Weighed On Our Scales » .2 oz (5.6 g)

Catalog No. WED10018

Product Overview

The 5 x 4 inch Aloksak may be the most useful size yet for the ultralight crowd - as the lightest Aloksak available, the 5 x 4 inch is perfect for a backcountry "wallet," first aid kit, emergency kit, firestarting kit, or your mini-notebook and a small pen for journaling. Say goodbye to supermarket zip-lock bags, which leak, tear, puncture, and rip during normal backpacking use. Aloksaks (and their odor-proof counterpart, the O.P. Sak, also available) are the first zip-lock style plastic bag actually designed to meet the rigors of outdoor equipment protection.

Aloksak Uses

We think Aloksaks are useful for all of your backpacking accessories that you need to keep dry, including:

• Toiletries
• Food (O.P. Sak)
• Human Waste Disposal (O.P. Sak)
• First aid supplies
• Firestarting supplies, including matches and lighters
• Emergency survival gear
• Electronics, including GPS units, cameras, PDA's, cell phones, spare batteries, film, digital camera storage cards, etc.
• Documents, paper money, fishing licenses, trail journals, pens and pencils

How Durable Are Aloksak Bags?

"I have been carrying Aloksaks for quite a long time now. I've used the same Aloksak bag for storing my first aid kit, toiletries, firestarting kit, tarp guylines, and titanium skewer-type tent stakes for more than 500 miles of hiking. Even the ends of the tent stakes have yet to puncture the bag. The force required to rip the bag by punching a finger (even one with a long nail) is remarkable. These are truly the most durable bags I've ever seen, and I've not yet had a zip closure failure, rip, or tear during normal backpacking use." - Ryan Jordan, Publisher and Editor, BackpackingLight.com.

"...my Number 1 choice for keeping ALL of my important gear dry in the worst conditions...thanks for providing me with the world's best dry bag." - Ian Adamson, Team Eco-Internet, First Place Winner Eco-Challenge 2000

"When you are the 'DOC' on the expedition, the medical gear is often the most vital. Now, simply put, if I don't have my gear in an Aloksak, I don't go." - Billy Trolan, MD, Medical Consultant: Naval Special Warfare, Air Force Pararescue, FBI, Worldwide Adventure Races.

"Despite overstuffing, abusing, and even power washing with a hose and power wash fitting, the bags would not leak. A breakthrough product for anyone who must keep things dry." - Michael Hodgson, Publisher, SNEWS & GearTrends

OK, Nice. But they are heavier than zip-lock sandwich baggies, right?

Well, yeah, they are. We're not going to lie to you. Here's the comparison:

Sandwich Baggie Zip-Lock, 6 x 6 inch. We chose the lightest supermarket grocery store zip-lock type baggie we could find, just to make you gram weenies happy. The bag weighs 0.088 ounces. It is leakproof to a submersion depth of nine inches. The plastic rips with a force of less than four pounds. Less than 1.5 pounds are required to rip the bag along a seam. The seam width is less than 0.1 mm.

Aloksak, 6 x 6 inch. A similar sized Aloksak bag weighs 0.312 ounces, leakproof to a submersion depth of more than 200 feet, has a material ripping force exceeding 25 pounds, has a seam ripping force exceeding that of the material itself (so failure is not going to occur at the seams). The welded seam width exceeds 2.5 mm.

Think about the performance to weight ratio here. Which bag are you going to trust to protect your camera, matches, first aid supplies, or food?

VERY IMPORTANT

Bag is waterproof only if sealed in the following way:

To test bag prior to use, trap a small amount of air inside the bag.  Seal zipper completely by sliding fingers from one end to the other, being certain there are no kinks or bends in the seal. The zipper seal should feel smooth and wrinkle-free.

Submerge bag in a container of water and squeeze sides to test seal.  If air bubbles appear, the bag is damaged or not sealed properly.  Repeat the test to verify if the bag is damaged.  If defective and unused, contact Watchful Eye Designs, LLC for instructions on how to return the defective bag for replacement.

Caution:  Leak-proof bags are durable, but not indestructible.  Normal wear is not a defect.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPLACE THE ALOKSAK WITH A COMMERCIAL OVER-THE-COUNTER RECLOSABLE BAG.  Aloksak bags have a unique closure system that holds three patents and has been certified leak-proof to 200 feet/60 meters by the National Association of Scuba Diving Schools.  These bags have been tested by the United States Navy and are approved for diving applications.

Replace the bags after extended use.
Avoid overexposure to extreme heat.