Tracpac Basha???

[desert_emperor]

Hi all,

Has anyone out there tried or used the tracpac basha??
If so i would appreciate any feedback or comments.

Cheers....Paul

 

[Beer Monster]

Haven't used it, however, I have had a good look at one in a shop (I'm pretty sure its the same one). Basically Tracpac is Web-tex under a different name (also known as Thatchreed!). Their kit (expecially in the armed forces) has a reputation for being cheap but very very poor quality. I'm always suspicious of companies who manufacture exactly the same kit (type webtex basha, thatchreed basha or tracpac basha into google images and they all come up the same image) under 3 names ....... seems like they are just trying to fool people into buying crap kit.

Now, having said that the item I had a look at in the shop did seem to be ok. The fabric was akin to the old British army poncho material ....... which did make it quite heavy but had a good solid feel to it. Stitching seemed ok but as I said above there tends to be great variation in the quality with the web-trac-reed kit.

IMHO you'd be better off going direct to Kathmandu Trekking and ordering one from them. They have a range of set sizes/weights but will also custom make so if you are looking for something specific they will try and make it for you. They are very well made (here in the UK!) and weigh about half (in some cases less than half) that of the wed-trac-reed basha and come in both olive green and DPM. As far as I recall Bison Bushcraft get theirs made by the same company so you can have a look on their website to see them.


I hope that helps.

 

[Wavey Davey]

I sell both the Tracpac and the Webtex bashas so I'll try and defend them! They are both cheap and cheerful but they should be perfectly serviceable and shouldn't leak or come apart - complain to your supplier if they do. In my opinion they provide (particularly the Tracpac one) a useful starting point where you can have a go at using a basha, without spending too much in case it isn't for you eventually. If you end up using it and wearing it out you'll have a better idea of what suits you when you upgrade.

Just to clear up a couple of points the Webtex and Tracpac ones aren't the same. The reason you find the same pictures is that people are a bit lazy and lift the generic picture from a catalogue and use it for both - I do myself on a thumbnail but I don't for the main page. For the record the pic of the pitched basha is the Webtex one.

The Tracpac basha is made from a much heavier material with a general camo print on it and weighs 1.2Kg. The Webtex is basically a copy of the British Army basha and is in DPM and comes in at 0.64Kg so a useful weight difference to the Tracpac one.

I've been keeping an eye on this thread since it started to see what people reckon. I've sold close to 100 of these over the last year and I've never had a complaint about quality or performance so that tells you something presumably.

Just one word of warning. There is a batch of Tracpac bashas out there with a manufacturing fault in that the ridge loops either end have been missed off. They should have 5 not 3 loops. If you get one with 3 say something to your supplier, or better still ask them before you buy one.

Cheers, David.

 

[Beer Monster]

Just to clear up a couple of points the Webtex and Tracpac ones aren't the same. The reason you find the same pictures is that people are a bit lazy and lift the generic picture from a catalogue and use it for both - I do myself on a thumbnail but I don't for the main page. For the record the pic of the pitched basha is the Webtex one.

The Tracpac basha is made from a much heavier material with a general camo print on it and weighs 1.2Kg. The Webtex is basically a copy of the British Army basha and is in DPM and comes in at 0.64Kg so a useful weight difference to the Tracpac one.

Ahhh. Sounds as though the one I saw was the Tracpac one (although I'm sure it was in British DPM). The tracpac one did seem as though it could take a lot of abuse although I wouldn't want to carry it too far! Weighs the same as some tents!

So let me get this straight. Thatchreed is the parent company and owns both Tracpac and Web-tex (as well as Air-jet, O-G and Jack Pyke) ...... or at least thats how it seems from their website ?

I've been keeping an eye on this thread since it started to see what people reckon. I've sold close to 100 of these over the last year and I've never had a complaint about quality or performance so that tells you something presumably.

To be fair the complaints that I've heard about web-tex kit stem mainly from their webbing/vests/rucksacks which is why I was giving the basha the benefit of the doubt. I've noted that Bearclaw Bushcraft also stock the web-tex version so it obviously gets the thumbs up from Garry.

Still no denying that the Kathmandu "large basha" (250cm x 180cm) at 370g is still almost half the weight of the web-tex shelter sheet copy and at £27 its cheaper too ........ and comes in olive green! Come on David ...... you know you want to start stocking Kathmandu !

