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Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Watchful Eye Designs - O.P. Sak 2006 > Karl Fuderer > Initial ReportInitial Review: Watchful Eye Designs O.P. SAK Polymer Bags
"Great for preventing animal intrusions at the campsite because stored foods can't be detected! Use as a cigar humidor, or for freezing foods. A special non-permeable film in used to make these unique storage bags. Designed for hazardous materials and biological waste, these bags have been proven in bear country to be odor proof. They are also humidity proof, vaporproof and certified 100% leakproof to 200 feet under water. They make excellent pilot and hunter urinals or human waste containers. Ok to use inside other containers or pouches. Boiling water can be added to bag." Testing Environment: As this is an initial review, designed to provide the reader with my first impressions of the product, the testing environment is my home in Perth, Australia. Much testing has been done of the bags' seals already in the bath, by sealing air inside the bag them submerging it and looking for bubbles, exactly as the accompanying instructions indicate. I also gave them a thorough "5 senses analysis" to get a clear idea of what I'm dealing with. I used the scales at the local chemist for an individualised accurate measured weight, and the outside clothes line to dry the bags after the "bath test." Introduction: My first impressions of this product came when I learned of their existence, after reading the call for testers and viewing the website on July 7, 2006. The claims made by the company, reproduced above, were unbelievable. My first rational thought was that if these claims are true, the company deserves to be published and broadcast by media who deal with new and brilliant technology. I learned later that they already are, having been promoted in 2005 by National Geographic Adventure Magazine who are quoted as saying "the very best of the very best new gear" for one of their other very similar products, the Aloksak. Upon receiving the bags, several sensory signals were flooding me with information about what I'd just received. The material feels thicker and stronger than expected. The "new" odor of the bags was not so much chemical but more like the smell of a brand new polycarbonate product (something I recently purchased, so that's what I can compare it to). The felt weight was slightly heavier than expected, and also slightly less flexible. The edges seemed overly secured, as if the manufacturer wanted to ensure the polymer began to degrade before any part of the edging broke. Then came to big surprise for me: The seal. I was expecting some sort of elaborate seal mechanism that required 2 hands and a good minute to open or close, and was confronted with a seal almost identical (to the untrained eye) to resealable plastic bags of other brands. Upon further examination, I managed to identify several advancements in seal mechanism technology that allow such a tight seal that may be capable of 7 atmospheres. It takes mere single digits of seconds to open or close the smaller of the bags, simply by a press and drag of thumb and index finger along the seam.
In attempting to determine the effectiveness of the seal, I ran myself a bath yesterday evening, adding soap, bath oil, and lavender oil to give myself a well earned soaking. I felt it would be efficient use of time to multitask relaxation with testing, so opened each of the bags in turn, filled them partially with air, sealed them and submerged them in the soapy, oily water. It was my belief that if anything was good at breaking a leakproof seal it would be lubricants. The first bag to be tested was one of the small ones. I filled it almost to capacity, sealed it, submerged it, and held it there with seal up for some time without incident. No bubbles, nothing. Then I held it with seal down. Nothing. Then with the seal to the side. Nothing. Then with the seal up and applying extra pressure with hands from either side forcing the air in the bag to compress. Nothing. But as soon as I began to fiddle and fumble with it, a tearing motion on the seal similar to the one applied when trying to open the bag was applied to the inside layer of the seam seal. Within 30 seconds of randomly applying this action to the bag itself, without touching the seal in a way that would accidentally open the bag, the seal broke and air rushed out of the bag. Identical circumstances were observed in each of the 9 bags during testing, despite the fact that if controlled, non-random, gradually increasing pressure is applied in the same manner the seal remains tight. It is therefore my determination that the seal can be accidentally broken from the inside out when a sudden, pulling action is applied to the bag near the seam which "cracks" the mechanism open. This could be a risk to the stored contents and I will explore this anomaly further under different circumstances.
