Reader Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5

Specs:
Weight: 10 ozs / 283 g
Main Material: 210d Ripstop Nylon
Main Material: 30d Silicone Nylon
Volume: 1000 cu in / 16 litres

I've used this pack on off-trail day-trips both in wintertime (skiing) and summer. It's just small enough to force you into making hard choices on what to bring. Even in the alpine climate of northern Sweden I did not find that I was missing anything. For my winter trip I managed to pack:
A mountain shelter (Outdoor Designs), A down sweater (Klättermusen Liv), A 0,7l Thermos, A Bushbuddy Stove packed in the MSR Titan kettle, 3 sandwiches, a large food plate, and a sit pad. The pack also has a small top pocket that can also be used for storing the entire bag in itself if one wants to pack it in a larger sack. Super Ultra-Light backpackers might even be able to use it for a weekend-trip, but I think that's a real challenge.
After 6 months (non-continuous) of use the bag shows no significant signs of wear. There is a small patch where the silnylon seems a bit stretched though. I think this is probably a result from trying squeeze too many things into the pack when testing to see how much I could fit in it. I also occasionally bring groceries home in the bag and that's probably more weight than it is supposed to handle. I think you can probably comfortably carry around 6-8 pounds in the pack. The sternum strap works quite OK and keeps the bag in place even when skiing.

I haven't used it as a compression-sack yet. I think it is a bit too heavy for that. I've also seen better compressionsacks, but I guess you can't have it all.

What I miss with this pack is a mesh pocket for a waterbottle. I think that would be a really useful addition. I'm thinking I could maybe add one myself. Another missing feature is that it is not completely waterproof. In places where a wet sleepingbag is not a matter of survival it's probably OK though. It would probably withstand a lot of rain, but water will get in if the sack is completely submerged. For such cases I would complement the protection with a thin garbage bag.

Overall I think this is a really nice little pack. Especially as a summit pack in combination with a larger backpack. For a more complete and larger pack of this nature it might be that the OR DryComp Summit Sack is a better choice (It's waterproof, larger (also 2 oz heavier.), and has mesh pockets.), but I haven't tried that one. Perhaps there are better and lighter alternatives, but a definitive plus for me is that this bag is available in stores in Sweden and it is reasonably priced as well ( 375 SEK at GetOut SÄCK, Stockholm).

The recommended retail price is 40$.
Here is a link to the manufacturer site:
http://marmot.com/spring_2008/equipment/packs/alpinist/kompressor

Edited by gusbo on 04/01/2008 03:50:03 MDT.

Rating: 3 / 5

My pack actually weighs 240 g, so a bit under the listed weight. I have analyzed the pack's design and have found many places with weight and durability overkill (heavy-duty webbing and buckles, heavy zipper locks) and other places with too little durability (thin silnylon body).

This pack is not completely well thought out. It's webbing straps are far too hefty, while the shoulder straps lack padding that would allow you to carry more than 5 kg. Its sternum strap is functional, but heavy. There is a weird place on the shoulder straps where thick webbing is sewn to elastic loops for no apparent reason. The two side compression straps are probably also superfluous.

The pack itself looks cool, and I use it around town. It IS small and light, but it could be lighter and quite a bit more durable. I doubt anyone uses it as a compression sack.