Seek Outside Top-Lid and Hipbelt Pockets

I just ordered the Unaweep 4800. No lid, no hipbelt pockets. I like streamlined, I think the pack is large enough as it is. From previous pack experience I know I’m not interested in lids (I like the simplicity of a roll top).

I have the hipbelt pockets on a Unaweep 4800.  They sent me one to test and I bought the matching one (for OCD purposes!).  Previously I ‘d used some Zimmerbuilt pockets rigged up to the pack.

The pockets are well made and easy to use.  The large #5 zipper is smooth and you can open and close the pocket with one hand, which is not something you can say about many hipblet pockets.   The pockets themselves are HUGE, which is nice for a camera but many people might find them too big.  They are also pretty darn heavy at 3oz a piece if I remember the weight correctly. The size of the pockets made me worry they might get in the way, but they never have.  They are also made out of X Pac so they are pretty waterproof by themselves, though the seams aren’t taped and the zipper isn’t waterproof.

I use the SO system for hunting and I have used both the lid and the hip belt pockets.  The pockets are excellent – I prefer the XL size and I can stuff a lot of things in the pockets. They are fairly easy to access while wearing the pack.  My 10×40 Vortex binos fit in the XL pocket.

As for the top lid, it is so small that I found it not very useful, especially for the weight.  I found someone to make me a custom DCF lid that is much larger which I use on my Revolution setup along with the Spectra Merlin.

Jason, I’ve got a Seek Outside lid that I bought with my Divide, but I’ve never used it and don’t see myself ever using it, so you can have it for shipping if you want it.

Doug, I just sent you a PM

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I have both the lid and the hip belt pocket for my Unaweep 3900. I like them just to have a little bit of organization. The belt pocket (smaller one) is perfect for things you want quickly without taking your pack off. Even the small one will easily fit a snack bar, pocket knife, cell phone, etc. Pretty sure it’s only 2 ounces or so in the smaller size and still bigger than most belt pockets. I tried the huge one. Just too big for me. Same thing with the lid – not necessary for space really, but great for organization. Wallet, inReach, car keys, charger – loose critical stuff like that lives up there. Those are odd things that I prefer not to have hiding in the bottom corner of my pack somewhere. Lid is only 3 ounces so worth it in my opinion. The connection system could use some re-thinking, but it works.

I purchased a Gila pack last year with the hip belt pockets. They are larger than the pockets I have used on other packs (Osprey, ULA) and I can open and close them easier than on the Osprey Atmos 65. However, if I were to do it over again, I would probably order the pack without the hip belt pockets and use my Zpacks Front Utility Pack Accessory. It is more convenient, carries a surprising amount of stuff and is easy to not use if I do not need it. This is not a knock on the Seek Outside pockets; it is something I would do now for any pack I order with optional hip belt pockets.

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and opinions in this rather small matter concerning the extra pockets on the Seek Outside packs .  I’m planning on playing around with my new to me Gila this summer.  I’ve recently become aware of an approximately 500 mile loop in Northern New Mexico https://pmags.com/the-northern-new-mexico-loop-an-overview.  I want to hike it or least do some sections of it this summer.  The good Lord willing!

I just noticed that the pockets on my Seek Outside Gila are removable. The best of both worlds! I would definitely order it this way again.

Lennox N.