Wayne Merry
2008-03-18 10:35:31 UTC
Here is my Field Test Report for the High Sierra Sentinel 65 Backpack.
HTML at *http://tinyurl.com/ywygxt
*
Regards,
Wayne
Field Test Report:
18 March 2008.
Trips during Field Reporting Period
Over the last two and a bit months I have used the High Sierra Sentinel
65 backpack in the following locations:
* Rubicon, Victoria, Australia
o A forested area with elevations from 200 m (660 ft) up to
1200 m (3660 ft). Temperatures were mild to hot: 15 C (59 F)
to 35 C (95 F) with humidity low.
o This was a two day walk and I carried around 12.5 kg (27.6
lbs) total weight. I walked for up to 8 hours on the longest
day with few stops as I was walking solo.
* Mt Howitt/Howqua valley, Victoria, Australia.
o The mountain section was first in forest and then low scrub
above the tree line. The valley sections were in mostly open
forest. Elevations ranged from 400 m (1310 ft) to 1700 m
(5550 ft), with temperatures ranging from 15 C (59 F)
through to 30 C (86 F). Humidity was medium to low.
o Mt Howitt was a 900 m (2670 ft) climb from a base camp. From
there my walking group headed off for a 2 day pack carry.
The Sentinel 65 was used as a big day pack for the trip up
the mountain. For the remaining time, I carried around 12.5
kg (27.6 lbs) total weight. The day walk had 8 hours of
walking, while the two day pack carry had around 5 hours each.
* Great Ocean Walk, Cape Otway to the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia.
o This was a 5 day coastal track walk with some beach
sections. Elevations were from sea level to 250 m (820 ft).
Temperatures ranged from 15 C (59 F) to 35 C (95 F) with low
humidity. I began the walk carrying all my stuff for 5 days
and a two man tent. My pack weight came in at 19 kg (42 lb).
Walking time each day was around 5 to 6 hours.
My experiences with the Sentinel 65 have been mostly positive. I have
felt comfortable walking on each day except for when I had trouble with
the chest strap (see below). I use the main area of the pack as a large
single compartment with a stuff sack, inflatable mattress and tent going
down the bottom, and this arrangement worked well with the Sentinel 65.
When I had the full two man tent going in, it was a little bit of a
squeeze, but it all worked out. I was able to fit everything for the 5
day walk in, including the two man tent. Shown to the right is the pack
when full. Aside from the water bottles in the provided mesh pockets, I
have not needed to strap stuff onto the outside of the pack.
The picture with the full pack shows a water bottle in a mesh pocket in
the side of the pack. This water bottle is 1.5 litres (51 fl oz), which
is a little larger than then 1 litre (33.8 fl oz) than what High Sierra
advertise as the capacity for this mesh pocket, but I found that the
larger water bottle worked fine. I normally carry two of these, one each
side of the pack. It can be a little tricky getting the water bottle
back in with the pack on, but it is certainly do-able. Many people like
to use bladders with a tube, and the Sentinel provides two feeder holes
for this, but I like to use conventional bottles to see how much water I
use throughout the day.
The "rope" compartment, or hinged pocket, on the back of the pack is
large enough to fit two 750 ml (25.4 fl oz) bottles, plus a small amount
of room for other things. As the compression straps act to pull this
compartment closer to the main pack, they tend to squash the contents of
this compartment far more than compress the main compartment which could
be a drawback. I tend not to rely on compression straps too much, so
this was not a major issue for me. There is a cavity between this rope
compartment and the main pack which could be used for a larger flat
item. The rope compartment is stitched into the main pack at the base,
however any item wedged in here is only prevented going out the sides by
the 4 compression straps. I did not try to store anything in this cavity.
The top compartment is attached to the main pack at 4 points. The two
points on the harness side of the pack are adjustable, but are not
readily detachable. These are the two points I incorrectly suggested
could not be adjusted at all in my initial review. The other two points
have clips and can also be adjusted. The adjustable straps with the
clips have more freeplay than the other two points, which results in the
top compartment sloping downwards when the pack is less than two thirds
full. This can happen on an overnight walk for me.
I tend to sweat alot, so I was always going to provide a robust test for
the moisture handling capability of the Sentinel 65. I have found that
moisture does tend to clear at a reasonable rate, but nothing can save
me from a wet back. I have found that a small amount of moisture can
make it's way into the main compartment of the pack. It's not much, but
it does happen. I suspect it comes through the thin material behind the
shoulder harness system which can be seen below the "Ergo Fit" area in
the picture first shown in the Initial Review and also to the right.
