Alpkit Gourdon 30 - First Look
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Price: £20
(including VAT and delivery)
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Weight: 658 grammes (minimum without
padding 523 grammes)
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Features: Roll-top
dry bag come day pack in 300d PVC=cpated Nylon with
waterproof closure, removable padded back, taped waterproof
seams, Duraflex buckle and toggle closure, iron-on repair
patches included. Also available in 25-litre
version.
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What's It For? Whatever you like really. It's effectively a
minimimalist daypack that's also a waterproof dry bag, or you can take
out the foam back pad and it's more of a dry bag with straps or leave
it in for added comfort. You can carry kit in it and it'll keep it
dry. And look, different colours too...
The Techy Bits It's not rocket science, though it's ingenious.
Basically AlpKit has taken a PVC-coated Nylon dry bag - as used by
canoeists - and added a lightweight harness, chest strap and waist
belt. There's a light foam pad inside, which you can remove to save
another 120 grammes or so. And that's it really, simple but cunning.
How It Works It works and it works really well. Simply chuck
anything you want to carry inside the Gourdon, roll down the top,
fasten the buckle and locate the toggles in their holes. Bingo, a
waterproof bag that's very easy to carry around.
Not only that, but with careful packing, it's surprisingly
comfortable and, once the harness is snugged down, very stable too.
Great if you need to break into a trot. And did we mention that it
keeps your kit dry as well?
It does have limitations, for a start there's no compression
system, so anything you load into the bag sits at the lowest point.
Then there's no external storage lid, so if you need easy access to
anything, you'll be wanting to use pockets and finally, in these days
of hydration systems, there's no way to keep the bag sealed and use a
drinking bladder.
Is that a problem? Depends on you really. Opening and closing the
Gourdon isn't super slick, but it's not that slow either, so using a
water bottle is quite feasible.
It's also light enough that you can use it as an auxilliary pack
that's also a dry bag. On an expedition? Use the Gourdon to keep your
sleeping bag dry in your big pack, then once you've set up camp, it
makes a handy day sac too. Really the only limitation is your
imagination. It'd be ideal for canyoning or ghyll scrambling for
example. Or as a minimalist race sac perhaps, or for keeping your
picnic dry. Or, well, you get the idea.
The Alpkit guys even used the Gourdon 25 as a race sac for a
Polaris event.
There are other waterproof packs out there, but they're
usually complex, heavy and expensive. The Gourdon, in addition to its
other virtues, is also pretty cheap at 20 quid delivered. And it's
incredibly versatile, though you'll have to accept that you need to
pack it carefully for comfort, live without a compression system -
just carry a bit more kit ;-) - and swap your hydration gubbins for a
bottle.
Use your imagination and it's a great little bit of kit,
especially when the heavens open and you want to keep stuff dry.
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try a posting to our
gear
forum.
Akela Magpie
