Name: Thomas Peltier II
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Height: 6’ 0” (1.8 M)
Weight: 155 (70.3 kg)
E-mail Address: Thomas@Goldenautomotive.com
City, State, Country: Bakersfield, California, U.S.A.
Date: 12/15/2003

Backpacking Background: I have been in the outdoors since I was a toddler. My mother introduced me to backpacking when I was in the backpack. I in good turn joined the Boy Scouts to get away from Mom on the weekend hikes. My first backpack trip with the Boy Scouts was down a dirt road to a park and campsite. That was my last trip with the Boy Scouts. Since then I have been backpacking mostly in the Sierra Nevadas.

I have been a professional river guide and kayak instructor for the last 11 years; however, I currently work at a family establishment in Bakersfield, California. Working a “Real Job” keeps me away from the outdoors a bit more than I would like. My summers are busy between city work and river guiding. Much of my packing is done on the river in the summer. This has driven me to long winter trips and short summer trips for the last several years. I took up snowshoeing to help get into winter packing. I have found that less is often more in my backpacking and my summer trips I find myself as happy in a pair of Chacos carrying my pocket knife as I do with a heavy pack and big boots.

Aloksak Product Information:

Manufacturer: Watchful Eye Designs

Year 2003

URL: www.watchfuleyedesigns.com

Storage Bag Demensions Actual Weight Listed Volume MSRP Water Proof to:

Aloksak Bag #1 114 x 178 mm
4.5 X 7 in 0.21 oz
6.7 g Not Listed $6.29 200 ft
60 m

Aloksak Bag #2 6 3/4 x 6 in
171 x 152 mm 0.27 oz
8.7 g 350 in^3
5736 cc
this is a misprint $6.49 200 ft
60 m

Aloksak Bag #3 9 in x 6 in
229 xmm 152 mm 0.40 oz
11.2 g 60 in^3
980 cc $7.49 200 ft
60 m

Aloksak Bag #4 12 x 12 in
305 x 305 mm 1.06 oz
30.0 g 350 in^3
5736 cc $10.59 200 ft
60 m

O.P Bag 12.5 x 15.5 in
318 x 394 mm 0.92 oz
26.0 g Not Listed $10.59 200 ft
60 m

Initial Thoughts

The Aloksak's arrived in a plain manila envelop along with a product brochure and instructions. The instructions are also printed on the storage bags, with the exception of the smallest bag. The instructions are very simple, "Evacuate as much air as possible, press seal together at one edge of the bag and slowly slide thumb and forefinger along the full length of the opening. Repeat at least twice to ensure positive closure." This is very similar to closing a zip lock type bag. In fact these bags resemble a zip lock in shape. They are clear plastic, "Patented Super stretch, high-tenacity polymer bag material", with welded sides. The bag also has the company name, web address and phone number printed on the bag. These bags are patented leakproof/airtight sealing bags certified waterproof by NASDS. They are tested and approved by the U.S. Navy. The bags are also marked reusable and recyclable.

After weighing and looking over all the bags the first thing I wanted to know was if they held water. If they can't keep water in, then they surely can't keep water out! I took one each of the bags and filled them with water. I placed them on a dry towel and left them that way for several hours. When I returned the bags were full of water and the towel was dry. So they passed my first test, they hold water. The second thing I wanted to know was if my large fleece pullover fit in the large Aloksak. I took one of the 12 x 12 bags and attempted to stuff my Patagonia expedition weight fleece into it. It took several folding techniques before I got it right but sure enough it was a perfect fit. I tested the bag's durability a bit in the process, and the bag appears to hold up just fine. The Aloksak is somewhat stretchy and it seems to pop right back into place. So far so good.

The Aloksak is made of high-grade material. The website explains that these bags were originally designed for biohazard storage. This brings me to the OPSAK, which is slightly different from the Aloksak. The OPSAK is made of a lighter material and has a gusseted bottom. The catch with the OPSAK is that it is Odor Proof. I was not expecting the OPSAK during the test but I have been searching for a good odor proof sack for backpacking. While the OPSAK is not as durable as the Aloksak it is still strongly constructed and with the gusseted bottom it holds a lot of food. The OPSAK is as simple to operate and my dog does not seem to be able to smell through it.

My only concern with the bags is that they might open in my pack or kayak during the day. The seals are easy to close and easy to open. It seems from initially playing with them that as long as I get most the air out and create a partial vacuum inside that they are not prone to open. I don't think this will necessarily be a problem, it is just a concern I have.

Test Plan

During the next six months I have several outings planned, in which these bags can be tested. As fall slips into winter in the Southern Sierra Nevadas I am looking forward to at least a few lazy low altitude camping trips during the weekends. On these trips I will be able to test just how easy the Aloksaks are to use and how well they hold up on the trail. These outings will be a good shakedown for the Aloksaks. As winter comes I am planning a few backcountry ski trips. Life on the snow can get pretty wet and the Aloksaks will earn their keep if they keep my gear nice and dry. I am leaning to telemark this year and hope to use the aloksaks to keep gear dry both during back country trips and resort skiing trips. During the winter of skiing I will be making at least one trip to Northern California for a winter river trip. There are many rivers in Northern California that swell when it rains and become ideal for kayaking.

As the winter thaws and the spring run off begins to flow I will once again kick the testing up a notch. In addition to walking the southern sierra trails in the spring I will be taking my kayak over Mt. Whitney portal and down to the headwaters of the Kern River. We will be navigating the Kern River from its highest reaches near Mt. Whitney down to Kernville. This expedition will take us many days and I am planning on using these sacks to keep my gear dry inside my kayak. This will require the Aloksak to defend my gear against some of the most probing and penetrating water there is. I am hopeful that their unique design and waterproof qualities will work well with the demands of packing inside a kayak. Should the Aloksaks survive this series of testing I will be comfortable using them anyplace anytime to keep my gear dry.

The OPSAK I will use during all of these tests as my food storage bag. I will in addition run odor tests on the OPSAK. I intent to place some juicy meat in the OPSAK and send my dog on a scavenger hunt. If my dog can not find it I have asked my Search and Rescue friend locally to use his dog for a test. If the trained search and rescue dog can not find a scent in the bag I will feel much better about using them into the back country. I will also temp field mice while at camp. It is pretty much inevitable we will see a few field mice near camp during the next six months. I intend to place a piece of food next to the sealed OPSAK and lure the mouse over, sit back and watch. If the little critter leaves the bag alone it passes another test. I would prefer not to test the OPSAK against a bear's nose but should one wander through camp we will see if he finds my food. I don't expect to see many bears in the next six months however.

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Initial Report

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