GET OUTFITTED
Tales from the trail
CUSTOMER Reviews
First thing: I can't figure out how to add photos to this, sorry. I was hoping to give some sense of scale, because my main hesitation around purchasing the bag is that I am hopelessly dimensionally unaware and the photos provide exactly zero help with that. I don't know how big a grapefruit is. I thought a softball and a volleyball were the same thing (OK, that one's more sports stuff, but it does affect how large I thought a grapefruit was, people keep telling me it's softball-sized). An inch is a mystery, as is a centimeter. I got a ruler to trace out the bag dimensions and it still didn't help much. Hopefully you're better at mental measurements than I am. Godspeed. [Edit: upon hitting the "submit" button it gave me the option to add photos. I am choosing to keep this paragraph, in the hopes that someone will be amused. The photos show the bag next to a standard 1.5 inch 3-ring binder, filled with books (just the bottom, there's room for more up top!), and the books I fit in it with a pen for scale.]
Moving swiftly onward, photo-less: this is a great little bag. When I took it out of the package I was surprised at how small it is, but it really does hold a lot -- I got the small size and it perfectly fits a 12V lead-acid battery and two quart-size peanut butter jars (yes, these are weird things to put together. I use it for field work and sample collecting). I love that it has the snap at the top, because it means that if I fill it up I can still trust that nothing will fall out.
I'm not certain what the side pockets were designed for, as they're far too tight for a water bottle, too small for a smartphone, and too deep for an MP3 player -- they do fit a TSA-approved Neutrogena sunscreen bottle perfectly. They also, conveniently enough, hold the disassembled 3 segments of my net handle without any slipping around! On a less field-work note, it won't hold any laptops, but it will hold a Kobo Libra 2 e-reader and an 8.5x11 inch spiral notebook, so it'll probably hold an iPad if you want it to. Maybe a Surface Go, but that might be a reach.
Construction: sturdy, well-made. This is my first Frost River bag and I'm very impressed that a little bag like this can hold the aforementioned 12V lead-acid battery with no cardboard or any other supports in the bottom. The stitching is tight and strong, the materials seem like they'll really last, and the hardware feels pretty durable.
A note: some reviews say the straps should be longer. FR seems to have listened to this feedback, as the straps on mine are a good length (I actually have them shortened all the way because I like my bags to fit tightly to my back, but they can get pretty long).
Quibble: no convenient place to put a water bottle, it either has to go inside the bag (taking up a lot of space) or you can do what I did, which is to put a carabiner through one of the straps and clip your bottle on. This only works if your bottle has some form of clip anchor, though.
Bottom line: I like this bag a lot. It holds a small amount of field supplies or works as a bag for a day out and about. I actually might get the larger one at some point for longer or more supply-intensive field excursions. Highly recommend.
The recipient of the pack was excited and appreciative of the quality. Very proud and excited to put the pack to use.
I was looking for a slim day pack that could do field duty and also hold my slim 8.5 x 11 day planner. I love the web straps since the padded ones are often like adding a sock to an already tight shoe. I agree with others that the straps need to be longer, but I like that there are no dangling strap ends. The outside back pocket makes my planner and other papers so easy to access. I usually tuck the leather strap in the back pocket and just let the roll top flap over. The side pockets just fit my sunscreen tubes, and the zipper is sturdy enough to open one-handed. This pack is a win!
We bought this for our 9 year old for his birthday and I think it will be a great size for him! Would be nice as a small daypack for an adult. The red is even nicer in person, very deep and rich, not quite as bright-it appears to be very well made! I do think a narrow stainless water bottle may fit the side pocket.
A very well made pack that will be great for daily carry requirements. It's a little smaller than what I was expecting and the side pockets are quite tight for a water bottle but overall, it carries what I need and is very comfortable. The Frost River company has come through again, and I already own a number of their packs. It's a great colour as well, has garnered a number of positive compliments and is MUCH better than the vinyl and poor quality canvas packs that are commonplace and which quickly fall apart. You cannot go wrong with Frost River products.