Review: Hanchor TUFF pack (19oz, Xpac)

Hanchor TUFF Pack Review
December 2017

First, I need to just say thanks to the BPL community. This review is for you, because you have given me so much help and knowledge; although you have also caused me to lose money in my search for the perfect gear and setup! Following is my thoughts and review of the Hanchor TUFF pack – https://www.hanchor.com/products/Outdoor%20Series/160?locale=en

So, back in November, 2017, Dan Durston posted a link (https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/hanchor-tuff-25l-pack-19oz-xpac/) about a new pack offered by a company in Taiwan, Hanchor. I had never heard of this company, but quickly found a link showing me a review by Dan of their MARL pack. I clicked over to their new daypack, the TUFF pack. I had been looking at the Daylite pack from HMG, but the appearance of the TUFF just grabbed me.

So, I contacted Hanchor and began the process of ordering their pack. I had a few ideas on customization. They were very receptive, the only trick is the time difference, so I would email during the day and get a response overnight. In general, I got a response within 24 hours each time I had a question/concern.

And now the specs. Here it is built stock:

Backpack: 540g (19oz)
Removable sternum strap: 20.5g
Removable hip belt: 41g
Removable back frame pad: 50.5g
Total weight: 662g (23.3oz)

Volume – 17-25L

I found that the weights listed on their website matched up with my scale at home. The volume seems a little conservative. You might get upwards of 27-28L, packed right.

I ordered the VX07 (white) version. This uses VX21 for the bottom. You can also order it all in black VX21 material. To each their own, but I have to say the VX07 is a sharp looking pack.

Here are the modifications I had done:
Solid VX21 side pockets with bungee/toggles instead of mesh ($15 for this mod)
Added 6 loops (3 on each side) along the sides
Added a zipper pocket that attaches via velcro on the inner wall
Extra stitches on the shoulder straps to create more of a daisy chain effect
(Hanchor did not charge me anything extra for the last 3 mods listed above)

I’ve used the pack now on 4 different day hikes. These were short on distance, but I packed generously in order to see how the pack would ride on my back and how well it held stuff. Overall, I’ve got about 10-12 hours with the pack, enough for some initial thoughts. Here is a link to some pictures: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZZFRBiXWf7bstEhqwrX9L7MXnX0oMb4x

BUILD QUALITY – This thing is made right. Every stitch line is perfectly straight, and nowhere is there an appearance of potential for a thread to pull or a piece to come loose. Every line of material and edge is perfectly straight. It just has the feel of something where every piece of material and stitch was done with care and precision. And the stitching is tight, very little spacing in between.
MATERIAL – I’ll leave you to do additional research on the VX material and options, and I know each person has their preferences and such. For me, I like this stuff. It isn’t as crinkly as I worried it might be, and feels very durable. After climbing Saddle Mountain in Oregon, I can vouch that it is indeed waterproof – not a drop to be found inside after hiking through a Pacific Northwest mist/rain event.
WEIGHT – At a little over a pound, this pack is lightweight. It could be lighter, but things like the back panel, shoulder straps, etc ride better with just a slight weight penalty.
SIZE – While I could get 2-3 days out of this on a summer hike, it is not a big pack. The size to me is just perfect to hold what you need for a dayhike. The roll-top closure lets you extend easily, but not so much where you feel like you are looking down into a chasm just to find your ditty bag. (BTW, the roll top secures with male/female ends, so you can close it as a top loop or cinch it down on the sides. This should be standard on every pack, IMO)
MISC – The back pad does great double duty as a pack stiffener and a sitting pad. The outer mesh pocket stretches and expands more than I anticipated…not as much as my GG Gorilla, but you can stuff a lot in there. I agree with Dan that it is a good compromise on providing space without it being too delicate a material. The hip belt is helpful and fairly easily removable. The stiffener on the roll-top is enough to keep it rigid without having to fight it to close it.
CUSTOMIZABLE – Hanchor seems to be very open to making mods that fit within the design of the pack. Additionally, they did a great job of sending me pictures with the proposed mods so that I could confirm them and make sure we were on the same page. We spent 2 weeks going back and forth on a couple of things, but that was very much me being particular, and they were more than patient with me.

SIZE – yes, both a pro and con. My torso is 21”, and this feels a little bit short on me. Also, I cannot easily reach back and get/return a water bottle from the side pockets.
BACK PANEL – I sweat, a lot. The hikes I’ve done were in temps between 10-50d. At 10d, no problem, but above 40, I could tell that on a summer day there isn’t a lot of airflow. BUT, it could be worse. The back panels, the way they are designed, do create a little bit of space, more so than just laying flat on your back.
WEIGHT LIMIT – this is a frameless pack, so you max out at about 20 lbs. It could carry more, quite honestly with the material and build quality I think it could hold 30 lbs, but I don’t think it would be very comfortable on your back at all.
BACK FRAME PAD – while helpful and usable, it is not easily accessible. You have to un-velcro a flap and then slide it out. It’s not problem with the pack empty, but if it is packed full, I could see it being kind of annoying to get it out, and even more so to put it back in.