The chest or sternum strap is secured to the main shoulder straps by a
mechanism shown in the picture below. This consists of a thick cord that
is enclosed in material sown into the shoulder strap. A plastic
attachment clamps onto this using a C shape, and can be pulled off if
pressure is applied. The plastic attachment is designed to be able to
move up and down along the cord, and this is how the vertical position
of the chest strap is adjusted. I tend to wear the pack high on my back
as this feels more comfortable for me. The result of this is that the
chest strap is adjusted to the top of the cord. If I adjust the strap to
be tight the clamp can be pulled off the cord, and this happened to me
twice. I suspect the more it happens, the easier it will be for it to
happen again. I may try gluing the plastic clamp in place. I think this
is the biggest downside to the Sentinel pack. All the other straps seem
well secured, but this chest strap could be secured better.
I had to change my mobile (cell) phone during the period of the test,
and found that the phone could fit into the media pocket of the
Sentinel. I use my phone as a MP3 player, so this could be handy for me.
I found, however that my arm tended to rub against the media player
pocket in both the designed position, and a little lower down on the
shoulder strap, so the pocket got removed from the pack. I don't intend
reattaching it - it does not work for me.
The materials on the Sentinel seem to be handling the test quite well,
although I have noticed some decolourisation occurring. Some of the
orange colour is a little gray on the edges, so the material can pick up
dirt and sweat. Aside from this, the materials feel fine at this stage
of the test.
In summary, the things that I like about the Sentinel 65:
* The 65 litres (2198 fl oz) is a good size for me for walks up to 5
days, and the compartment space is quite accessible.
* The pack has a comfortable feel throughout the walking day.
* I can fit two good size water bottles in the mesh pockets.
and on the downside:
* The pack does not prevent all of my sweat from getting into the
main compartment.
* The chest strap is not well secured for me.
My Long Term Test will continue to test the Sentinel 65 in similar ways
to that seen during the field test period. I am also now testing a two
man tent for BackpackGearTest, so the pack will tend to be more full
than seen during the Field Test period. Check back in about two months
for the Long Term Test Report.
------------------------------------
HTML at *http://tinyurl.com/ywygxt
*
Regards,
Wayne
Field Test Report:
18 March 2008.
Trips during Field Reporting Period
Over the last two and a bit months I have used the High Sierra Sentinel
65 backpack in the following locations:
* Rubicon, Victoria, Australia
o A forested area with elevations from 200 m (660 ft) up to
1200 m (3660 ft). Temperatures were mild to hot: 15 C (59 F)
to 35 C (95 F) with humidity low.
o This was a two day walk and I carried around 12.5 kg (27.6
lbs) total weight. I walked for up to 8 hours on the longest
day with few stops as I was walking solo.
* Mt Howitt/Howqua valley, Victoria, Australia.
o The mountain section was first in forest and then low scrub
above the tree line. The valley sections were in mostly open
forest. Elevations ranged from 400 m (1310 ft) to 1700 m
(5550 ft), with temperatures ranging from 15 C (59 F)
through to 30 C (86 F). Humidity was medium to low.
o Mt Howitt was a 900 m (2670 ft) climb from a base camp. From
there my walking group headed off for a 2 day pack carry.
The Sentinel 65 was used as a big day pack for the trip up
the mountain. For the remaining time, I carried around 12.5
kg (27.6 lbs) total weight. The day walk had 8 hours of
walking, while the two day pack carry had around 5 hours each.
* Great Ocean Walk, Cape Otway to the 12 Apostles, Victoria, Australia.
o This was a 5 day coastal track walk with some beach
sections. Elevations were from sea level to 250 m (820 ft).
Temperatures ranged from 15 C (59 F) to 35 C (95 F) with low
humidity. I began the walk carrying all my stuff for 5 days
and a two man tent. My pack weight came in at 19 kg (42 lb).
Walking time each day was around 5 to 6 hours.
My experiences with the Sentinel 65 have been mostly positive. I have
felt comfortable walking on each day except for when I had trouble with
the chest strap (see below). I use the main area of the pack as a large
single compartment with a stuff sack, inflatable mattress and tent going
down the bottom, and this arrangement worked well with the Sentinel 65.
