Customer Reviews

High Sierra Envoy Lumbar Pack

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If possible, I would RATE THIS ITEM 3.5 STARS

The "High Sierra Envoy Lumbar Pack" is from first appearance a well constructed lumbar pack with lots of piece work and stitching. The selection of materials used, are for the most part well selected and assembled from tough fabric. The short comings surface when one uses the product. For that reason, I have the distinct impression that not all of the intended functions for this bag were thoroughly tested.

The first short coming with this lumbar pack is how the product deals with excess waist belt strap material. Most every pack that I have owned has always used some sort of interweaving buckle. A design that I'm guessing has been around since Roman days. Unfortunately (see photo) this product uses some sort of cheap plastic clip on the waist belt that are more annoyance then serve a useful function.

Since the clips are not designed as a single continues plastic loop on the back side (see photo), the clips do not have enough friction inherent to their design such that the clips stay in place along the waist belt. Instead, these clips, which I presume are suppose to keep the excess belt material out of the way of the user do just the opposite as the excess material and clips move about the waist at will.

Another issue with this very dysfunctional clip design is the fact that the excess belt material does not weave in and out of the plastic clip (see photo). Instead the excess material merely slids into the clip from the top. Hence when the excess belt material clip is not moving around, the excess material is slipping out from the top of the clip itself.

The second short coming rest with the set of "quick-release compression straps to attach". Because the adjustable strap attachment points are sewn on to the back side of the lumbar pack, the amount of tension used to secure whatever external item you may be carrying, i.e. tripod, water bottle, depends completely on the items and their positions within the main compartment. Reposition items in the main compartment as things invariably do when hiking, removing small binoculars or a guide book and the rear straps loose compression.

A related issue, because the rear compression straps depend on the main compartment to function, every time the straps are being used and the wearer wants to add items to the main compartment, you have to first relax the adjustable straps so that the main compartment can increase in volume.

Another issue with the "quick-release compression straps to attach" is that the ends of the straps are neither free to flap about nor capable of being held tightly in place (see photo). Because of that, a person will always have a pair of thick and fairly strong loops of material extending from the rear of the lumbar pack, creating a place where a person can get hung up on a door handle, branch or protruding limb. For that reason, the wearer must always be alert when turning around so as not to get snagged by the extra strap material.

For me, I find it best to keep the lumbar pack on the front side of my body when carrying water or a tripod to avoid having them dislodge unnoticed. But, as stated in another posting, this is a big lumbar pack, and to keep the pack in front may not be practical for persons with a small frame.

Last, I think this lumbar pack was designed to fit people of all sizes which is a mistake in itself. When I buy a belt, I buy a 36 inch belt and not a 56 inch belt. Why, because I don't want all of that excess material left over to tuck away. The same goes for a lumbar pack. With this pack, I have as much waist belt material left over as I need to use. Two people can fit inside this lumbar pack. Because this pack has so much waste belt material left over, the dysfunctional clips designed to secure this left over material fail at their task even more miserably.

Minus 0.50 for poorly managing the excess waste belt material.
Minus 0.50 for making the adjustable compression straps dependent on main compartment use.
Minus 0.25 for the snagging problem associated with the adjustable compression straps in back.
Minus 0.25 for attempting to have this one lumbar waste pack fit thin to very obese persons.

Excellent workmanship, top quality materials.
This pack has plenty of room to carry everything you need while traveling, tickets, passports, phone camera, you can even carry a couple bottles of water. Perfect as a purse anytime you need to have your hands free: outdoor markets and shows, long days at the mall, etc. I have also used it for short hikes and bike rides.
The only drawback is that you have to re-adjust the straps often.

If you wear waist/fanny packs, you will love this one. It has more than ample space to carry all of you essential items. It also has a really cool headphone/ear bud port for you portable cd player or mp3 player. This great pack will also keep your stuff dry. It has a super additional pocket for cell phones or other small items. You can't go wrong with this one. Great bang for your buck!!!!

Received this bag to go to an RV rally. I did not want to carry a purse with me. This bag was fantastic. We carried our camera, extra batteries, wallet, etc. Even has a space for our water bottle. Would recommend this product to anyone looking for a waist bag. The fabric is sturdy and the clip and belt part is very strong. Well worth it.

This is a spectacular bag!

I bought it to help me carry so many things when riding my motorcycle. The available space and accessory bags are MORE THAN ENOUGH so you can take with you all important stuff that you need and don't have a place to put when riding. I specially love one of the side little bags, very proper for my cell phone which is very easy to reach now.

This is kind of funny but..., have you tried to carry a 2.5 lt Coke bottle in your bike? Well I did!, and it was really harder than I thought! This bag comes with 2 straps which resulted perfect for this! (please review my custom picture at top). Aaaah! That's fabulous! Yup, I use to do it frequently when I ride!

The material looks great and the bag construction overall looks very strong.

I am VERY satisfied with this product; I'm honest in saying it is more than I expected! Buy it with confidence, I recommend it highly!

I bought this pack for an 8 day Eco/Volcano/Beach vacation in Costa Rica. It turned out to be exactly what I needed. Not too big and not too small. The extra pockets are handy for small items and the straps on the outside are great for rain gear which comes in handy while in the rain forest.

I am a larger person so I did not have any trouble with the belt slipping, etc. This pack is a nice option if you want something mid-size without having to get a backpack.

I rec'd this Fanny Pack super fast & it's really big. I can't seem to get it to sit right around my waist. It's almost like carrying a samll suitcase around the waist, it's so big. I can't get it to lay flat on my stomach & I've tried adjusting it. If you want really big, this may be what you're looking for, but if you're expecting a normal size, this is much too big.

This is my second Sierra waist pack. I like the second one even better. Lots of separate storage pockets so it is easy to find my keys, my cell phone, my coin purse, wallet, etc. It is very attractive looking and looks like it will wear well.

This is a lg roomy fanny pack. well made. comfortable. I use it daily for my bike rides. it holds every thing I need for my rides including spare parts,tools,food,keys,phone, and water.

The build quality is excellant. I use this bag to carry a Canon 24-105mm "L" series lenes and a Canon 560 EX speedlight. Then there's room for a few small items (CF Cards, Lens cleaner,72mm filter, etc). The zippers and pockets are well designed. There are 5 compartments: Large, Med, Small and 2 mini. Large holds the lens and Speedlight. Mini's are for CF/SD cards, keys etc.

Highly recommended.