Tester:
Pat Christian
Male, 62
Height: 5'6" (1.52 m)
Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
Contact: pat@patchristian.com
City, State, Country: Provo, Utah, U.S.
Date: June 30, 2004

Backpacking/outdoor experience:
    I was born in San Francisco and now live near Sundance, Utah, where I am a writer & photographer. I'm also an avid 4-season outdoorsman and some of my stories and photographs have focused on outdoor recreation. My backpack and my curiosity have taken me into Utah's belly, to the bottom of 1,165 ft. (355 m) deep Neff's Cave. At the other extreme, I've climbed 18,405 feet (5,609 m) to the summit of Mexico's Pico de Orizaba. But I'm as happy just stepping out the door of my mountain foothills home onto the seemingly endless trails of the Uinta National
Forest or driving 25 minutes to the jagged Lone Peak Wilderness Area. I have a diverse backpacking philosophy--near to naked when mountain
summit running or day-hiking, ultra-lightweight to survivalist (may include cache) while solo overnighting and then heavier expeditionary when hiking or climbing with a team large enough to share the carrying of team equipment. View some of my stories & photographs on my web  page at www.patchristian.com.

Product:
Manufacturer: Outdoor Research, http://www.orgear.com
Weight: 1.8 oz (51 g)
#4 Dimensions: 9" x 17" (22.86 cm x 43.18 cm)
Volume: 1,100 cu (18.03 L)
Color: blue
Guarantee: lifetime*
MSRP: $13

Product overview:
    Outdoor Research's Hydrolite Model is one of multiple lines of stuff sacks made by the Seattle, Wash. company. This model line comes in five
sizes in blue, red and what they call Glacier Blue. This particular sack that I am testing is the second largest in this line and is the number 4 size with dimensions of 9" x 17" (22.86 cm x 43.18 cm). The sack has a draw cord top, attached top dust cover and a webbing handle on the bottom. Unlike some other OR models, the seams of this sack are not factory tape sealed.

Long Term Report:
    Here I am In July of 2004 at the end of official testing trail for the Basic Hydrolite Stuff Sack #4 by Outdoor Research, and it seems to be in the same condition as it arrived except for many wrinkles from being stuffed in packs and equipment drawers at home.

    It arrived last Dec. 23 and I have tested it since then with my sleeping bag inside during a March rainstorm near sea level along the Stanaslaus River (Did my bag get wet? See my field test to find out.) and skiing in a late December snowstorm around 10,000 feet (3,048 m) above sea level in the back country above Sundance Ski Resort. On other ski trips, it contained my sleeping bag, or lunch and extra clothing or camera and other more abrasive items. In 90 F (32 C) degree temperatures, with my sleeping bag inside. It was bungeed on the rack of my mountain bike late in May and bounced along single-track trails between 6,000 (1829 m) and 8,000 (2438 m) feet in and around Provo Canyon. I had minor crashes twice and I and the stuff sack luckily survived. I think that under just the right crash circumstances I and the stuff sack could have been damaged by sharp twigs or rocks.

    There were other trips, including a June hike over Windy Pass at 11,000 feet (3353 m), in which I carried my pocket knife, lunch, including cans, compass and other sharper items to see if how it might abrade the white waterproofing urethane coating on the bag's interior. The coating seems to have survived this and a couple of other trials where I just stuffed hard objects into the bag and stored it in my car in the hot afternoon sun.

    While overnighting, it made a fine pillow after I stuffed my pile vest and other softer clothing in it.

    I still especially like the large round dust flap and lightness of the sack and its large size that fits my sleeping bag and maybe one or two items of clothing as well. My usual choice of a stuff sack is this light-weight, less expensive type that does not have the seams sealed. Personally I can hardly see much benefit from sealed seams with a draw-string closure that cannot be as equally waterproof. For me I have found these less expensive models the adequate choice in the weather I usually find myself working or recreating in. If I was going to take them on the water or was in more tropical and rainy climates as I was when I was in Vietnam or Panama I would opt for the seam sealed models or more likely even better those more expensive roll top models that are 100 percent waterproof. Outdoor Research also sells these advance models for specialized uses under model names like HydroLite Rolldown Stuff Sacks and Hydroseal Stuff Sacks. However, I still wonder if Outdoor Research engineers could consider sewing a daisy chain style strip of nylon along on top of the entire length of the seams on the model tested and see if that retards the invasion of water as I mention in my field report. It could also be used to help lash the sack to my pack.

    One caveat, however. Some who buy this product could be misled by the informational product tag that came with my stuff sack. Under the sub-headline, "Hydrolite Stuff Sack Features" one claim says, "Superior waterproofness and durability." While the material is waterproof the stuff sack itself is, as I have mentioned, not 100 percent waterproof, with vulnerability to water at the seams and the draw-string opening. See my field report for details. Actually, their HydroLite Rolldown and Hydroseal models offer superior waterproofness to the tested model.



    It is my experience that with stuff sacks and other outdoor equipment including tent floors that have urethane coatings that a failure way
down the road, like perhaps after a decade, can be the hardening and flaking off of this coating. Time, heat and perhaps a machine washing or two seems to have been a factor in my own experience. It has happened to other stuff sacks I own and to the flooring of a tent I own. So a test of six months is inadequate to detect this kind of long-tern vulnerability. But in this six-month test, the sack has performed well, meeting my expectations.

* Outdoor Research Lifetime Guarantee: "Outdoor Research products are guaranteed against defects in materials or construction without any time limits. Any items that we determine to be defective will be repaired or replaced depending on what makes the most sense and creates the least waste. Damage due to misuse or improper care is not covered, nor is wear and tear, but we will be happy to repair for minimal cost, any items that are returned to us clean. It is important to keep in mind that materials may wear out rapidly if they are subjected to severe use of uses for which they were not intended."