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shsylvester

04/30/2012 09:34AM

I'm heading out May 21 for five weeks and noticed last night that the harness system for my blue barrel, NRS Paragon system, is beginning to fail in a few spots, including a buckle that broke last night because of awkward placing on the top edge of the barrel.

I did a quick look around on the web at possible replacements and saw that CCS is rolling out a brand new product, a system for carrying a barrel that's essentially a harness system on a big cordura bag that carries the barrel. Only one compression strap, right under the lid, so simple and clean. And only $115 for the 60L bag. CCS is located between where I live and work, about 3 miles each way, so I'm going to check it out over my lunch hour. I will likely purchase it and then will report my thoughts back here sometime over the next few days.

The majority of the blue barrel systems out there are either outrageously expensive or "make do" systems like my NRS that don't quite work. This looks to be a fabulous piece of gear that could blow the competition out of the water. I'll let you know!

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TwoByGreenCanoe

04/30/2012 10:16AM

I just checked it out yesterday at the Midwest expo. Fits well on the back and good padding between barrel and back. And probably the biggest bonus compared to other harnesses is it can be used as a regular pack without the barrel.

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mwd1976

04/30/2012 10:19AM

Call ahead before you go. CCS doesn't have a retail space and there may or may not be someone around to help you out. You might be better off arranging a time after work to stop by. You can also check out the barrel pack at Midwest Mountaineering, the still had some in stock as of Saturday.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children -Chief Seattle

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fitgers1

04/30/2012 11:47AM

Looking forward to your review. I saw that on their website a few weeks ago and it is at the top of my list. I acquired a barrel a couple months ago and am in need of a pack for it. I liked that the CCS is more of a pack. I am curious if it could be used for other items if not being used for a barrel.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson...and...“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".

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shsylvester

04/30/2012 11:55AM

Just picked up the pack. Very nice piece of gear. Simple, well thought out (as an example, the webbing for the grab loops is of a sturdier, softer webbing than all the other structural webbing on the pack).

As mentioned in the descriptions of the pack online, because of its simplicity this piece will be much less likely to catch up on gunwales and seats. And, yes, it has the added bonus of being useful for carrying just about anything.

They're already receiving requests to add water bottle pockets, etc. to the outside of the bag. That will defeat the purpose of simplicity, of course, but the customer is always right. Thankfully, the Cookes will likely retain their original idea and simply make mods as requested.

While I was there Dan cut a piece of foam to fit in the bottom of the bag, as they've just begun to think that it will help the fabric to abrade less and can also be used as a sit pad (although I can't imagine I would be wanting to remove and reinsert the barrel just to cushion my butt a bit).

Have yet to use it on trail, of course, but very good, functional piece of gear. If you're saving $20 by using something else, or, God forbid, spending an additional $50 or $100 on bells and whistles and unnecessary suspension refinements, do yourself a favor and buy one of these. Typical CCS quality and innovation.

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thlipsis29

04/30/2012 03:43PM

I bought one for a 30 liter barrel last week and concur that it's an excellent product. And as someone pointed out in a different thread if you don't like it as a food barrel pack at least you have another pack at your disposal.

I can't change the world, but I can change the world in me if I rejoice

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AndySG

04/30/2012 07:06PM

All I can say is every product CCS makes is excellently designed and constructed with the canoe camper in mind. Dan's products are a bargain for the price. Lifetime guarantee to boot.

Sincerely yours, Andy

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fitgers1

04/30/2012 07:28PM

Thanks for the information shsylvester.

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shsylvester

05/02/2012 09:50AM

An addendum to my brief review above. The CCS Barrel Pack is not just a big sack. It's "fitted" toward the bottom, meaning there are "darts" in the fabric so that the cordura holds tigthly around the barrel through the midsection. End result is the requirement for only the one compression strap under the lid to hold the barrel snug and secure.

