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Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Watchful Eye Designs - O.P. Sak 2006 > John Waters > Long Term Report
January 2, 2007 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 (from Manufacturer website)
Product Information (from tester) Color: Clear
One - 28 x 20 in (12 x 50.8 cm) Three - 9 x 10 in (22.86 x 25.4 cm) One - 6.75 x 6 in (7.14 x 15.24 cm) (this is NOT an O.P. Sak, but an Alosak) Features: Field Conditions/Completed Test Results For my extended testing on the O.P. SAK products I decided to put them through some tough situations. In addition to using the Saks in my backpack during normal hiking and backpacking, I used the Saks almost daily in checked baggage, carry-on baggage and in my travels. Since I'm traveling 50% of the time right now, this was more of a test than a few days in the backpack. The goal of the O.P. Saks for campers and hikers is to keep odors sealed and secure so that bears and other animals can't get the scent and ruin my outdoor adventures. So to test these well, I had to find materials that were really odiferous so I could see if the product was working. One O.P. Sak was filled with ground coffee, another with gel deodorant and another with the mother of all smelly things (albeit a really good smell) - My wife's homemade Christmas sausage. If I need to hide an odor and can hide the smell of this fabulous sausage, then the product really works. I have traveled on airliners with several of these wrapped in various foils and zip-lock bags and I would always smell up the plane and myself in the process. And of course, I sure as heck want to be able to enjoy something this wonderful on the trail without sharing it with the nearest furry critters. However once I removed the material from the O.P. Sak, I risk calling creatures for miles around, so although getting there may be safe, snack time may be interesting. Here are the results; * Ground plain coffee and flavored ground and herbal tea bags. All mixed together into one Sak and stashed into carry-on, checked bags, backpacks and computer bags over 8 weeks. This Sak when opened smelled great. When sealed, there was no odor at all at any time. Even after extended use for weeks of torture, the odor remained in the bag and the bag integrity was great. * Gel deodorant. Same process, but not with carry-on because of the gel issue with security. The Sak was part of over 35 lb (16 kg) of stuff loaded into my backpack for several days of trekking and snowshoeing. No leaks, no odor at any time. No signs of bag deterioration. * The sausage test. I used the largest Sak I had to test with (28 x 20 in (12 x 50.8 cm). Put in 6 one (1) pound (.45 kg) sausage rolls and tried not to eat any in the process. Wow, what a smell! But as soon as the seal on the Sak was made, there was not a scent. When these rolls were placed in a regular zip-lock bag they could be smelled from 20 ft (6 m) away. Very impressive. This heavy bag was loaded into luggage and carry on and into a backpack over the course of 12 days and except as noted below, behaved exceptionally well and shows no sign of wear and tear. Issues: " It appears that any compression of the Sak from the outside will partially break the seal and allow a smell to exit. I noticed this in previous tests, where pressing down on material in the Sak would cause the seal to break and to expel from the Sak. The seals, although odor tight are not safety tight. So if used for carrying out human waste, I will be sure to put them where they will not be compressed. " The Sak works better if as much air as possible is removed from the Sak before closing the seal. Any air in the Sak can allow more compression pressure on the seal, which will cause the seal to slightly open. For example, with the sausage in the larger Sak, there were moments when moving the Sak around that just grabbing the Sak would create enough of a back-pressure that a small fissure would open in the seal and there would be a whiff of the sausage. I would have to then make sure air was out of the Sak and the seal was redone. During this time, the smell was strong. This would not be a favorable task to do while on the trail or at camp. Reuse These Saks are costly. So, as the thrifty as I am, it would be nice to be able to reuse these Saks as much as possible. After weeks of being drenched in odor and being treated much more roughly then a few nights on the trail, these bags have held up exceptionally well. They are still very clear and show no signs of holes or creases that can possibly tear. However, they do hold their odors well. I've tried dish soap and lemon cleaner, but the interior odor remains. In fact, using lemon cleaner adds lemon scent, which may not always match up with certain food. It would be best - and I plan to in the future - label and use the same bag for the same type of material, to never mix food with chemicals and to never use the same bag for carrying out human waste for storing cereal or soup mix! Thank you 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 > Long Term Report | ||||||||||
