Mountain Equipment 100 litre Kit Bag

I purchased this from Cotswold Outdoors for £45 online and it arrived within 14 days.

The product.



It’s made from plastic coated tarpaulin material which appears durable. The base is reinforced with a nylon fabric. There are two compression straps on each side and two good sized carry handles that can be held together with a Velcro secured wrap to make a nice comfy grip.

It is supplied with rucksack type adjustable straps which incorporate a chest strap.



There is a well attached nylon webbing handle at each end.

The opening is large with a strong looking zip (two sliders) but not waterproof. Inside the lid is a large mesh zipped pocket



There is an inner bag (yellow ) attached along one edge with a semi-dry zip. This is the ‘wet bag’ for separating your wet kit from your dry.

Also a mesh pocket at each end of the bag.



In use.

The bag(s) fit neatly into my Horizon 15 for solo or tandem paddling.



For an overnighter I could fit all the essential gear in one bag. ie. Tent, primus stove, spare fuel, pots etc., food plus sleeping bag and full set of dry clothes in drybags.
Then I just needed a drybag for camera and binoculars and another for those extra items needed during the day. With a bit more thought and careful packing I could probably get more in.
The handles at each end made lashing in to the yoke and thwarts very easy.

Using one bag laid lengthwise in the canoe, the extra drybags fitted neatly down the sides and attached to the yoke so they were easily to hand, the whole set up seemed to work well. I could trim the boat by moving forwards or backwards whilst kneeling on my improvised saddle.



Comments on the product

I’ve discovered as no doubt has everybody else that there is rarely a perfect solution to all our requirements but this product fits most of mine.

Good points
Appears strong, durable and well made. Good capacity and sensible shape. Easy to put gear in the large top opening and all the kit can be offloaded from the canoe in one go. Mesh pockets are handy for those small bits and pieces. The wet bag could be useful but I haven’t used it as such yet. One carry handle could be used as a tump line with a bit of extra padding because…

Bad point
The rucksack type straps are a waste of time unless you are nine feet tall. The bag is too long to carry as a rucksack. (one could always make use of the various bits of webbing and fittings to make something else.)

Am I happy with my Purchase?

Yes.