Renowned technical pack brand
Pod
has just launched an interesting range of
rucksack accessories
including some extremely cunning lightweight, waterproof stuff-sacs.
The new Pod storage range includes straight stuff sacs, dry sacs and
compression sacs in a variety of designs. There's some great stuff
there, in particular, the
Ultralite
Stuffsac which uses a translucent lightweight rip-stop
Nylon Cordura fabric with internal seam sealing and Hypalon reonforced
drawcord closure. The medium, ten-litre version weighs in a just 25g,
which is pretty bonkers.
Then there's an
Ultralite
Drysac made from the same fabric but with as roll-top
closure and fully-taped sealed seams, the medium size in that version
weighs
40 grammes,
so still incredibly light for a 10-litre drybag.
Things get even more interesting with the
Airstream versions.
These use a panel of eVent fabric for the base of the bag. Because
eVent is vapour permeable, when you roll up the bag, air can be
squeezed out though the eVent giving a handy vacuum-packed effect and
all without any weight penalty over the straight drysac version.
Finally all those versions are also available as a compression sac
which should be spot on for packing away down sleeping bags and
jackets, particularly in damp climates where down can easily get damp.
The eVent panel allows the air to be expelled from the down item as you
stuff it, then the compresson straps hold everything packed down and
compact.
We've been using a couple of variations and they're spot on for
lightweight backpacking and carrying compressible items with down or
similar synthetic fillings. There are lots of other versions as well,
but it's the lightweight ones that really make sense to us.
Lots of sizes from 2.5 litres to 20 litres and prices depending on the
specification. A medium Uirstream Lite Compression sac, for example,
retails for £16 with eVent base and Cordura fabric.
In the shops right about now, more details at
www.podsacs.com
