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Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Watchful Eye Designs - O.P. Sak 2006 > John Waters > Initial Report
August 3, 2006 Contents Tester's Biographical Information Name: John R. Waters Backpacking Background My backpacking began in 1999. I've hiked rainforests in Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, on glaciers in New Zealand and Iceland, 14ers in Colorado and Death Valley's deserts. I hike or snowshoe 6-8 miles (10 km-13 km) 2-3 times weekly in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, with other day-long hikes on various SE Michigan trails. I also hike in Colorado and am relocating there, which will increase my hiking time and trail variety tremendously. My daypack is 18 lb (8 kg); overnights weigh over 25 lb (11 kg). I'm aiming to reduce my weight load by 40% or more. Product Information and Picture (from manufacturer's website)
First Impressions The Watchful Eye Designs O.P. Sak looks just like a common zip-closure baggie; only heavy duty. The polymer bag material is quite thick and rugged looking, but still clear enough to see through easily. The bottom of the Sak is seamless with the sides sealed tightly. A dark blue stripe marks the seal closure location. The top of the Sak is the familiar zip-closure design, only it's labeled as having a "LIQUID/AIR TIGHT SEAL" and "PATENTED LEAKPROOF AIRTIGHT SEAL." They're saying the O.P. Sak isn't supposed to leak. I'll see. The Watchful Eye Designs O.P. Sak is easy enough to open and close intuitively, but just to be perfectly clear, directions to open and close are printed on the front left of each Sak complete with graphics. The various size Saks are conveniently sized for multiple uses. I can see using the smallest Saks for toiletries or spice mixes, medium size Saks for freeze-dried and fresh foods and the largest size would hold a large amount of food, either for the week or from a group at night or at a base camp. The large is really large. Even though I am not officially testing the Alosak model of the Watchful Eye Designs' products, having one available will make it easy to make comparisons as to the odor-proofness of the O.P. Sak. Testing these O.P. Saks is going to be fun! Test Plan I will be testing the Watchful Eye Design O.P. Sak thoroughly and with an unbiased attitude. It will be the only Sak (of its size) that I will use during the testing period. An odor-proof bag would be a boon to my food choices. I leave behind any food that would attract unwanted attention in the woods. So foods packed on the trail tend to be dry and/or bland. No strong-smelling cheeses, fragrant fruits or sauces allowed! If selected for testing the O.P. Sak, I can anticipate my wife's garlic sauce, angel-hair pasta and gorgonzola cheese to appear on the on-the-trail menu! As a degreed engineer, I'm particularly interested in the construction and performance of the O.P. Sak. Just how does it work? General Questions: Anticipating living and hiking more in bear-country in the near future, I want to know, is the O.P. Sak really odor-proof for all food, including highly scented items such as cheese. Useability: Since the O.P. Sak is non-gusseted, how much can I actually carry in the bag? Can I carry all my on the trail toiletries in one Sak? What about enough food for a freeze-dried meal? Can I fit my camera, GPS and cell phone in one bag? Can the Sak go from the freezer through the thawing process and then to cooking by the addition of boiling water? While I most likely won't push the 200 ft (60 m) underwater limit of the Sak, I would like to try anchoring a Sak with food (i.e., cheese) underwater in a stream/lake to keep the food cold, but not wet. Will this use of the Sak be successful? How easy is it to inflate an empty Sak to use as a pillow and will it be comfortable? Quality and Durability: How easy is the O.P. Sak to close and seal tight with food in it? With liquid? What about opening the filled Sak? Will the O.P. Sak tear or rip under normal usage? Will the seal hold true when the Sak is full? Will the seal continue to hold for the life of the Sak? What is the recommended care and cleaning of the O.P. Sak? Does the Sak stain or retain odors inside the bag? The O.P. Sak is described as disposable on the website. How many times can I use it before I must toss it? When the Sak is ready to be trashed, can I use it "one more time" for packing out body waste? I will also report any other issues that arise during the testing period. Field Conditions My tentative plans for the next 2 months include several 2 - 3 day hikes in Michigan at various locations such as Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Beaver Island. I will also be doing miles of bushwhacking back-country hiking though the 20,000 acres of BLM in the Cooper Mountain range north of Cañon City, Colorado for a week in August and then again in mid-September. Rain, high humidity, low humidity, sandy soil, rocky ground, high altitude and low altitude will all probably be encountered during the rest of the testing period. I will be continuing testing through the summer in the high, humid temperatures of a Michigan summer, and through early fall in Michigan which will likely be wet and cooler. The two planned trips to Colorado in mid-August, and mid-September should find both hot and cool but dry conditions. Temperatures could range from 30 F to 90 F in the desert areas of Colorado (-1 C to 32 C), giving an opportunity to test over a wide temperature range and a variety of conditions. Michigan temperatures will vary pretty much the same. I will also be testing in variety elevations, from the sandy lakeshores of Michigan at 177 ft (54 m) above sea level, to a high of 12,360 ft (3767 m) in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of Colorado. Thank you to BGT and Watchful Eye Designs for the opportunity to test this product! John R. Waters Read more reviews of Watchful Eye Designs gear Read more gear reviews by John Waters Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Watchful Eye Designs - O.P. Sak 2006 > John Waters > Initial Report | ||||||||||||
