Words and Photos by Carl "Professor" Stanfield @prof_carl
My favorite piece of gear is the one I haven't gotten to try yet. After eight years of using trash bags to keep my gear dry, I decided to switch up my packing method and try something totally new. I'm typically avoidant of superfluous accessories that I haven't missed on trail, but HMG's unique modular Pods piqued my interest. And so, during my recent thru hike of the Benton MacKaye Trail in October, I put my faith in the Pods.
The reasoning behind my dedication to trash bags was built on efficiency. Traditional stuff sacks are heavier, more expensive, and bulkier than a single trash bag–even of the thick variety. And so, for nearly a decade, my packing method has been the same: I cram my quilt directly into the bottom of the trash bag and pack everything else (a fairly minimal setup) around it. The quilt eats up what would otherwise be dead space between all the rest of my gear. The gear is generally loose, but clumped together enough that it's always been organized enough for me.
HMG's Pods address pretty much all of my issues with stuff sacks. They are able to accomplish this with their stackable space-filling design, which perfectly integrates with any HMG pack. A run-of-the-mill stuff sack is an amorphous blob that, especially when paired with other amorphous blobs, leaves big gaps of space when stacked amongst each other in a pack. Conversely, HMG Pods precisely eat up every bit of space in an HMG pack–so as long as each Pod is packed efficiently, the space inside the pack will be as well.
In addition to that efficiency, the DCF Pods are far more durable than trash bags, and are also about the same in weight. The only area where trash bags will always claim superiority is price. But, assuming you're willing to bite the bullet on a piece of gear that easily beats out the competition in every other way on paper, here's how I felt the Pods actually fared on trail.
I ended up adding three Pods to what was essentially my summer backpacking kit: a zippered 9L, a Side Entry 8L, and a 2L Zippy. My 9L fit my sleeping pad (a bulky Therm-A-Rest Neo Loft) as well as my hoodie, the 8L fit my 40-Degree Quilt as well as my sleeping bag liner and my pillow, and I was able to fit all of my spare clothes (two pairs of socks, a sleep shirt, and extra boxers) as well as my toiletries and electronics into the 2L Zippy. These pods, combined with my 15L HMG Roll-Top Food Bag and Mid-1 tent, made up the entirety of the contents inside my Contour 35 pack.
Once loaded, I would pack in the 9L Pod first, as it was always the bulkiest and heaviest. Next, I'd put the 8L Side Entry Pod, followed by the 2L Zippy and Food Bag, with the tent on top as the lightest object for its bulk. The 2L was a little awkward, but after my first few packups, I realized I could actually also cram that bag into the 9L, meaning I only had four objects to stuff into my pack to pack it up. I would always stuff the two pods and Food Bag into my pack while I was still inside my tent, and add my tent on top when I got out of it.
Overall, I didn't feel like this new system changed much in the way of time: it didn't speed me up, but it also didn't slow me down at all to be more organized. It took virtually the same amount of time it's always taken me to pack and unpack. I also felt like my pack was filled the same amount it typically was previously with a trash bag liner. No extra bulk for Pods.
Those factors canceled each other out, leaving the areas where the Pods excelled: organization and waterproofing. I had a little bit of rain in my three weeks on trail, so while not as thorough a testing as I'd have liked, I can comment on the facets I noticed superiority in. Trashbags are susceptible to tearing, of course, but also to their vulnerability when opening. When it is actively raining, trying to access or even simply unload my pack at the end of the day would inevitably get wet with my old trash bag system. It was a sweet relief to be able to unload my three waterproof hunks without fear of wet gear.
I also appreciated the organization in spreading out and moving around my gear, particularly when I was "off-trail." There were a few times when I had a shelter or picnic area to myself during my testing, and I loved being able to grab a Pod and unload or move it as I needed. The Pods made for the most efficient and organized "yardsaling" (spreading all my gear out) that I've ever done.
I can also easily see how much more efficient Pods would make moving gear around a hostel or other guest residence during a thru hike. They'd make transporting gear or dirty laundry around a trail town much more organized. I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked having organization in situations I hadn't necessarily wanted it before.
Even as a long-term trash bagger, I'm definitely pretty hyped on the Pod system. I found that they worked as efficiently as I hoped they might, and also found them more useful in ways I wasn't expecting. With summer and the majority of fall already behind us, I'm also keen to use them in my bulkier cold-weather setup to see how they fare in much less sweaty conditions. The HMG Pods are a valuable pickup for anyone looking to up their backpacking efficiency.
