Review of CAMP USA Canyoneeing Haul Bag
By Matt Smith

As canyoneering (or canyoning) has become more popular in the United State over the last several years, many European manufacturers are beginning to find US distributors for their canyoneering products. This has been a boon to the industry, and has helped hundreds of recreational canyoneers get more canyoneering specific gear. One such company is CAMP. Over the last 3 months I have been hitting the spring canyon sweet spots with the CAMP USA Canyoneering Haul Bag on my back.

There are basically three main things to consider when looking at a rope bag for canyoneering; durability, capacity, and comfort. The oder of priority of these depends largely on what you are trying to accomplish, as well as personal preference.

Capacity: The CAMP haul bag is cavernous to be frank. There is plenty of room for 300 feet of 9-10 mm rope, lunch, gear, and with some creativity, a wet suit. The corded skirt at the top allows even more junk to get stuffed in the bag before it is considered truly full. A helmet fits nicely right in the top.

Durability: PVC is very abrasion resistant, and my experience has been that PVC (or vinyl) will outlast fabric bags in general for canyoneering. A nice plus is PVC also doesn't absorb water, reducing dead weight at the end of a long slog back to the car after a wet canyon.

Comfort: As with similar bags, comfort is marginal on this haul bag. With heavy wet ropes and a wet suit in the bag, I sorely wished for better padding on the shoulder straps and a lightly padded waistbelt similar to the CAMP Canyon Pack. It helps a fair bit to cut a short length of closed cell foam and put it around the inside of the bag. This helps the bag hold it's form, and protects your back from carelessly packed carabiners and water bottles.

Summary: The CAMP USA Canyoneering Haul Bag is a very durable, large rope bag/haul bag that is about as comfortable to carry as similar models from Petzl. A PVC mesh side panel allows easy drainage. It comes in red so you don't have to worry about getting hit by a bus, and can be found for around $50

For more information contact:
CAMP USA
www.camp-usa.com
580 Burbank St. Ste. 150
Broomfield, CO 80020
877-421-CAMP

Matt Smith is the canyoneering specialist at GearReview.com, and almost always carries to much.