Okay, so, I am a huge fanatic of the gonex 3 day bag (bought one of them as a prototype bag build for a few fellow campers), and I myself, am an avid outdoors hike in angling camper. I fish in wind, heat, rain, snow, freezing rain, ect ect. Pretty much any weather our beautiful PNW can throw at us. And, due to my love of the 3 day bag, I figured, this may well be my future bag.
To date, I have put this thing through torrential downpours, freezing rain(guess how much fun that was to fish in hahaha) and a nice snow round(stuck me in the hills for an extra 2 days past my planned). For our lovely tempermental weather, the rain cover, wait for it, wait for it, actually kept the outter shell dry. Not my back, but the bag? And my stuff? Dry. Awesome!
Carrying/suspension set up and review. The shoulder straps are well padded, and makes the load not dig into your shoulders. Unlike some of my other bags, three or four hours into the hike, the strap padding seems to 'collapse' until i take the bag off for an hour. I haven't had that problem with this bag, which is very nice. More time and abuse will see if this holds it true.
This bag, unlike all my other bags, has a torso adjustment strap. Really cool to be honest seeing as 1, my bag, fits me great, and 2, with a quick adjustment, can fit my wife. Makes this great for gift giving! Take the guess work out of 'will the bag fit them?'
The shoulder blade, and lower torso area(top of the hips) of the bag has the same, comfortable padding as the straps, and i seriously, have zero complaints about it! The padding is sectioned off by stress areas, with spaces in between so you get good ventilation to your back while wearing it, even with the kidney padding!
Think hiking folks, non sweaty back, no sweat dripping into your waist line, no sweat caused chafing in uncomfortable areas.(or far less at least.)
So, onto the exterior of the bag (not the rain cover). This bag, is pretty water resistant. Not water proof. If it down pours, and you dont stop and cover up, you will have wet gear. That being said, the material is tough. Very tough. I may or may not have accidentally bumped this off an extremely steep 'hill' that some people may consider a small cliff.
No tears, properly packed, and no gear damage, so I was impressed.
The Molle webbing is useable, and I have here and there, but, listen close attachment maniacs, if you attach large packs to it, the rain cover wont clear the whole bag, and those additional attachments.
The zippers, are great! And the main compartment is very roomy if properly packed. If this is your first bag with a stuff sack, your sleeping bag gets put in first, not through the top opening, but through the bottom one. In my stuff sack, I've got my sleeping bag, and my sleeping pad.
My stool, tent, fuel, food, stove, extra clothes, pot set, coffee pot, rope, tarp, and snacks all fit inside the main compartment, and there is still plenty of room. In high small game areas, i do bring my 2 piece 40" blowgun, and yes, it fits inside as well.
The top fold over piece, is a bag, i put my sunblock, small things, maybe a snack bar, map and compass.
There is seriously tons of room.
So why four stars? Because I personally am a bladder guy. And there is no hydration bladder area in this bag. But, thats just my personal opinion and preference. There are two elastic netted bottle holders on the side though, so you can take a few bottles with you, and filter water as you need it.
So, lots of room, adjustability, tuff exterior, functional rain cover, good price, and one annoyance of no hydration area. All and all, i would give this a 4.7 especially for the price.
If you have someone who loves the outdoors in your life, this bag, would be an amazing gift.
Update 6/12/17
To be brutally honest, this bag should be completely broken down, and mangled by now, but it still is holding true.
The padding and suspension has officially won me over to the five star review. Still holding up fantastically, and without collapse.
Best purchase in years.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 25.5 x 14 x 3 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 1.84 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | Gonex |
| Part Number | Gonex-CA-HP945 |
| Style | Laptop |
| Outer Material | Polyester |
| Sport Type | Hiking |
| Capacity Total | 70 Liters |
