold, even without gloves on, and this is due to the zipper threads being narrow.
During the field-testing, I performed two different tests on the Aloksak bags, a test in the rinse cycle of my washing machine, and a 45 minute period in the deep freezer. The bags were stuffed with old rags and closed up. They were then put through two rinse/spin cycles. After the cycles were over, the bags were placed, for 45 minutes, in my deep freezer. In the washing machine cycles, two of the bags opened up and the contents were soaked in water. The leakage was caused by human error in closing the bags. The all black zipper doesn’t show if the zipper is closed properly, and it is tough to align the threads of the zipper properly. After the deep freeze, the bags were slightly crinkly from the rinse water, but there were no other adverse effects on the material. Overall, the bags have performed well, and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a waterproof, lightweight storage option.

Suggestions/Pros & Cons

Some suggestions for product improvement are the design of the zipper. The threads could be colored yellow and blue to turn green when the bags are closed properly. The threads could also be made a bit wider to facilitate easier closure.