Extremely weather resistant, very durable and versatile in a variety of conditions,
the Pat-agonia 32 liter Black Hole pack is great for anything from bike commuting to
a daypack going into the outdoors. It is going to take you through pretty much any adventure
you can throw at it.
The first thing I want to talk about with this pack is the suspension system and how
it carries the load. This is a 32 liter pack so it is on the small side. You have got a
molded back panel here and that is going to support the weight that this pack, you know,
is big enough to hold. You have got some channels here all along this molded back panel that
allow warm air to escape. There is no real hard frame with his pack, but with that molded
panel you do have some rigidity there. It is going to support the weight of the pack.
You have contoured shoulder straps. They are nicely padded. You have got some mesh on the
inside so that is going to also allow warm air to escape. That is adjustable down here
at the bottom. And you do have a port up here for a hydration reservoir. So you can route
the hose out through that port and into either side of the shoulder straps.
Of course you have an adjustable sternum strap here and you can take that and put that on
any of these little adjustment points. So that adds a lot of adjustment there. And then
down at the bottom just a really lightweight hip belt.
Moving the pack around to the other side and taking a look at the other features of it,
you have got a really unique design here. So you can see there is a flap that goes over
the top here, a really nice carry handle up at the top. So that allows you to pick the
pack up that way. And this flap is really nice for protecting the gear inside. So this
is a very durable material. It is rip stop, 450 denier rip stop polyester fabric, so a
lot of durability here on the outside.
If I open this flap up you can see that the pack really extends out to be pretty big.
On the front here you have another haul loop. You have got daisy chain attachment loops
here all throughout the front of the pack. And then on the front you have a small pocket,
really easy access into that pocket. And here I have just got a map. I have got a little
case there just to show the size. So this is a pretty nice sized pocket. You don’t
have a waterproof zipper on here, but this is very weather resistant with that flap on
the top.
On the bottom of the pack here you have a different material. It is a very, very durable
material as well. So the big story here is durability and weather resistance.
If I flip this pack down you can see that you have a really long zipper that runs all
the way down this side of the pack. You also have a zipper access into the top. So it makes
it really versatile. If you just want to get your hands on gear quickly, you can open up
that side zipper, grab what you need. I have just got a water bottle tucked away in the
side. Or, if you need to open the whole thing you can open this zipper from the top, a really
unique design that allows you complete access into that pack. And it is kind of where it
gets its name. It is the black hole pack. You can put so much into this pack, really
pack it out and it works really well that way.
So if I open it up to show all the space inside, you have got a really big pack bag. And then
you have got some organization here on the side. So if I show what layers I have got
in here, just take some of these things out to show the size. You can see I have got tons
of layers in there. And I have got all the organization that I need. You have a nice
little stretch mesh pocket on that side. I would put a water bottle in there maybe. Some
organ-ization here. I have got my cell phone tucked away in there, a wallet, some pens.
And there is even a little area for your keys. That makes it perfect for commuting.
In here I have got just a map in this pocket here. You could definitely put up to a 15
inch laptop in that sleeve. But up here in the top I have got a tablet. So you could
definitely fit either a tablet or a laptop or both. This also happens to be the sleeve
that you could put a hydration bladder. So it works two ways there. And then you have
also got just adjusta-bility there or you can clip that off. It is a padded sleeve so
you can definitely tuck away your lap top in there and it is padded from both sides.
If I start packing this back up it is really easy to just put all your gear inside, throw
it in there, pack it up. Use this nice flap on the top to secure your gear down. The clips
on this side are also used as compressions straps. So if I cinch that down, if I don’t
have this packed up completely I can really cinch that down and make this a nice day pack.
You can pack it out and take this on weekend trips. It is a great daypack, a great commuting
pack with all that weather resistance.
With those durable features, this pack is going to last a long time and you are going
to be able to take it on any adventure and be confident that it is going to hold your
gear.
It is the Patagonia Black Hole Pack, the 32 liter size.