Dedicated to Mara's travel and hiking adventure journals as well as her words of wisdom and suggested resources for hikers and travelers.
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The Packa: rain jacket, pack-cover combo[Originally written for BackpackGearTest.org, this review was current at the time it was written but should now be considered out-of-date. It is likely this product has been improved based on test results such as those reported here and experiences from other users. It is also possible that this product no longer exists or has been superseded by products produced at a later time. This page is included for historical purposes as an example of a gear testing report I had submitted. Only minor updates such as email addresses, links, and formatting have been made as necessary to accommodate inclusion of an older report into this web site.] Initial Report 1 | Field Test Report | Long Term ReportInitial ReportWeb site: http://www.thepacka.com/ Background:I have been actively hiking and backpacking for the last 12 years. I hike in the local Middlesex Fells Reservation just 5 miles north of Boston. On weekends, I often hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. On vacations, I love to travel and have been hiking in many areas including canyons of the desert southwest, the Olympics, Cascades, Norway, Alps, and Himalayas. item:The Packa by Cedar Tree is a rain jacket with an integrated pack cover. It's designed to be worn as a jacket, a pack cover, a packcover with hood, or a full jacket with packcover. Fit:The Packa comes in one size: "XL". As such, it is a generous XL. I'm 6'1" and the sleeves of the Packa come nearly to my fingertips. The wrists are both elasticized and have Velcro however, they are so huge and the soft side of the Velcro is positioned such that you can't really take up much slack before the hook side has nothing to grab. Even if I position the Velcro so that half of it grabs, the wrists are still about twice as big as my small wrists. As such, I can't imagine any circumstances where the elasticity will be useful for such large wrist openings. A quick glance at the web site shows the soft side of the Velcro on the Packa pictured there to be much longer than on the Packa I received to test. Without a pack, the Packa comes to just a couple of inches above my knees. This is likely to be long enough to keep the rain off my bicycle shorts. With a fully loaded ULA Equipment P-1, the pack cover does pull up somewhat in the back even though the pack cover portion is somewhat large for that type of backpack. While wearing the jacket portion of the Packa with a pack, tightening the drawstring around the pack cover portions pulls the bottom of the Packa higher, exposing the backs of my legs. It may not, however, ever really be necessary to tighten the drawstring when wearing the jacket portion. When using the Packa as just a pack cover, I found the cover to be somewhat large for the P-1. The drawstring does seem to hold tightly enough that I'm hopeful that strong winds will not be able to catch the cover and turn it into a sail. I was able to both tuck the jacket portion of the Packa into the cover portion without taking it off and reverse the process by pulling the jacket portion out from the cover and donning it without having to remove the cover from the pack. Design observations:The Packa is made of a blue, ripstop sylnylon. It has a very plasticky feel to it and it noisily "crinkles" a lot as I move around in it. As advertised, it weighs 10 oz. It folds into it's own generously sized pocket positioned on the lower right hand side of the jacket. The pocket is backed with lightweight No-See-Um netting and closes with a hefty two-sided zipper. A slight manufacturing defect has one side of this zipper with about four extra teeth which prevents the zipper from closing fully. There are no other pockets on the Packa. The front of the jackets closes with a 34" zipper and a very small zipper pull. This zipper pull is just large enough to manipulate in easy dry conditions. In challenging conditions (wet, cold, rainy, gloved and/or mittened), it will either need a cord attached to the zipper pull or a replacement zipper pull. This jacket has long ~18" pit zips. Based on an email that Cedar Tree sent to the BackpackGearTest group and my own observations, I wonder if the pit zippers in my jacket were installed "upside down." Typically, with one-sided pit zips, I would expect them to close when being zipped down. These open when zipping them down. To close them requires a bit more manipulation to prevent the entire jacket from pulling up with the zipper is pulled up. Also, while the pit zips and front zip appear to have the same number of teeth per inch, the pit zips have a larger, easier to manipulate, zipper pull. I would suggest that the front zipper should have the same zipper pull as the pit