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Watchful Eye Designs Aloksak Bags Initial Report
Tester Bio
Name: Evan Cornell
Age: 14
Gender:
Male
Height: 5’ 3” (1.6 Meters)
Weight: 105 Pounds (47.5
Kilograms)
Email Address: llenrocnave AT backpacker DOT com
City, State,
and Country: Milan, Ohio, U.S.
Date: December 17, 2003
Backpacking Background: I started backpacking about 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- ¼ ounce
(7 grams)
#2- 3/8 ounce (11
grams)
#3-
½ ounce (14
grams)
#4-
1 ¼ ounce (35
grams)
O.P.SAK- 1 ounce (28 grams)
Sizes of
bags:
#1- 4 ½” x 7” (11 cm x 18
cm)
#2- 6
¾” 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 ½” (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 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. 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. Overall, the Aloksak bags seem to be more
durable and better suited to backpacking than other, lighter grade plastic
bags.
The Aloksak bags arrived on Tuesday, November 4, 2003, and arrived in an
unpadded paper envelope. There were thirteen bags in all, three of each
size, except only two of the #1 size, and two of the O.P.SAK bags. All of
the bags were folded neatly to fit into the envelope, and all seemed to be
unused and in good
condition.
My expectations of the Watchful Eye Designs Aloksak bags are that they will keep
my gear organized and protected from the elements. These expectations will
be confirmed after further tests of the Aloksak
bags.
So far, the Aloksaks seem to efficiently organize my gear well. I can
organize my gear in roughly the same way that I have previously organized my
pack. When packing, the bags can be compressed down to act somewhat like
vacuum bags. This enables the bags and their contents to be packed and
moved around easily. The durability of the Aloksaks is higher than that of
a normal zipper plastic bag. The Aloksaks are sized so that most of my
gear can be fit in. My sleeping bag and tent, however, do not fit in even
the largest #4 size. The Aloksaks pack down to almost nothing, as they are
flat, and can be folded
easily.
My concerns for the Aloksak bags now are the durability of the seams and zipper
closure. Previous experiences with plastic bags are that they burst when
stuffed too full. The area around the closure is reinforced, but the
zipper is
small
So far as ease of use, they are simple to open and close. The zipper
system is a bit tricky to get the two tracks lined up correctly, but zipping the
bags about three times guarantees a good seal. During winter, however, the
zipper closure is a bit hard to close, because of the need to take off any hand
coverings to close the bags properly.
Field
Information
I have had the opportunity to test the Aloksaks for the Initial Report on a
weekend Boy Scout camping trip. The site was an open area with a few
stands of trees. The temperature during the outing was ranged between 20 F
(-7 C) and 35 F (2 C). The bags were only used to organize and store my
gear, as tests on the waterproofness and durability of the bags will be included
in the Field and Long-Term
Reports.
The #1 bag held my headlamp and spare batteries, and another #1 bag contained a
one-time use camera. In one of the #2 bags, I had a single blade
pocketknife, compass, duct tape, and black nylon cord. In the other #2
bag, I had a small pocket bible, and a deck of cards. My GPS was located
in one of the #3 bags, and in another, my personal car items are located.
The largest bags, #4’s, serve as my clothes bags. These items will change
with every trip depending on what I bring, and what the situation calls
for. The Aloksaks performed well for organizing my gear and further
testing will determine the other qualities of the product.
Future Testing Plans
I
plan to test the Aloksaks on a number of camping and backpacking trips, such as
a planned trip to the Zaleski State Forest backpacking trail in southern
Ohio. During these trips, I will be testing the bags for waterproofness,
durability, and in the case of the O.P.SAKs, odor tests. For the Long-Term
Report, I will be repeating all these tests for long-term use.
Pro’s and
Con’s
Cons
1. The zipper closure is
slightly difficult to close, more so in cold weather.
2. The largest sizes cannot
contain almost any sleeping bag or tents.
Pros
1. The Aloksaks are more durable
than a normal zipper closure plastic bag.
2. The bags have instructions
printed on them and are simple to operate and to figure out.
3. Different sized bags are
available to accommodate different sizes and shapes of gear.
Read more reviews of Watchful Eye Designs gear
Read more gear reviews by Evan Cornell
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