Review of Loop 7L hip pack
UPDATE:
DO NOT BUY this bag is not waterproof. I had one leak and was swapped out for a new one from a local loop dealer. first time taking it out it leaked again. It seems to be a defective flaw in the stitching in the pack straps sewn to the bags back area. I spoke to the local loop Rep and he told me its only supposed to be “Weather Proof” which makes me think they were deceiving in their marketing. Very unfortunate, I will update to what pack I end up finding next.
It all started with a trip out fishing for salmon on one of our local rivers. The water was high and rain was coming down. I could feel my rain jacked saturating and my hat getting soggy. I had my usual sling bag, this one happened to be a fishpond summit bag. Everything was going great until I realized that all my things were completely floating in a pool of water inside my bag!
This made for an awkward time getting into my car since my fob was fried and my wallet was soggy for when I pulled into Starbucks to get a warm drink afterwards, NO MORE!
This began the journey for a waterproof affordable pack that would last me a few years.
The hunt begins
After much looking around and trying on bags I realized that the market for waterproof bags is quite steep. You can go either one of two ways, either a zipper or a roll down.
Initially I purchased the OPST rainforest pack after being sucked into good marketing from our friends at OPST. The bag arrived and I was shocked to see that it had their logo on every corner of the bag. this wouldn’t of been a big deal but it was white on black everywhere. I’m usually not to offended by this kind of thing but walking down the river as a big marketing billboard made me feel dirty.
My second choice was the fishpond thunderhead. This is a great pack I tried it on at the store but the price just didn’t seem right for basically a rubber bag with a zipper and no bottle holder or internal dividers. Great warranty and what i’m sure is a great pack but it just didnt feel right for that steep of a price.
I was talking to my friend who is just as obsessed if not more than I am for research and fly fishing gear. He had mentioned to me that he came across an affordable hip pack from Loop.
https://ca.looptackle.com/product/dry-hip-pack-7l-black/
This bag has been amazing this season and I am writing this review because I could not find any information on their site on the interior of the bag or any specifics. If you are reading this Loop please for your own sake take better pictures!
The inside of the bag
The bag has two internal mesh style pockets. One has a zipper and one has two velcro pockets.
This is the gear I usually carry for a day on the water for steelhead or salmon. I will usually throw in a few cliff bars or a sandwich as well and I do not have any problems with load. The one thing I do to ensure it doesnt sag on my waist is it comes with included shoulder strap which I think works great when the bag is really full So far this has been a great set up.
On the front of the back there are some molle connections which is great. I personally have not found a use for them but I’m thinking of adding my tippet to the front.
Negatives
I would say the only three negatives is that this bag strap is a little thin. I find sometimes it it would get caught or wrapped under my wading belt.
Secondly it is a little small. Tho at first I was concerned I have adapted and found it to be a benefit since i’m only bringing the gear I know I will use. With larger bags you tend to have a mentality of the kitchen sink and end up bringing all the possible options. This bag has helped me be more minimal and smarter to my approaches. I have included the picture of what I carry to help people judge what they have and if it would be a justified purchase.
Lastly this bag has a bottle holder outside the bag which itself is a huge benefit. What I will say is although it works great with smaller bottles if you put a Nalgene larger bottle like a 1L it will take up some volume inside the bag due to bulge. I have accommodated this by putting a smaller sports water bottle and packing a LifeStraw, this has solved this problem. Worth mentioning for those that need to bring more water on the river.
Overall this is a great bag at an affordable price with features of higher end bags 3 times the price.
Let me know in the comments what you think about the bag and if you have any feedback for me, I would love to know!