It is my understanding that the marsupials of the Australian outback are reputed to have the smallest, sharpest, and strongest teeth of all marsupials in the world. Their ability to scavenge for food left by other carnivores is enhanced by their super sensitive sense of smell. On several occasions while hiking in Western Australia I have encountered the driven efficiency of these organisms to steal. For this reason, there is a massive difference between the testing of odor barrier bags around the home and in the bush. I intend to travel to campsites where marsupials are known to live nearby to, and leave food out for them, some sealed in the bag and some left nearby unprotected. If their sensitive nose fails to determine there is food in the bag, and it is left undamaged overnight, I will know they truly work. In addition, I intend to answer the questions below, while being used in rough, punishing environments including the South West subtropical forests and the Northern deserts of Western Australia, and intense humidity of the Northern Territory. Over the next 3 months I will be mostly in the South West of WA, on the Bibbulmun Track and other tracks in the south west. Conditions are expected to be between 100 and 600 m (300 to 2000 ft) above sea level, on well-defined tracks in SW Western Australia surrounded by sparse trees and semi-dense low-lying shrub. Temperatures range from –14 C (7 F) on the coldest night to 35 C (95 F) on the hottest day, with averages ranging from 0 C (32 F) at night to 23 C (73 F) in daylight. As far as general use for my purposes are concerned, I will likely use one as a reusable temporary garbage storage unit, one as an all purpose food sack containing a collective variety of smaller Ziploc-like bags. Another I will use as my non-food consumables bag, to hold water reactive substances like matches, toilet paper and medical supplies. Another still will likely be used as a document holder for maps, reading material and reference charts. I am using an Aloksak to protect my camera, otherwise I would likely add it to my documents bag. One of the small bags will be used to contain my snacks for the day, which I keep outside the pack when walking for easy access. Any others will be carried as spares and test subjects, like guinea pigs. Test Questions and Answers: Q: Are they really as good as the website indicates? A: Possibly. The evidence is stacking up in their favour, but there's a long way to go. Q: Are they odor proof, or is the barrier mostly effective? A: Unknown as yet. Q: Can they safely accept such high pressures without popping? A: So far I have managed to apply about 3 atmospheres to a bag without incident, so it's looking good. Q: What actually happens when too much pressure is applied to the bag when filled with air? Does it pop, burst, disintegrate, or does the seal release before that is allowed, sort of like a safety precaution allowing the bag to be reused after it has failed? A: Unknown as yet. Q: Are they durable enough to withstand tearing, thrashing and pull tension attempts? A: This question is more difficult to answer, as the jury is still out, but the preliminary results are not promising. The bath test provided some damning evidence to suggest the seal is far from flawless, but the company have never claimed that they are flawless. Truth is all products have a weakness. Perhaps the designers chose to trade the quick and easy opening and closing of the seal for a more securely layered seal strip. Q: How easy are they to open and close? A: Surprisingly easy. Extraordinarily easy. See below for details. Q: How much time is required to properly seal them for odor proofing? A: Each bag size has a different length of seal strip, so the bigger bags take longer to seal. I estimate that it takes about 5 to 10 seconds to seal the small bag, 10 to 15 seconds to seal the medium size bag and 20 to 25 seconds to seal the large bag. The instructions for use recommend following the sealing procedure twice to ensure it is actually sealed, which means the most time reasonably spent sealing any bag should be well under 1 minute. Q: How quickly can they be unsealed? A: This is very difficult to answer, because we are dealing with almost immeasurably small amounts of time. It isn't instantaneous, but even for the large size bag it shouldn't take more than 2 seconds. Q: How much odor impregnation occurs over prolonged periods of food storage? A: Unknown as yet. Q: Are the instructions for safe use applicable, informative and relevant? A: This was another significant surprise for me. The instructions for general use, including how to open and close, are printed in bold, simplified English on the front of every bag. In addition, its exact length and width in inches and centimetres are also printed on every bag. Q: How easy are they to operate in the dark, or with one hand? A: Very easy. Given that the design is Ziploc-like, and I am well accustomed to operating Ziploc-like bags in the dark or with one hand, the difference to other brands of resealable plastic bags is negligible. Q: Can the bag be marked with a ballpoint pen? A: Yes. Normal pen ink will stick to the polymer similar to the way it sticks to plastic. Q: Can markings be removed? A: Yes. I tested writing a word on one of my bags and immediately after writing it attempted to rub it off with my dry finger. Then I wet my finger with saliva and after 1 minute of rubbing the opacity of the ink had reduced by 50%. The ink did not smudge of