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Sierra1

05/02/2012 07:33PM

The barrel pack wasn't available when I received my 60L barrel as a gift. My bride picked up the GG Vapor Harness instead. I would have liked to have had a chance to see the barrel pack then but that's the way it goes. That said it too is a good carry system. I'll see how good when I go up later this month....

Watch out for that rock!!!........ Oooo.... That's going to leave a mark...

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Weezer

05/03/2012 02:25AM

Does ccs sell the barrels as well?

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shsylvester

05/03/2012 04:34AM

quote Weezer: "Does ccs sell the barrels as well? "

Not that I see.

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awbrown

05/03/2012 07:39PM

Bought my CCS barrel pack from CCS at Canoecopia in March.....They did not sell the barrels (at that time), so I moseyed around the show where there were a couple of other outfits selling barrels.

Next week....first trip with my new barrel pack.

Keep the open side up

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TuscaroraBorealis

05/03/2012 10:10PM

quote awbrown: "Bought my CCS barrel pack from CCS at Canoecopia in March.....They did not sell the barrels (at that time), so I moseyed around the show where there were a couple of other outfits selling barrels.

Next week....first trip with my new barrel pack."

Let us know how it goes.

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Weezer

05/08/2012 08:35PM

I finally found a good deal on a barrel and ordered up my ccs barrel pack tonight! I can't wait to try it out!

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awbrown

05/14/2012 10:45AM

Well, I returned yesterday from a five day canoe trip with my son-in-law, and used my new CCS (Cooke Custom Sewing) barrel pack under tripping conditions for the first time.

We traveled through a small wilderness area in the UP of Michigan (Big Island Lake Wilderness Area) which has some pretty steep portage trails.

We both were very impressed with this piece of equipment. However, I must state that this is the first time I've traveled with a barrel (60L) so I have no other harness systems, etc. to compare it with.

In the past I have always carried by food and grub box in a #3 CCS Traditional canvas pack.

Barrel- I bought a 60L barrel, and the CCS Barrel Pack at Canoecopia this Spring. I later purchased online, 3- CCS 60L Barrel Stuff Sacks from Dan, prior to my trip. The stuff sacks are round and they come in different colors. You can easily fit 3 of them (full) in a 60L barrel, with some room to spare.

We had one stuff sack (yellow) that I used for my "grub" box. This packed all my kitchen utensils (2 bowls, 2 8 oz cups, 2 insulated coffee travel cups, silver ware, spices, coffee, creamer, sugar, wooden egg turner, Camp Suds soap, scrubby, extra pot lifter, etc. All my regular take every trip kitchen junk).

The second stuff sack (red) held all our lunch and snack foods (peanut butter, assorted mixes of gorp, dried fruits, candy, MIO water flavors, granola bars, etc.

The third stuff sack (green) held all of our main meals. We ate venison steaks the first night, and for breakfast the next morning. The rest were a mix of commercial dehydrated meals, and home made and packaged dehydrated meals.

In the bottom of the barrel we stashed a few plastic grocery store bags to use for garbage bags, and stacked the three stuff sacks on top of these, with the snack food stuff sack on top for ease of access when needed.

On top of the three stuff sacks we packed in four Nalgene bottles. Two large and two smaller.

Along the side, I also packed my stove. This was a "Vital Stove" mfg. by Solhuma, Inc. Its a twig stove which folds down to 8" x 5" x 2" thick. This was the maiden voyage of the stove as well (which I loved, but will comment on in another thread).

With the barrel and the specialized stuff sacks, my canoe trip camp kitchen has never been better organized. I can't tell you how relaxing this easy organization made this part of the trip.

The barrel, plus the use of the CCS stuff sacks with their different colors, made it real simple to stay neat, organized, clean, etc. The lid was often used as a table, or set on the ground so we could set bowls or pans down on it to keep them clean. I am really sold on travel with a barrel. It also made a dandy stool at times.

Now to the pack. the pack is very well thought out and constructed to Cooke Custom Sewing typical high standards.