zips. For warm weather hikers who occasionally get wet, that would be enough "as is". For the rest of us, the zipper pull used on the pit zips has a better hole for adding your own zipper pulls. I also wonder if the pocket zipper is also heftier than necessary. With the generous cut of the pocket, there is no particular stress on the zipper when fully packed. Also, with a pocket material of No-See-Um netting, I can't imagine the pocket is designed for heavy enough loads that could otherwise stress the zipper while wearing the Packa. The hood has a small thin plastic stiffener over the brow. When the elasticized drawstring is tightened, the hood seems to be small enough that it doesn't cover my eyes, as many other hoods tend to do. The ends of the hood drawstring are not secured to the Packa and therefore pose eye danger for those hiking in very windy conditions. The pack cover portion of the Packa is a mostly rectangular, slightly oval protrusion from the back of the Packa. It appears approximately 24" long, 13" wide, and 9" deep. The soft nature of the Packa along with the gusseted pack cover portion seems like it is likely to allow many packs that don't quite fit those dimensions to work perfectly well with the Packa. Wider and/or longer and/or deeper packs may also work well with the Packa. The pack cover portion has an elasticized drawstring with a clip at the top. You can easily reach this clip when wearing the pack to tighten and loosen the cover as necessary. None of the seams appear to be waterproofed. While most of the seams are flat felled and may be waterproof by virtue of the extra layers, the pack cover portion has single seams throughout. Most people who have sylnylon pack covers seam seal theirs so I wonder if the Packa should also be seam sealed. And if so, should it just be the pack cover portion or the entire Packa. There is nothing in the documentation that would indicate this one way or the other. The drawstring hole for the pack cover may also prove to be an entry point for water. There is also an elasticized drawcord around the bottom of the Packa. Given the length of the Packa, this drawcord may not be necessary and the clips may just prove annoying as they bounce against my legs. Field test considerations:
Field test:I will start out by using the Packa on my upcoming two to three week Cohos Trail hike in July. Further testing is likely during weekend hikes in the Whites and other hikes as yet to be planned. Pluses:
Minuses:
Initial Impression:Great piece of gear! I can't wait to get it out there and try it in the field. I'm pretty sure the Packa will end up relegating my rain jacket to town use and my pack cover to the "keep-to-lend-to-unprepared-friends" pile. Please stay tuned for field reports due in August and December to see how everything pans out. Field Test ReportDate: August 27, 2002 Fit:In use, I have found the Packa seems to fit best when the drawstring is not used to tighten the fit around my backpack. When using the Packa as a pack-cover without wearing it as a jacket, the drawstring is necessary and performs well to both hold the Packa on the pack as well as contain the extra material comprising the jacket portion of the Packa. The Packa does blow around somewhat in the wind but when zipped, it stays in place. Design observations:I still have concerns about the ends of the hood drawstring posing eye danger in strong winds but I have not yet been in a position where this has been tested. The more I wear it, the more I wonder if the hood drawstring is meant to be contained towards the back of the plastic stiffener. Right now, the string tightens the stiffener to my brow rather than letting the stiffener form a visor-like shield. The pack-cover portion of the Packa is cut fairly generously. While I did most of my field testing with a ULA Equipment P-1, I did check the Packa for fit with other backpacks I have at home. A fully loaded Dana Design Terraplane with the collar fully extended and the top pocket is too tall or long to fit in the cover portion of the Packa. It would fit without the top pocket or if the pack was loaded so the extension collar was not necessary. A fully loaded Kelty Vapor fits in the cover. Though I did not test it with all the pockets added, there was enough extra width for me to believe that pockets can also be used and the Packa would still fit. With day packs and fanny packs, the Packa has quite a bit of extra material but it still stays under more control than a poncho. The elasticized drawcord around the bottom of the Packa has proved not only to be an annoyance, but a danger as well. The cord locks bounced around and constantly whipped my legs as I walked. As a hiking pole user, I found the cords would often whip and wind themselves around my hiking poles. This proves dangerous as it seriously and unexpectedly inhibits the swing of my poles. Just when I'm expecting my pole