Skrapmetal
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2009
- Messages
- 2,015
After some nonsense from the seller, my Trizip is here!
As promised here are some pictures and my initial impressions. Sorry for the color variations in my pictures, I had no idea how much my phone's camera would alter the colors between pictures. The color is Coyote Brown which is a very rich brown compared to most brands.
Here is the pack beside a Camelbak HAWG and an ESEE Lite Machete for size comparison:
Back of the packs. As you can see the straps are much thicker and the suspension is much more substantial on the Trizip:
The admin pocket with plenty of organization for small stuff (something I really need in a pack!):
The water bottle pocket. Holds a Nalgene with room to spare, maybe even enough for a small stove. The pocket is insulated and is designed to "intrude" into the main compartment when there is a bottle in it rather than bulging outward:
The top pocket. It is lined with a soft spandex-like fabric to avoid scratching goggles or whatnot. As you can see a Nalgene can disappear into it with room to spare. This is where my first aid kit will ride:
Seperate water bladder compartment:
The main compartment in the classic top-loading condition:
Front with vertical zipper still closed:
Open wide. Zippered mesh pockets on either side and a compressable pocket on the back with a shock cord closure. That pocket has padding at the bottom and is seperated from the bottom of the pack by a couple of inches, presumably to protect a laptop or other breakable you might carry in there from hitting the ground when you set the pack down:
The mesh pockets have sleeves behind them that will be rather helpful for organizing longer, narrow gear. Slid the machete in there just for demonstration:
All closed up. Lots of webbing all over the pack:
Bottom of the pack... two rows of webbing for attaching a sleeping bag/pad and a drain grommet. The Cordura material is double-layered on the bottom for wear resistance:
The suspension and the removable portion of the frame. HDPE sheet with horizontal and vertical frame stays. There are also other sheets inside that run the whole length of the pack... I'm not sure if there are aluminum stays on those as well, but I don't believe there are. This portion is removable so you can use it to seperate the velcro that adjusts the Futura harness:
Now, I'm no expert on packs. I have a few, and have owned a few others, but nowhere near as many as some of you have experience with I'm sure. I can comfortably say that so far this pack has given me the best first impression of any I have owned or used. The suspension and frame really feel like they fit me well (and I'm a big guy). The pack is heavier in hand than the HAWG when both are empty, but feels lighter on my back. The construction is as heavy duty as any Camelbak or Maxpedition pack I have owned, and the 500D Codura is much more flexible than the 1000D of older Camelbaks and current Maxpeditions.
As promised here are some pictures and my initial impressions. Sorry for the color variations in my pictures, I had no idea how much my phone's camera would alter the colors between pictures. The color is Coyote Brown which is a very rich brown compared to most brands.
Here is the pack beside a Camelbak HAWG and an ESEE Lite Machete for size comparison:
Back of the packs. As you can see the straps are much thicker and the suspension is much more substantial on the Trizip:
The admin pocket with plenty of organization for small stuff (something I really need in a pack!):
The water bottle pocket. Holds a Nalgene with room to spare, maybe even enough for a small stove. The pocket is insulated and is designed to "intrude" into the main compartment when there is a bottle in it rather than bulging outward:
The top pocket. It is lined with a soft spandex-like fabric to avoid scratching goggles or whatnot. As you can see a Nalgene can disappear into it with room to spare. This is where my first aid kit will ride:
Seperate water bladder compartment:
The main compartment in the classic top-loading condition:
Front with vertical zipper still closed:
Open wide. Zippered mesh pockets on either side and a compressable pocket on the back with a shock cord closure. That pocket has padding at the bottom and is seperated from the bottom of the pack by a couple of inches, presumably to protect a laptop or other breakable you might carry in there from hitting the ground when you set the pack down:
The mesh pockets have sleeves behind them that will be rather helpful for organizing longer, narrow gear. Slid the machete in there just for demonstration:
All closed up. Lots of webbing all over the pack:
Bottom of the pack... two rows of webbing for attaching a sleeping bag/pad and a drain grommet. The Cordura material is double-layered on the bottom for wear resistance:
The suspension and the removable portion of the frame. HDPE sheet with horizontal and vertical frame stays. There are also other sheets inside that run the whole length of the pack... I'm not sure if there are aluminum stays on those as well, but I don't believe there are. This portion is removable so you can use it to seperate the velcro that adjusts the Futura harness:
Now, I'm no expert on packs. I have a few, and have owned a few others, but nowhere near as many as some of you have experience with I'm sure. I can comfortably say that so far this pack has given me the best first impression of any I have owned or used. The suspension and frame really feel like they fit me well (and I'm a big guy). The pack is heavier in hand than the HAWG when both are empty, but feels lighter on my back. The construction is as heavy duty as any Camelbak or Maxpedition pack I have owned, and the 500D Codura is much more flexible than the 1000D of older Camelbaks and current Maxpeditions.