P.S. Just thought I'd point out that I have no affiliation to Kathmandu apart from being a very please customer (on at least 3 occasions!)

 

[Wavey Davey]

BM. Yup you've pretty much got it right. Thatchreed is the 'parent' company and as far as I'm aware uses those other 'brands' as it's various ranges. I have a feeling Jack Pyke used to be a separate entity but I'm not sure it is still - may be wrong about that though.

And yes you're spot-on about Kathmandu. I've had a customer in the last 6 months or so who asked me about a double size tarp for a Land Rover if memory serves. I couldn't help him but pointed him in the direction of Kathmandu. He kept me informed of how he got on and he was delighted with their product and service. Wendy then emailed me to thank me for passing him on to her - so everyone was happy! We've had a few mails since and yes I would like to stock her products. I've got an iron in the fire in Oz for making the Oz hootchies for me, as the supply has dried up over here, and if that falls through I'll be getting something similar from Wendy hopefully.

 

[Beer Monster]

We've had a few mails since and yes I would like to stock her products. I've got an iron in the fire in Oz for making the Oz hootchies for me, as the supply has dried up over here, and if that falls through I'll be getting something similar from Wendy hopefully.

I've noticed a few Kathmandu bashas etc in Tiso's although they always seem to be squirrled away in some corner where nobody sees them !

As far as I'm aware the original Aussie Hootchies are made by Combat Clothing Australia (www.combatclothing.com.au). I wonder why the UK supply has dried up ? RVOps seem to still be able to get their hands on them ...... they've even taken to modifying the colours ...... they now stock a temperate and desert cam version !

I also noted that SASS kit have stopped producing their version of it as well.

 

[Wavey Davey]

As far as I'm aware the original Aussie Hootchies are made by Combat Clothing Australia (www.combatclothing.com.au). I wonder why the UK supply has dried up ?

My suppliers, the importers, told me that the material costs had gone up a lot meaning that CC's prices had gone up and were now too much for them. Reading between the lines a little it seemed that there had been a bit of a falling out between the importers and CC - that is only my impression so might not actually be the case. Anyway, as far as I'm aware, the supply of the Aussie hootchies for traders like me has certainly temporarily, and maybe permanently, dried up from the previous importers.

 

[John Fenna]

Nowt wrong with either the Tracpac or WebTex bashas - I use both.
Kathmandu are lighter though and I use their kit a lot as well especially the Basha Tent system - excellent! and their XL basha - which I had a hand in convincing them to make as a canoeing tarp.
John

 

[Steve R]

Just one word of warning. There is a batch of Tracpac bashas out there with a manufacturing fault in that the ridge loops either end have been missed off. They should have 5 not 3 loops.

Opps,

I thought they were supposed to be like that. Still, not the end of the world, I intend to sling mine on top of paracord, so I just installed an eyelet at each end where the material is re-enforced. Also that gives me somewhere to poke the ends of a couple of lightweight poles I have, in a ground situation.

Cost me £24 which seems to be at the bottom end of the advertised (net) prices, maybe because of the missing loops?

Will see how it performs this w/end.

 

[Wavey Davey]

Steve. Well done for getting round it. As you say, it's not a problem if you put it over a ridge line, only when hanging it. I had one sent back by a customer a month or two back and checked the rest of my stock. All the rest were the same so it seemed to be just one particular batch. I sent them back and am awaiting the next batch that will hopefully be OK. Other than the missing loops they are fine if you're going to 'drape' rather than 'hang' - I sell online so I prefer to have stock that can just go out rather than having to explain how to get round any inherent problems! Just makes life much easier for me.

Just one word of warning. There is a batch of Tracpac bashas out there with a manufacturing fault in that the ridge loops either end have been missed off. They should have 5 not 3 loops. If you get one with 3 say something to your supplier, or better still ask them before you buy one.

I should add to my above comments to highlight that it's not a problem if you're going to drape your basha over a ridge line.

Desert Emperor - PM sent.

Cheers, David.

 

[desert_emperor]

Thanks Wavey Davey!, :You_Rock_

got the PM and will definitely be in touch soon.

Cheers....Paul

 

[Steve R]

I feel it may work when hanging, I believe a prussic knot attatched to the eylets would work, will test that out.