streak at any time during the test. Q: Will ink seep through the material over time? A: Unknown as yet. Q: Does the sealing mechanism jam or clog up? A: Only when foreign objects are wedged into the mechanism, such as sand. Q: Can the sealing mechanism be safely cleaned? A: Yes, by rinsing with water, or if the object is securely stuck a pin or needle can be used to prick it out. Previous experience with this situation when using Ziploc-like bags tells me never to use a cloth or sponge to pull it along the length of the seal strip in the hopes it will come out along the way. I will attempt to verify this answer before the next review. Q: How well does the sealing mechanism wear over time? A: Unknown as yet. Q: Does headlamp light reflect off the material at close range to see its contents? A: Somewhat. A significant amount passes through the polymer, but if it is held at close range at just the right angle the light reflecting off the polymer can be directed into the eyes which can be blinding. Q: Does headlamp light reflect off the material at a distance to spot it? A: Somewhat. See above. From a distance, that same blinding reflection would work as an effective beacon. This would reduce in effectiveness if the outer surface of the bag becomes dirty. Q: How easily are they to see in the dark from a distance? A: Impossible. The material does not glow in the dark, or create or emit its own light of any kind. It would be highly visible if something inside the bag were emitting light though, such as a glow stick or electronic device. Q: How small can the bag be compressed when not in use? A: Reasonably small. It is safe to fold the bag at any place, including the seams and seals, but is most effective when tightly rolled. Accurate measurements of size when empty to follow. Q: How much volume can reasonably be fit into the bag? A: On the Aloksak the exact volume in cubic inches and cubic centimetres are printed on the bag above the bag size. For some reason this has not been replicated on the O.P. Saks, much to my disappointment. I will attempt to determine the volume of each size O.P. Sak by the next review. Q: How much does the general appearance of the bag change after the first few times it is used from the "new" look? A: When new, the polymer material appears almost transparent, with no blemishes or striations. After using them in the bath test, and drying them on the clothes line, the appearance has changed significantly from smooth and crisp to rough and creased, like a cotton dress shirt that hasn't been ironed in years. I don't know if there is any treatment for this. I don't want to use an iron on it, that's for sure. Maintenance: Cleaning with still tap water and drip drying after the bath test.
The O.P. Sak shows some promising characteristics of durable, versatile, easy and simple to use, functional and well designed. I see some initial trends presenting, including the tendency for the seal to crack when a sudden, sharp tug is applied to the bag near the seal. The material is also heavier than the average plastic bag, and some of the shapes and sizes could be redeveloped. In my opinion, the smaller the bag size, the wider and shorter the bag should be, to allow maximum room for a hand to reach in and collect the contents. This shape has been effectively achieved by the small size, although it could be a little wider. Once the size begins to increase, there is a general tendency to want to secure longer, narrower items, and this is effectively achieved by the medium size bag, although it could be a little taller. The large size bag, however, has quite obviously been designed for items that don't fit into the smaller sizes, except that it is no longer a tall narrow shape but rather a short wide shape with a long seal strip. I can see, based on these shapes, that these bags have been designed with fishermen in mind. Considering that Watchful Eye Designs has a history with The North American Fishing Club from its testing of the Aloksak by 35 individuals, it is fair to assume the company adopted similar shapes for the O.P. Sak. I also believe that both fishermen and backpackers alike could use an extra small size bag, which I like to call the finger bag, perfectly shaped for use in storing bait, worms, a snack, a scientific sample, or a small electronic device. Something about half the size of the small would be ideal. How useful the available shapes will be for me in a backpacking sense is subjective and currently unknown. It is clear to me that this test will involve my using them impartially over a significant period of time in order to get some unbiased, definitive test results. It is fortunate that my lifestyle allows for extended periods of traveling in harsh environments, which will thoroughly put the O.P. Sak through its paces. Pros: Easy to open and close. Informative labeling Airtight and watertight seal Tolerant to high pressure Appropriately sized for use in some situations Durable, high tenacity material Excellent reputation inspires confidence Custom size bags available Cons: Seal can be accidentally broken Heavy material makes me doubt the value of it's durability Extra small size needed, but I am not prepared to order in bulk to get one There is no square shape, which could be a plus in some applications Read more reviews of Watchful Eye Designs gear Read more gear reviews by Karl Daniel Fuderer Reviews > Stuff Sacks > Dry Bags > Watchful Eye Designs - O.P. Sak 2006 > Karl Fuderer > Initial Report | |||
