Over the last 8 years between working in Waitomo, the industrial rope access work and the canyoning work I have seen and used many different backpacks, some have been good and gone the distance and others have blown up on the first day out in the wilderness.
I think I have found a backpack that is what I would say is the top of its class. The new backpack that Pete Smith from Access gear has come up with has just blown everything else I have seen waaaaaaayyyyyy out of the water. For a single compartment bag with ample space, all necessary features but no frilly bits and best of all super ultra tuff, this is great value for money.
We have been thrashing the two packs we have in use while on the commercial trips, and they just keep coming back for more. Where others have simply come apart these seem to relish the punishment! Apart from the fact that these are super tough and practically perfect, they also look really cool……. and yes that is important when you are all dressed in rubber with a funny looking helmet.
So any way if you are looking to get a new rope/gear bag for anything of this nature I recommend these.
Neil Foxcroft, Canyonz Ltd
Here is what Benjamin Burrowes a Auckland canyoner has to say about the pod mesh bag……..
“After the uncertainty about spending more on a mesh bag I am really glad I did – It fitted my 50m 12mm rope perfectly and made managing rope, even through dense undergrowth on the slopes themselves a breeze. A great piece of kit to complement the larger canyoning bag.”
Thanks, 
Ben
Well travelled Holdall
A well traveled Auckland caver text me last night, he told me that his large holdall has been on over 200 flights and is still absolutely fine. We all know how hard they can treat you bags when loading on to planes. Thanks for your report on how this bag is taking the knocks and wearing well .
Here is what Dave Vass from http://www.deepcanyon.co.nz/ has to say about his pod mesh bag.
Hi Pete,
Yep just as I thought – your rope bags make excellent catch bags for crays.
They don’t snag going in or out [a common problem with most mesh bags] and
can fit 3 large [West Coast ] crays in one bag – prob half a dozen average
North Island ones…
Good work on the multi-use applications of your gear. Maybe you’ve got a
whole new market to crack now… I have enclosed a picture of a happy
customer. [Actually he’s probably a pretty un-happy one…]
Dave
Thanks for that Dave 🙂 Save me some crayfish next time.
Large caving bag reaches new heights
When a keen caver told me he needed a caving bag I was not surprised at all. But when he told me that he that he thought it was a great choice for a travel bag I was intrigued.
So here it is 6088m up a mountain –
EXTREME CANYONING BAGS FOR REPAIR
I recently received a couple of bags for repair from Mike Enright of canyoning.co.nz Who had this to say about his damaged Extreme canyoning bags -” We used the red in the Routeburn more often than not. The yellow was for the Queenstown canyons. So my best guess is red has preformed 300 plus 3 hour trips. Yellow 500 2 hour trips.. This is shared with the orange one which also does QT canyon and is still going strong.”I AM PLEASED TO HEAR THAT MIKE. THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK.
After purchasing a canyon bag II + A Pod mesh Bag, Owen Lee from Auckland gave me this feedback – “The canyon pack and the pod worked great over the weekend Thanks very much.”
Well thank you too Owen 🙂
Another great Pic of Shane Hess from California with his Hyperlon Expedition bag from Access Gear 