Initial Report: OR Hydrolite Stuff Sack

 

Biographical Information:

Name: Chuck Carnes

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Height: 6’0” (1.83 m)

Weight: 175 lbs. (79 kg)

 

Email address: ctcarnes1@yahoo.com

 

City, State, Country: Taylors, S.C. United States

 

Date: January 8, 2004

 

Backpacking Background:

I have been influenced to go camping and backpacking all my life. Every summer for the first 5 years of my life, my parents took me camping. I was in the Boy Scouts at the age of 12 and have been backpacking, on and off, ever since. Needless to say, I love the outdoors. I enjoy taking a lot of STUFF in my pack and can’t seem to get my total pack weight down - I wonder why. I usually hike around Pisgah National Forest and The Great Smoky Mountains. I go at any time of the year and try to hit the trails when there is no rain. If it does rain, it’s okay. Trail terrain, such as rocky trails or muddy trails, is not that big of an issue with me. I just like getting out and enjoying nature.

 

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Outdoor Research

Size: #4

Dimensions: 9 in by 17 in (22.6 cm by 43.1 cm)

Volume: 1100 cu in (18.03 L)

Year of Manufacture: 2003

URL: www.orgear.com

Weight as Delivered: 1.9 oz (54 g)

MSRP: $15.00

 

Delivery:

            I received my OR Hydrolite Stuff Sack on 12/27/03. It arrived in what appears to be a waterproof envelope. Inside was a plastic sealed bag with a cardboard display card stapled to the top of the bag. Inside the plastic sealed bag was the stuff sack and 3 OR stickers with the company’s Lifetime Guarantee printed on the back.

 

The Cardboard Display Card:

            This card was stapled to the top of the sealed plastic bag to be displayed on a display hanger. The front of the card shows actual colored pictures of various size stuff sacks that OR manufactures. These pictures are on a background of a topo trail map, I guess to give it a more wilderness feel. The back of the card shows colored outlines of the various sacks with their size number, dimension and volume. There is a description of how the sack was made and what types of fabric they use and features of the sack.

 

The Sack:

            I had something of an idea what to expect since I have one of there earlier models. When I took the sack out of the plastic bag, I was really surprised at the lightweight feel and the type of material. The size was truly overwhelming. I did not expect it to be that big. After pulling the draw chord several times I realized the construction for this to operate properly, was very well made. The draw cord is made of nylon with a round, spring loaded clasp at the end to be slid down to close the bag. After cinching the sack closed and sliding the clasp down to hold the sack closed, I attempted to pull the cords apart from each other to test how strong the clasp holds the chords together to prevent slippage. The clasp seems to be very strong in holding the cords together to prevent the sack from opening in case of overstuffing the sack.

            The inside of the sack seems to be water resistant material but not water proof. The dust cover is made of the same material as the rest of the sack. The dust cover seems to be large enough to keep out any reasonable amount of dirt and other foreign objects. There is one seam going down one side of the sack and around the circumference of the sack at the bottom. The seams are not sealed with any kind of waterproof sealer but could possibly be applied to add extra protection against water entering through the seams.

            On the bottom of the sack there is a nylon web strap going from one side of the round bottom to the other. It is stitched to the outside at both ends and does not penetrate through the bottom seams. This could be good or bad. Good, for making as few holes in the fabric as possible to keep water out of the seams. Bad, because I’m not sure that the strength of the small amount of stitching fastening the strap to the sack is sufficient. I will monitor this as a possible issue during testing.

            So far, I have not stuffed anything in the sack to test its volume capacity. This will commence very shortly to find out what things will fit and what things will not. I will note in my Field Report the outcome of this and other tests.

            After inspecting the sack and its features, I am very well pleased with the construction and the material. The rip stop material, in my opinion, has always proven to be a strong material. The stitching seems to be close and tight. Although not double stitched, I think it will hold up for its intended purpose. I believe this will be a very sturdy sack for months and maybe years to come. 

 

Test Plan:
            I plan to use this sack as it is intended, to put stuff in. I will also test things as presented in my application which is:

 

As a food bag:

·        Will it keep my food any fresher than not having one at all?

·        Is it water proof or water repellant? If so, to what extent?

·        Does it keep food smell from escaping to attract animals?

·        How well does it keep my food organized? Will my food get jumbled around inside if shaken too much?

·        Is the color of the sack too dark to see the contents from the top of the opening? Meaning, do I have to dump the contents to see what is a third of the way down?

·        Without cinching to tight, is the material too smooth to strap to the outside of a pack and not slide out from the straps?

·        As a hanging food bag, is the material strong enough to keep out the small pesky animals (squirrels, raccoons, birds, ect…)?

 

As a clothes bag:

·        How many days of clothes can I fit in this sack?

·        Is it waterproof or water repellant? If so, to what extent?

·        If I use it as a stinky clothes bag, how well will it keep the funk smell in the sack?

·        If wet or damp clothes are put in the sack, how well and/or how long will it prevent mildew?

·        Does it make a good pillow with clothes stuffed inside? (this would be the time for the stinky clothes test)

·        If stuffed to the max, how well will the closure keep the top closed?

 

Other various uses:

·        A stuff sack for my tent

·        A stuff sack for my sleeping bag

 

Thank you Outdoor Research and BGT for the opportunity to test this stuff sack.