I’m putting a link to some pictures in this review. You’ll see that I used the extra loops to put in cordage on the sides and outside the mesh pocket. On the inside there is a water bladder sleeve, and there is a small hole near the top that can be used for access.

On The Trail
To me, an attribute of a great pack is that you don’t know it is there. This was true with the TUFF for me. Once I packed it and secured it to my body, it was one with me. It didn’t jostle around or poke/prod me anywhere that made it uncomfortable or annoying. The hip-belt and sternum strap have plenty of material but nothing extra. The hip-belt is 1”, which is plenty strong. It can take a little effort to remove it from the clips, but I like that it attaches so well. If I choose to slide pockets on the belt, I’m not worried about it pulling too much on the stitching.

Discussion
I’ve just about finally convinced myself that there is no perfect pack. There are a few tweaks I might still make on this pack. I wish it stood up on its own. I wish I could retrieve and return bottles to the side pockets. I wish it had a little more airflow for the back.
But realistically, this hits on almost everything I wanted in a pack of this size and purpose. I can easily use this for a day hike or my personal item on a flight. And, with the sleeve extended, I’m confident I can do a 2-3 day summer hike with it, and maybe a shoulder season one as well, but that might be pushing it. It’ll depend on your setup as to whether they fit.
Adding the cordage, I can secure a sleeping pad, coat, tarp, etc. very easily to the outside of the pack, freeing up space for stuff that needs to go inside. You could still attach a little cord with it stock, but I recommend adding a few loops as best suits you. Oh, and the loops they have also include some separate loops you can tie in that allow you to secure your poles.
I went from a hike in total sun to a hike the next day in constant mist/rain. It was delightful not to have to worry about a pack cover or my stuff getting wet on the inside. There are drain holes in the side pockets to allow water to shed and not puddle up.

Conclusions
I really like this pack. I was concerned about spending this much money about what I would do if I didn’t like it. But, the build, materials, aesthetics, customization options, and more make this a pack that motivates me to plan more hikes. It wants to get on the trail and be put to use. It’s got everything you need and none of the add-ons that lack logic and functionality.
If you’ve been looking for a daypack that can serve you for years to come, I highly recommend this one. The price is more than most, but reasonable when you consider that the build quality and materials are easily on par or better than most of the big name cottage companies out there.

I’ll cut it off here for now. I’ll try to update in a few months with anything pertinent. If there is something you’re wondering that I haven’t addressed, please don’t hesitate to ask. Happy to help.

I’m gonna read it now, but have you tried to copy paste the text in the text editor (i.e. not the visual editor). That sometimes helps.

edit – I just copied and pasted your google doc in ‘text’ mode and it showed up well.

–

Thanks Ito. I was bold enough to think that I didn’t need a placeholder post for my first one.

I edited the 2nd post, seems to work okay. Not great, but better.

One of these days  will figure a method  to solve this issue OR change their current mindset to correct this stumbling block!! You are not the only MEMBER who has experienced the same issues …….HANG IN THERE we are all into it together!!

“Not all who wander are lost.”

j.r.r tolkien

That’s an interesting pack. Thanks for the in-depth review!

Thanks Bryon! Nice to see pictures of what the side pockets look like.

Also glad to hear your experiences with the build quality are similar to mine.

I agree that removing the sit pad via a velcro flap inside is difficult to do. I designed a MYOG pack like this, and have never bothered taking the pad out, so I should have just sewn it in place like an HMG pack. With that said, back when I was packing really light, I’d pull out the pad at night and use a torso length sleeping pad, and that was easy since the pack was empty anyways.

Thanks,  Dan! Yeah,  could have sewn pad in,  but I will say that it is thicker than the average pad,  so though not the  easiest to remove,  it isn’t flimsy and cheap so can be useful on many levels.

Thanks again to you for the post to alert us to this company.

https://www.hanchor.com/products/Outdoor%20Series/166?locale=en

Just a heads up on this deal. They’ve come out with a smaller version of the pack reviewed above. Looking at it initially, you’ll definitely want to be on the petite side to get this, but if you are, would be a very strong pack if the size works for you.

Nice looking day pack! I’ve got an all black Marl coming my way or I would probably pick this up.

Ryan