French Respirator Bag - 1960s/70s - £7.95 from here http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=92&products_id=903
I bought this last week as a replacement for my Snugpak Response Pak. TBH I did not get on with the ResponsePak - I prefer shoulder carry, hip/waist carry optional rather than the other way round....that and my wife kept on calling the Response Pak a 'fanny-pack' or girl-bag every time she saw me with it...which did not help the masculine bushcrafter image/ego
So, on to the bag in question. Its about the same size as the Response Pak but more vertical than horizontal in layout. It is made of a rather nice, thick but flexible cotton/hemp canvas type material. It has a vinyl/rubber base to it to keep the damp out if it is put on the ground and has a plastic insert in the base that helps it stand nicely upright and not fall over all the time. Stitching is good and 'furniture' solid. It has velcro closures.
It has a woven natural fibre/cotton strap with metal attachments that rotate so it does not get twisted. It also has a pair of belt loops for waist carry and a couple of D-rings on the back which must give it the option to be carried like a mini-backpack.
There are two side compartments. I managed to fit a 600ml oval Sigg in one - so this gives you an approximate size of the side-pockets. It has one main central compartment with three slim pockets/dividers. I found these dividers most useful to keep flatter items such as a map, knife, laplander saw, dc4 stone, a flint striker and a specimen jar or small torch. It also has a pocket in the inside of the lid which I popped a foraging aide-memoire - about the size of a small notebook.
The main compartment is quite deep - which is a mixed blessing because it does lend itself to lots of rummaging around. I part solved this by having a small square lock n lock container in the bottom to keep all my small items that would naturally gravitate to the bottom anyway.
I did an example pack of the kind of items I might take out and need in a grab bag - its not definitive. I would like to point out that the square lock-n-lock was half empty (it has a torch, torch headband, lipsalve, insect repellent, sun cream, water purification tablets and some plasters in it) but would have fitted a bit more. The little highlander 'waterproof' box in picture was empty...as I have not yet decided what to put in it. The round lock n lock box has my charcloth in it. Various other items were compass, millbank bag, forgaging net bag/mossie head-net, cup, honey stove, flint and steel, laplander saw, foraging guide, knife, SAK, light-stick, 10m 550 paracord, spork, a stick of fat-pine, 600ml Oval Sigg, empty tinder pouch.....there was room for more stuff I suppose. But it gives you an idea of its size - very similar (if I recall correctly) to the Response Pak.
Initial impressions are fairly good. Its not waterproof though but probably 'safer' around sparks. It does not have all the external carry options as the Response Pak but I think it looks tidier and could be modded I suppose. It has a good, solid build quality like 'they don't make things like this any more'. Velcro is a mixed blessing but at least it is reliable. The deep central and side pockets are sometimes a little bit of a faff to delve into...but on balance this is a smallish niggle. I would have liked some kind of pull-closure under the lid but I am probably asking quite a bit for something that costs £7.95 for a mint condition possibles bag.
It also makes me look more manly
Here are some piccies
I bought this last week as a replacement for my Snugpak Response Pak. TBH I did not get on with the ResponsePak - I prefer shoulder carry, hip/waist carry optional rather than the other way round....that and my wife kept on calling the Response Pak a 'fanny-pack' or girl-bag every time she saw me with it...which did not help the masculine bushcrafter image/ego
So, on to the bag in question. Its about the same size as the Response Pak but more vertical than horizontal in layout. It is made of a rather nice, thick but flexible cotton/hemp canvas type material. It has a vinyl/rubber base to it to keep the damp out if it is put on the ground and has a plastic insert in the base that helps it stand nicely upright and not fall over all the time. Stitching is good and 'furniture' solid. It has velcro closures.
It has a woven natural fibre/cotton strap with metal attachments that rotate so it does not get twisted. It also has a pair of belt loops for waist carry and a couple of D-rings on the back which must give it the option to be carried like a mini-backpack.
There are two side compartments. I managed to fit a 600ml oval Sigg in one - so this gives you an approximate size of the side-pockets. It has one main central compartment with three slim pockets/dividers. I found these dividers most useful to keep flatter items such as a map, knife, laplander saw, dc4 stone, a flint striker and a specimen jar or small torch. It also has a pocket in the inside of the lid which I popped a foraging aide-memoire - about the size of a small notebook.
The main compartment is quite deep - which is a mixed blessing because it does lend itself to lots of rummaging around. I part solved this by having a small square lock n lock container in the bottom to keep all my small items that would naturally gravitate to the bottom anyway.
I did an example pack of the kind of items I might take out and need in a grab bag - its not definitive. I would like to point out that the square lock-n-lock was half empty (it has a torch, torch headband, lipsalve, insect repellent, sun cream, water purification tablets and some plasters in it) but would have fitted a bit more. The little highlander 'waterproof' box in picture was empty...as I have not yet decided what to put in it. The round lock n lock box has my charcloth in it. Various other items were compass, millbank bag, forgaging net bag/mossie head-net, cup, honey stove, flint and steel, laplander saw, foraging guide, knife, SAK, light-stick, 10m 550 paracord, spork, a stick of fat-pine, 600ml Oval Sigg, empty tinder pouch.....there was room for more stuff I suppose. But it gives you an idea of its size - very similar (if I recall correctly) to the Response Pak.
Initial impressions are fairly good. Its not waterproof though but probably 'safer' around sparks. It does not have all the external carry options as the Response Pak but I think it looks tidier and could be modded I suppose. It has a good, solid build quality like 'they don't make things like this any more'. Velcro is a mixed blessing but at least it is reliable. The deep central and side pockets are sometimes a little bit of a faff to delve into...but on balance this is a smallish niggle. I would have liked some kind of pull-closure under the lid but I am probably asking quite a bit for something that costs £7.95 for a mint condition possibles bag.
It also makes me look more manly
Here are some piccies
