"Better as a dry bag, OK as a pack" - Review of Outdoor Research DryComp Summit Sack

I was carrying a summit bag inside my big pack for the hike up to base camps. I also had my down sleeping bag stuffed inside a stuff sack line with a garbage bag. When I saw this product, I thought I had found a way to reduce the stuff sack/garbage bag and summit pack into one bag. In short, it worked with the added benefit of now having a waterproof summit bag. However, as a compression sack, it compresses a bit wide from what I'm used to. As a backpack, it's frameless design makes it important to pack it well and keep it light. The mesh pockets are nice to have for a water bottle and GPS. The shoulder straps are narrow! I put about ten pounds of gear in the bag for a test hike and found it started to dig into my shoulders after about an hour. The narrow waist belt helped alleviate that a bit but don't expect pack performance out of this bag. I'm going to experiment with a closed foam rectangle in the bag to help the load feel better. Had I seen it earlier, the REI Jet UL Pack may have been a better match for what I was looking for. Although not a waterproof compression sack, it can swallow bulking insulating layers and probably carries better - at least it did in the store. All said, this bag is worth the money if for nothing else than the flexibility it offers.
View Details: Outdoor Research DryComp Summit Sack >