to swing forward so I can plant it for my next step, it gets caught as the cord winds around it. Additionally, I found the cord locks would catch on the trailside plants. I had fears of the cord locks catching on some crack in the rocks as I tried to pull myself up a tricky section of trail. For safety's sake, I pulled the cord out and performed most of my field testing without the bottom drawcord. On the positive side, that cord with its two cord locks, weighs about an ounce so my Packa now weighs 9 ounces rather than 10. The rather crinkly silnylon has not softened noticeably. It is still rather crinkly and plasticky when compared with the sylnylon in my Nomad tent. This has not been an issue during the field test. Like with all backcountry rain gear I've used, the nature of the fabric makes it rather noisy compared to other fabrics. But, the sylnylon in the Packa is not noticeably noisier than other rain gear fabrics. Field test:My planned Cohos Trail hike ended up being switched to 60 miles worth of the Long Trail and a bunch of 4,000'ers in Maine. I also did a thruhike of the 50 mile Monadnock Sunapee Greenway. On the Long Trail, I had the chance to use the Packa with some cold, wet weather and cool, windy, but sunny conditions. While I never had heavy rain on the Long Trail, it was nice to have the Packa to protect me from both light rain as well as the water collecting along brush on the trail. The Packa was fairly easy to vent and I made good use of the front zipper as well as the pit zips. I tended to zip everything up in the cold prevailing winds and unzipped everything while climbing in the protected areas. There were even times when I had one pit zip open to vent and the other closed to reduce wind. When wearing the Packa without a pack, I had to be careful when sitting down. I am just able to sit inside the pack-cover portion but that puts a lot of strain on the jacket. If have to be careful to pull the cover portion back as I sit. Using a Packa has its benefits and its drawbacks. It's really nice to be able to keep your pack straps dry when hiking in the rain. On the other hand, if you want to sit down for a while and it's raining, the only way to keep both you and the pack dry is to wear both the pack and Packa. I got caught in a thunderstorm and wanted to wait it out at a convenient picnic table. I ended up wearing the pack while I was sitting there to keep both my pack and me dry. The Packa does not breathe at all. The zippers must be used to vent otherwise water vapor from sweat quickly turns the Packa into a sauna. It didn't rain at all during my stint bagging 4,000'ers in Maine. But, the Packa was easy to pack in my fanny pack. After stuffing it into its own pocket, it compressed quite a bit further and enabled me to pack appropriately for a 4,000'er in just my fanny pack. I hiked the Monadnock Sunapee Greenway over a four day weekend with two friends. The weather was predominantly in the 90s all weekend. We had two afternoons with thunderstorms though only the first dumped any rain on us. While we were waiting out the rain, I wore the Packa to try to keep both me and my pack dry. With the warm weather, no amount of venting could keep me cool while moving but while sitting out the storm, I was able to keep mostly drier than without the Packa. Given our hot, dry summer, I have yet to wear the Packa for an extended period of time in a rainstorm though pushing through very wet bushes all day on the Long Trail might have approximated such conditions. I imagine with the approach of fall, I will be testing that functionality before the long term report is due. Opinion:I think the Packa is ideal for weight conscious hikers on trails like the Appalachian Trail or where shelters can be used for break points or for drier trails where protection is needed from occasional rain. The Packa is now my primary rain protection on the trail. On very wet, rainy trails, when it is likely to be uncomfortably cold and rainy for very long periods of time (many hours each day and/or many days in a row), and with no shelter, a jacket with separate pack-cover may still have a place in the gear room. Long Term ReportAge: 37 Fit:In use, I have found the Packa seems to fit best when the drawstring is not used to tighten the fit around my backpack. When using the Packa as a pack-cover without wearing it as a jacket, the drawstring is necessary and performs well to both hold the Packa on the pack as well as contain the extra material comprising the jacket portion of the Packa. The Packa does blow around somewhat in the wind but when zipped, it stays in place. Design observations:All of my previous design comments still hold but I did want to reiterate one point. I am more convinced than ever that the hood drawstring should be redesigned to be contained towards the back of the plastic stiffener. Right now, the string tightens the stiffener to