When I had the full two man tent going in, it was a little bit of a
squeeze, but it all worked out. I was able to fit everything for the 5
day walk in, including the two man tent. Shown to the right is the pack
when full. Aside from the water bottles in the provided mesh pockets, I
have not needed to strap stuff onto the outside of the pack.
The picture with the full pack shows a water bottle in a mesh pocket in
the side of the pack. This water bottle is 1.5 litres (51 fl oz), which
is a little larger than then 1 litre (33.8 fl oz) than what High Sierra
advertise as the capacity for this mesh pocket, but I found that the
larger water bottle worked fine. I normally carry two of these, one each
side of the pack. It can be a little tricky getting the water bottle
back in with the pack on, but it is certainly do-able. Many people like
to use bladders with a tube, and the Sentinel provides two feeder holes
for this, but I like to use conventional bottles to see how much water I
use throughout the day.
The "rope" compartment, or hinged pocket, on the back of the pack is
large enough to fit two 750 ml (25.4 fl oz) bottles, plus a small amount
of room for other things. As the compression straps act to pull this
compartment closer to the main pack, they tend to squash the contents of
this compartment far more than compress the main compartment which could
be a drawback. I tend not to rely on compression straps too much, so
this was not a major issue for me. There is a cavity between this rope
compartment and the main pack which could be used for a larger flat
item. The rope compartment is stitched into the main pack at the base,
however any item wedged in here is only prevented going out the sides by
the 4 compression straps. I did not try to store anything in this cavity.
The top compartment is attached to the main pack at 4 points. The two
points on the harness side of the pack are adjustable, but are not
readily detachable. These are the two points I incorrectly suggested
could not be adjusted at all in my initial review. The other two points
have clips and can also be adjusted. The adjustable straps with the
clips have more freeplay than the other two points, which results in the
top compartment sloping downwards when the pack is less than two thirds
full. This can happen on an overnight walk for me.
I tend to sweat alot, so I was always going to provide a robust test for
the moisture handling capability of the Sentinel 65. I have found that
moisture does tend to clear at a reasonable rate, but nothing can save
me from a wet back. I have found that a small amount of moisture can
make it's way into the main compartment of the pack. It's not much, but
it does happen. I suspect it comes through the thin material behind the
shoulder harness system which can be seen below the "Ergo Fit" area in
the picture first shown in the Initial Review and also to the right.
The chest or sternum strap is secured to the main shoulder straps by a
mechanism shown in the picture below. This consists of a thick cord that
is enclosed in material sown into the shoulder strap. A plastic
attachment clamps onto this using a C shape, and can be pulled off if
pressure is applied. The plastic attachment is designed to be able to
move up and down along the cord, and this is how the vertical position
of the chest strap is adjusted. I tend to wear the pack high on my back
as this feels more comfortable for me. The result of this is that the
chest strap is adjusted to the top of the cord. If I adjust the strap to
be tight the clamp can be pulled off the cord, and this happened to me
twice. I suspect the more it happens, the easier it will be for it to
happen again. I may try gluing the plastic clamp in place. I think this
is the biggest downside to the Sentinel pack. All the other straps seem
well secured, but this chest strap could be secured better.
I had to change my mobile (cell) phone during the period of the test,
and found that the phone could fit into the media pocket of the
Sentinel. I use my phone as a MP3 player, so this could be handy for me.
I found, however that my arm tended to rub against the media player
pocket in both the designed position, and a little lower down on the
shoulder strap, so the pocket got removed from the pack. I don't intend
reattaching it - it does not work for me.
The materials on the Sentinel seem to be handling the test quite well,
although I have noticed some decolourisation occurring. Some of the
orange colour is a little gray on the edges, so the material can pick up
dirt and sweat. Aside from this, the materials feel fine at this stage
of the test.
In summary, the things that I like about the Sentinel 65:
* The 65 litres (2198 fl oz) is a good size for me for walks up to 5
days, and the compartment space is quite accessible.
* The pack has a comfortable feel throughout the walking day.
* I can fit two good size water bottles in the mesh pockets.
and on the downside:
* The pack does not prevent all of my sweat from getting into the
main compartment.
* The chest strap is not well secured for me.
My Long Term Test will continue to test the Sentinel 65 in similar ways
to that seen during the field test period. I am also now testing a two
man tent for BackpackGearTest, so the pack will tend to be more full
than seen during the Field Test period. Check back in about two months
for the Long Term Test Report.
------------------------------------