OR - Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack

Dear Editors,

 

Below is the text for an OR.  The HTML is in the test folder at:
http://tinyurl.com/njlzvmk.  I look forward to any comments and edits.

 

Thanks for all the work you all do!

 

Kathy

_____________________________________________________

 

SEA TO SUMMIT ULTRA-SIL DAY PACK   

 

Logo 

BY KATHLEEN WATERS

November 10, 2014   

 OWNER REVIEW   

 

 

  

 

TESTER INFORMATION   

 

NAME:    Kathleen Waters   

 EMAIL:    kathy at backpackgeartest dot com   

 AGE:    63   

 LOCATION:    Canon City, Colorado, USA   

 GENDER:    F   

 HEIGHT:    5' 4" (1.60 m)   

 WEIGHT:    125 lb (56.70 kg)   

 

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to
backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land
bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other
gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my
husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers,
rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New
Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is
comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed).
Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.  

 

PRODUCT INFORMATION   

 

 

 

Manufacturer: Sea to Summit

Year of Manufacture: 2014

Manufacturer's Website: http://seatosummit.com

MSRP: N/A

Listed Weight: 2.4 oz (68 g)

Measured Weight: 2.5 oz (71 g)

 

Other details: From Manufacturer

 

* Packs down small so it easily fits in pockets, purses or luggage

* Simple, streamlined design so it's light and low profile

* Volume is about 20 Liters

* Siliconized CorduraR for strength and durability

* Bartack reinforced stitching on all stress points

* Two-way zipper closure

* Dimensions: 19 in high/ 8 in deep/ 11 in wide (48 cm high/ 20 cm deep/ 28
cm wide) 

Ultra-Sil Day Pack 

Pictures Courtesy of Sea to Summit 

 

 

 

Description

 

This lightweight day pack stuffs down into an interior pocket which becomes
its stuff sack for transport. The sack is securely closed via a push barrel
locking system on a cord. A small "Cordura" label is sewn into the outside
seam. There is a snap closure tab at the top of the stuff sack to attach the
sack to a pack loop. There is a two-way zipper at the top of the pack and
very simple, lightweight shoulder straps. There are no interior or exterior
compartments or pouches, no water bottle holders, nor is there a chest strap
or waist belt.  

 

FIELD USE AND PERFORMANCE   

 

On a whim, I picked up this pack at a fund-raising event for the
Conservation Alliance. I try to support non-profit organizations that are
outdoor-related and the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack caught my eye as a
"cute" piece of gear. I'm a sucker for things that are small and light!

 

The very first outing I undertook after that purchase was a three-day trek
into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in the San Isabel National Forest in
south central Colorado. My son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Jillian
and I were going to set-up a base camp and explore the surrounding area with
a summit attempt of Mt. Harvard, one of Colorado famous 14ers (mountains
topping 14,000 ft/4267 m).

 

 

 

Collegiate Peaks Trailhead 

My Trail Mates at the Collegiate Peaks Trailhead 

 

Packs Ready to Go 

Weekend Packs - Where are the Ultra-Sil Day Packs? 

 

 

While we hiked in about 2 miles (3 km) fully loaded with 30+ lb (14 kg) of
gear, having had experience with 14ers' terrain, we each brought along the
Sea to Summit day pack. Did I mention I bought 4 of them? No matter, I did,
so each of us had one tucked away in our packs for use on summit day. And
were we all glad I did!

 

First off, the pack is deceptive. When released from its stuff sack, it
looks sadly small and wrinkled but boy, can it hold a lot of gear! With
ease, I have carried an extra pair of socks (never know when wet feet will
strike), a set of base layers (gets cold on those windy peaks), a fleece
mid-layer, rain/wind shell, headlamp, camera, cell phone, wallet, small
binoculars, food bars and two liters of water. Oh yeah, and a ski cap and
light gloves, go in there, too.

 

 

Pack next to MP3 Player 

Yeah, It's small! 

 

Shoulder Strap Adjustment 

Shoulder Strap Adjuster 

 

 

Since the day pack doesn't have any compartments or pouches, I just sort of
roll up the clothing and pack it into the open cavity in the reverse order
of how I think I will need the items. I put one bottle of water on the very
bottom though to help distribute the weight load and then I generally have
the rain gear next unless it looks like rain. (Or course, on my very first
trek, it rained!) Camera, binoculars and food bars/jerky are on top, along
with one bottle of water. This creates a fairly stable load. Because there
aren't any chest or waist straps, I try not to have a pack that will shift
when I'm stumbling on rough terrain. A mountain goat, I'm not!

 

The shoulder straps of this day pack are not padded, simply 2 inch (5 cm)
tapered pieces of Ultra-Sil fabric which are adjustable via narrow webbing
through a plastic buckle loop. Very easy to adjust with just a pull to
tighten and a tug upward to loosen. The shoulder straps are ridiculously
comfortable considering the complete lack of padding! Actually, the whole
pack is ridiculously comfortable, riding nicely, even fully stuffed on my
back at my waist.

 

Initially, I was worried that the lack of a chest and/or waist belt would
have me constantly dealing with slipping and sliding shoulder straps. Wasted
worry! At no time on the first trip up the boulders of Mt. Columbia (we
ended up on the wrong mountain, but that a whole 'nother story), nor on any
of my subsequent outings did I ever give the day pack a second thought other
than, "gee, I love this pack!"

 

 

Mt. Columbia and Me 

Me Slogging up Mt. Columbia 

 

Rocky Terrain 

Mt. Columbia Summit Terrain 

 

 

After several months now of using the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack, I'm
please to say, it has held up well with no torn seams, loose threads or the
like. It has endured a lot of dirt and pine sap - I'm not the most graceful
or careful hiker - and doesn't seem any worse for the wear. After a half
dozen treks, I did thrown it in a pan of cold sudsy water (tech wash) and
now it looks brand-new. I'm expecting it to continue to get lots of use this
winter. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting here watching the snow fall,
salivating over plans to snowshoe tomorrow and the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil
Day Pack is right next to me, packed and ready to go! 

 

Do I recommend this pack for day hiking, summit bids, and casual use? A
resounding "Heck Yeah!"  

 

STARRING ATTRACTIONS   

 

1.) Ridiculously lightweight and comfortable to wear.

2.) Holds just what I need for a summit climb.

3.) Takes up very little space in my backpack.

4.) Easy to stuff back down into its stuff sack.  

 

MINOR DISTRACTIONS   

 

1.) No way to secure any sort of water bottle or bladder.  

 

SUMMARY   

 

I love this pack! At first, I was just drawn to the teeny-tiny size and
thought I would use it as an impromptu grocery/shopping bag but have found
it to be perfect for summer day hikes and when on multi-day hikes, as a
summit or round-the-base-camp pack. It's lightweight and perfectly-sized for
the sort of gear I need to carry on these occasions. This Sea to Summit
Ultra-Sil Day Pack is one of the first things I now grab for when packing up
my gear and will continue to be one of my favorites! 

 

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters