Essentials When Camping, Hunting Or Fishing.
I wear a fanny pack to bring the essentials that I believe I require when hunting, so when Blackhawk Searching Packs (the Company slogan is "Honor as a lifestyle") used to send me among their BlackOak hunter's fanny packs for evaluation, I jumped at the opportunity. When it showed up a couple of weeks later, I was shocked. Lets keep reading about survival equipment gear and what’s best for you!
The cushioned belt and back pad assembly attached to the BlackOak is larger and much heavier than my entire fanny pack! The BlackOak fanny pack has as much capacity as my "searching and 72 hour emergency" daypack.
I proved this by emptying the contents of the knapsack into the BlackOak with room to spare. In fact, I can stuff my old hunting fanny pack (filled), including the binoculars and hunting knife hanging from its belt, into the BlackOak in addition to the contents of my knapsack. (See the short article "Deer Hunting Gear: A Minimalist Approach" on the General Firearms and Shooting Page for a list of all this things.).
This is a truly big fanny pack and there is a broad (7.5" tapering to about 3.5"), thick layer of padding planned to cushion the small of the back and encircle the waist. The approximate outdoors measurements of the freight carrying pack itself are: 18" long, 8.5" wide and 8.7" deep, not consisting of the thick side pads and belt assembly. Its "wingspan" from idea of side pad to idea of side pad (not consisting of the belt) has to do with 33.5".
The BlackOak is not for the lazy hunter who wishes to travel light. Rather, this fanny pack is for the hunter who wishes to bring everything but the kitchen sink on his or her person. It weighs about 2-5/8 pounds empty on my scale. That is about 2 pounds heavier than the empty weight of the soft leather fanny pack I usually bring in the field. Filled with all the stuff pointed out in the paragraph above, it weighed 10 pounds.
The BlackOak provided for this evaluation is made from tricot fabric that is water resistant along with softer and quieter than routine pack nylon or Cordura. It is dyed in a Benefit Max-1 HD camouflage pattern, although Mossy Oak Break-Up is also readily available.
I was unable to discover a tag anywhere stating where the pack was made. Nor was I able to discover that information on the Blackhawk website (www blackhawk com). In any case, the BlackOak appears to be well made, with double stitched seams where strength is needed and difficult looking nylon zippers.
Here is the way Blackhawk literature describes the BlackOak: "An essential for the hunter on the go; gives you the cargo space and versatility to alter from season to season." The features of the BlackOak fanny pack consist of:.
One large primary zippered compartment.
3 smaller external zippered compartments (one big compartment in front and two medium size on the sides).
Zippered internal organizer compartments to keep gear arranged (4 by my count). SpaceNet formed back panel for enhanced air circulation and ventilation.
Quickly connects to the BlackFalls Hydration Pack or the BlackTrail and BlackCliff backpack.
Superior building and construction for many years of toughness.
The BlackOak is truly the heart of a packaging system. It incorporates with a variety of offered at extra cost Blackhawk devices, including the Organizer Pouch, Muzzleloader Pouch, 10 cartridge holder, Nalgene Bottle Provider Pouch, Turkey Organizer Pouch and Rangefinder Pouch.
In addition to all the above, there are two mesh pouches within each of the external compartments on completions of the pack and restrain straps across the top of the pack so you can lash on something too big to fit inside. These might work well for a hunting coat on a warm day if the BlackOak's primary compartment was already complete.
There are 2 layers (yes, an inner layer and an outer layer!) of what look like nylon cartridge loops on the super-wide, padded belt. I discovered these to be about right for 20 gauge shotgun shells; a AA battery size MagLight would also most likely suit these loops.
Most "fanny" packs are in fact worn in front to give simple access to the contents, however the BlackOak is clearly created to be used in back. It is just too big to conveniently wear in front. This indicates that the BlackOak needs to be gotten rid of to get to the contents.
You will likewise need to get rid of the BlackOak to get in a car. The 50mm Stealth quick-release (Fastex type) buckle at the ends of the two inch large nylon front belt makes this less difficulty than it might be otherwise.
The BlackOak will need to be worn beyond your hunting coat, as there is no way you are going to have the ability to zipper your coat over this fanny pack in severe weather. I carried out a non-scientific test of water resistance by merely putting a glass of water over the BlackOak.
The water beaded and ran off and the cloth stayed dry. I think I will find out how water resistant the BlackOak is in the real life this fall when the deer open season opens in my rainy house state of Oregon.
In conclusion, the BlackOak is a well thought out, outstanding style that covers all of the possible bases. Its restriction is merely its size. I would like to see Blackhawk introduce a scaled-down, 1/3 capacity variation without the heavy back and side cushioning.
An easy two inch wide nylon web belt with a 50mm Stealth quick release buckle would do perfectly. Such a "BlackOak Jr." could be worn in front for simple access to the contents and it would enable the hunter to obtain in and out of cars with the pack in place and typically be more active.