High Sierra Gear Review

I'd like to put my two cents on in High Sierra gear. Of course, I am just a lone blogger, and to my knowledge, no one has actually read my blog since November, so it goes without saying that High Sierra has no investment in me and my opinions are strictly my own.

I really like High Sierra stuff. High quality, holds up well, for the most part works well, and has a great price tag.

I first discovered HS as a brand several years ago when I bought a backpack online. I had never heard of them, but the pack was the right price. They offered gear with all the bells and whistles other brands had for half the price. I ordered the bag and took a chance.

I've been using that book bag for 3 years solid, and it is 95% of its original condition. I used it daily in college, I've packed for quick overnight trips, and have taken it on short hikes. It comes with me to work daily and literally gets tossed on the floor under the nurses station, kicked around, slung around.....generally abused. It has held up tremendously. Literally the only thing that has any issues is the velcro closure on the little cellphone caddy. After 3 years of constant use the velcro has frayed and doesn't work if much pressure is applied to it. But, that took three years to occur. The bottom, straps, and zipper show no wear.

I can't remember, but I think I paid somewhere between $30-50. It has rip-stop like construction, good zippers, a laptop compartment, an mp3 player cubby, a cellphone pocket on the shoulder straps, and a sad version of a hip belt and chest strap (it works buts its not too substantial). Really, it has the material, features, and build of a $100+ bag. Also, while not built for CCW, it has a padded pocket in the front that perfectly holds my Glock 23 or J-frame revolver. They don't seem to make this particular bag now, but it looks very akin to this one, only with a laptop compartment and no hyrdation sleeve.

I also have a HS internal frame hiking pack (Explorer 55). Find info here. Its a very standard 55 liter top loading pack with internal frame. Like the backpack, it is very well built, using "Duralite" material, and has all the feature other packs do. Both bags have a padded mesh vented side that goes against your back, allowing for airflow. It has help up extremely well in 3 hiking trips. It also includes a rain cover, which I have not seen in most affordable packs.

This bag is good, but not perfect. The zipper for the bottom sleeping bag compartment is difficult at times, and I'm hoping it "breaks in". Fortunately, I only tend to access that compartment once or twice a day. I'm not wild about the top flap. Unless the bag is loaded to the brim, when cinched tight it pulls to the rear so extremely it almost doesn't cover part of the bag, which is not a huge deal since it has a cord locked storm cover inside. Its almost more of an aesthetics thing than a real problem.

The kicker is that I don't really care because this pack only cost $60! That is literally a fraction of what most comparable bags cost. And, given I've tested it, and have complete confidence in how it holds up, its a complete steal for the price.

The main downside in all HS bags I've found is that they like straps- a lot. Every bag is loaded with cinching straps to tighten down loads and hoods and everything- but so much and with so much extra length that one finds them self with a host of nylon tentacle-like extensions hanging from their back. Occasionally, I will fold up the slack and rubber band it together.

On the whole, however, I find High Sierra gear to be extremely rugged, well built, reliable, and long-lasting. I would highly recommend their product. Given the few negatives- a few extra straps and some difficult zippers- you can sure save a few bucks for an overall well built product.