#4 HydroLite Stuff Sack™
by Outdoor Research
Long Term Report
7/14/2004

 

Tester	Coy Starnes
Gender	Male
Age	42
Weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Height	6 ft (1.8 m)
E-Mail	cstarnes@nehp.net
Location	Grant, Alabama

Tester Bio
 I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama.  I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities.  Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I consider myself a knowledgeable backpacker but I am not an expert.  I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer.  My style is slow and steady and my gear is light.  However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability.  A typical 3 season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water.  I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove.  My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length.

Product Information

Manufacturer	Outdoor Research
Manufacturer URL	http://www.orgear.com/
Year of Manufacture	2003
Size	#4 = 9" x 17" (23 cm x 43 cm)
Volume	1100 cu in (18 L)
Weight	not listed
Weight Verified	1.6 oz (45.4 gm)
Color	Red
MSRP	$15 US

Product Description
On the surface, the size #4 HydroLite Stuff Sack™ appears to be just a "normal" stuff sack.  It has what looks like normal coated nylon material, a normal dust flap and a normal cordlock closure.  But according to the information provided on the web site and information card, this is not a "normal" stuff sack.  I took the following from the web site.   

"Simply the best when it comes to durable, truly waterproof, ultralight fabrics, our HydroLite fabric is a coated nylon gossamer that is both ultralight and ultradurable. Through laboratory tests of the fabric's seam strength, waterproofness, DWR, tear strength, abrasion, and a full battery of other brutalities involving hours in rotating tubs, golf balls and pea gravel, we could not find a better ultralight material. In the tried and true tradition of Outdoor Research Hydroseal Stuff Sacks, we incorporated the design and features of the Basic Stuff Sack into the next generation."

The information card reads almost the same with this additional information.  "Each sack has a generous dust flap, and a drawcord that cinches down very smoothly and is held closely by a truly tenacious cordlock.  A webbing handle on the other end aids in carrying and unstuffing the sack."

About the only thing I can add is that upon turning the stuff sack inside out, all seams appear to be secure and the inside color is white.  I don't know if the nylon was white to start with and  then dyed red on the outside or the other way around.  Perhaps the white color is some type of coating?   I can also see a grid pattern when viewing the stuff sack from either side.  As for the HydroLite Stuff Sack™ being waterproof, I don't gather that the bag is designed as such.  Without a way to seal the top opening, whether the bag body fabric is waterproof or not is really immaterial to a point.  One advantage of the Hydrolite material over a non-waterproof fabric would be splash protection.  I will say, the seams do not appear to be taped or seam sealed.  But if the HydroLite fabric is truly waterproof then at least some protection will be afforded.  

Testing Location and Conditions
Testing was done on several overnight hikes in Northeast Alabama and a short hike in North Carolina on the Appalachian Trail. Elevations ranged from about 1000 ft (300 m) to around 4000 ft (1200 m).  Trip lengths were mostly in the 3 to 5 mile (5 to 8 km) range. I experienced some precipitation on a few of the hikes.  The coldest temperatures encountered were in the mid 20s F (-7 C) back in the winter.  Recently it has been above 90 F (32 C) and I have limited my hiking to short hikes down to the cool creek .   Some testing was done using the stuff sack in a vest pack to hold most of my gear in an experiment on an ultralight setup I'm working on.

Long Term Field Testing Results
As I reported in my Field Report the size #4 HydroLite Stuff Sack™  is not waterproof despite using  a waterproof coated nylon material for the walls of the stuff sack.  I was never under the impression that the stuff sack would be waterproof, even though I could see where the statements concerning the materials used could lead to to this conclusion.  To avoid this possibility, I would prefer to see Outdoor Research plainly state on the web-site and  store-front packaging, that the stuff sack is not waterproof.  However, I see no reason to not advertise the  material as waterproof and the  advantages it offers such as splash protection when a truly waterproof stuff sack is not needed.   The statement on the display card that reads "HydroLite is simply the best when it comes to durable, truly waterproof, ultralight fabrics"  is appropriate in my opinion but the statement under HYDROLITE STUFF SACK FEATURES that says " Superior waterproofness and durablilty" could be misunderstood to mean the sack is waterproof.  Other than the labeling gripe I have been extremely pleased with the performance of the stuff sack.

The size #4 HydroLite Stuff Sack™ has been used and abused by holding everything imaginable as far as camping gear goes.   It has been used to carry soft items such as  clothes and sleeping bags.  It has also held hard items like my cook kit and even a 17 in (43 cm) Kukri knife (in its sheath of course).  I was suspicious that the seams which allowed so much water to pass through them would prove to wear out if I overstuffed the stuff sack.  Fortunately, this has not happened.   The stuff sack is still in great condition.  I was not able to use the stuff sack for any extended hiking trips but what is an extended hiking trip?   If several dayhikes and overnight stays without any breaks in between counts then my testing was similar but with breaks in between.

I mentioned in my Field Report that I planed to use the stuff sack to hold all my gear and then be used inside my hunting vest's rear game pocket.  Used this way I could keep from losing any gear from out of the semi-open top of the game compartment.  Due to the fact that I was testing a pack for BackpackGearTest I only tried this setup once.   I was  pleased that I could get all my gear in the size #4 HydroLite Stuff Sack™  except for a few odds and ends I kept handy in front pockets.  I also did not have room for a sleep pad.  My choices of pads was between a slightly over sized closed-cell foam pad or a gigantic 2.5 in (6.3 cm) thick Big Agnes Hinman Pad.  I chose a warm night and was fine without any pad under my sleeping bag (inside my hammock).  With a down under-quilt it would be possible to add a "pad" to the list.   I'm not here to convince anybody to use the stuff sack as a main gear bag for minimalist hiking,  but I am reporting on a use I found for the stuff sack.   In fact it will continue to be the main way I use this stuff sack in the future

Final Thoughts
Choosing a stuff sack for backpacking does not get my heart rate elevated all that much.  Even so, it is an important part of my gear and make organizing my life on the trail a lot easier.  The size #4 HydroLite Stuff Sack™ is too big for the kind of organizing I'm used to and in this regard I found alternate uses for the stuff sack.  However, there are smaller versions of the HydroLite Stuff Sack™ and even one bigger than the size #4 I tested.  This stuff sack is worth considering if splash protection is important.  I found that it did all I ask for of a stuff sack given the size limitations.  I would like to thank Outdoor Research and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this stuff sack and hope my findings will be useful for anyone considering  one.