my brow rather than letting the stiffener form a visor-like shield. In heavy rain, rather than deflect the rain to the side, this had the effect of allowing the rain to pour down my face and inside the Packa. Field test:My earlier tests of the Packa were limited to light to moderate rain and dry conditions. This autumn's early cold temperatures here in the northeast limited the amount of time I was able to spend backpacking. But, wanting to test the Packa in heavy rain, I finally just loaded up my backpack and wandered around town in the pouring rain. This enabled me to accurately get a feel for the waterproofness of the Packa. My two primary concerns were the seams, and the drawstring hole at the top of the Packa. I was wearing my MEC Northernlite jacket under the Packa and knew I would be able to readily tell if and where water came through. I also attached a small Packtowl to my pack so that it would hang between my shoulders. Donning the pack and the Packa, I headed out into the pouring rain to walk to the library, 1.5 miles (2 km) away. It was about 40 degrees (4 c) and I ended up venting the Packa under both arms. On the way there, the rain was primarily at my back. By the time I got to the library, the small Packtowl hanging from the top of the pack, down between my shoulders, was soaked from just over the shoulder straps and down my back. My jacket was also quite wet. This was disappointing to me. I had to wring out my Packtowl and it made quite the puddle. As I fully expected, the sides of my jacket and the bottom of the sleeves were also wet but I've got no complaints there. I opened the vents knowing the rain would get in. The front of my jacket was a bit wet. Rain dripping down my face and just into the head opening wet the top of my jacket. By the time I walked home, facing primarily into the rain, the front of my jacket got a lot more wet as water must have just been streaming down my face and into the jacket. The seam areas did not call my attention so I'm comfortable that they are waterproof enough for my purposes. My backpack shoulder straps did stay mostly dry. The hipbelt was quite wet as the rain just came right into the large vents that I had wide open. The back of my backpack certainly stayed drier than had I been using a jacket/packcover combination, but was wet enough to know that the contents of the pack still need some additional protection in heavy rain. Since I line the back of my pack with my sleeping pad, for me, it may be enough to just make sure my sleeping bag, at the bottom of my pack is protected, and allow the waterproof pad to protect the rest of the pack contents. The back of my jacket and the Packtowl, however, got so wet that I'm not sure the Packa is enough for me when hiking in cold, heavy, long rains. I do have a theory as to why my performance might have been worse than the designer's, and to accompany that theory, a design suggestion. The Packa was designed to be used with a much larger, taller, pack than I currently use. Pictures on the Packa web site, show the pack as rising significantly above the shoulder level. Using a pack like that under the Packa, may allow the drawstring hole to be better protected from the elements. It also may "shape" the Packa so more water runs down the side of the Packa. My pack rarely rises above my shoulders. As such, it's possible that my pack provides no protection of the drawstring hole from the rain and the Packa drapes differently and may be channeling more water to the hole rather than away. To prevent this problem, I can see how a flap that covers the hole might just help channel water from the hole for people who use small packs. On the off chance this would cause problem for people with larger packs, perhaps a double flap would work for both cases. The flap(s) would cover the hole and channel any water that gets in down the sides. It may also be possible to use a smaller grommet. A quick examination of the grommet finds the two drawstring strands that come out to take up only about half the area of the hole. Opinion:With its current design, I might temper my previous opinion about using the Packa on the Appalachian Trail. The degree to which my jacket and Packtowl got wet under the Packa is cause for significant concern. As it currently stands the additional protection necessary to stay dry in the worst of conditions may wipe out the weight savings the Packa otherwise provides. All that being said, I still think the concept is fantastic and I would like to see the designer continue to take strides to make those minor improvements that would extend the range in which the Packa can be used safely. I still intend for the Packa to be my primary wind and rain protection along at least the California section of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2003. Last updated, July 10, 2010. |
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