The 60L barrel fits snuggly into the pack, which has a strap around the top portion of the barrel, which cinches the top part of the pack around the barrel. The pack is cordura(?) canvas with a nylon collar at the top. The collar has a draw string in it for sealing up the top of the pack once you have the barrel top secured, and you are closing up the pack.

There is a top flap that folds over the top of the barrel, and snaps into a buckle that comes up from the bottom. This strap is adjustable, and would allow you to loosen the flap so you can stuff loose items like a jacket, shirt, life jacket, etc. under the flap for portaging, which is exactly what I did.

The pack has a built in rubber (ensolite I assume) pad to rest against your back, padded shoulder straps with a cross the chest connection strap, and a padded hip belt. The shoulder straps are adjustable of course, and include adjustable tightening straps at the top to pull the barrel closer to your upper torso once you've got the hip belt on. Properly adjusted, the weight is transferred to your hips and legs instead of straining your back and digging into your shoulders.

I am 63 years old, and found this pack setup to be extremely easy on my old body. I had no trouble carrying this setup, and there was no shifting from side to side. I could not tell that I had a round shape against my back.

The pack has four lifting loops, two on each "side" of the top, and one on the "back" of the top, with the other corresponding loop on the "back" of the bottom. These combination of loops makes it real handy to pick up no matter how you place it in your canoe. Also, with the loops on the top and bottom, it would make it real simple to throw the barrel over your head, rest it on top of a main pack and do a two pack carry.

I found this pack so well balanced, that I often carried a #3 CCS Traditional Pack with all my son-in-laws gear, on top of the barrel pack, and it was still very comfortable.

Even with steep portages, and hauling two packs, I was extremely pleased with how easy it was to carry, and with the use of the CCS barrel stuff sacks, I have never had a better organized camp in regards to my food and kitchen area setup. I highly recommend the use of a barrel, and don't think you could find a better carrying system then the CCS barrel pack.

Keep the open side up

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shsylvester

05/14/2012 01:10PM

Excellent review! Thanks. I'm sure my experience will be the same when I head out May 21.

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RobKesselring1

05/19/2012 04:47PM

Two advantages of Dan's new Barrel pack that I have not seen mentioned: The barrel fits into the pack like a foot into a shoe. Other barrel harnesses rely on straps to hold the barrel. I've been using barrels for over 15 years and more than once I've had them slide free and take a bounce on the portage trail, funny but not cool. The second point is all about cool from a more traditional definition. Barrels are often used as a food pack but they can sure heat up on a July day. I am guessing being shielded from the sun the CCS design will keep the contents cooler. In fact, if I am carrying perishable food (maybe a bit of Stu has rubbed off on me) I might even soak down the fabric and get the old desert water bag evapocooling effect.

If you already have a harness you can cool down the contents by covering the black lid with reflective furnace tape. (not duct tape, the silver kind with the release paper).

I would still like Dan to design a pack harness that would carry two 8 gallon paint buckets with gama lids, it would look like the breech of a double barrel shotgun, carry flat on the back and nestle below the gunwales in the canoe. Buckets are also way cheaper and easier to open and close than barrels.

see you on the water
Rob

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awbrown

05/19/2012 08:53PM

Rob- Now that you mention it, we included some venison steaks in our barrel. We ate two the first night, and we had the other two the next morning for breakfast. We did notice that the barrel (inside the CCS pack) kept everything cool, even into the next day. Seeing how this was my first experience with a barrel, I didn't realize that the pack may be contributing to the "cooler" effect. It does indeed shield the barrel from the sun, particularly the black top.

Our barrel was standing in the sun all afternoon, and upon returning to camp, we opened it for some munchies, and nothing was overly warm. We noticed this particularly in regards to some trail mix with chocolate that we fetched. Noting was gooey or melted.

In addition, you are absolutely right about Dan's pack fitting the barrel like a glove. Very secure.

Keep the open side up

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