Hipbelt pockets or basic hipbelt?

[Huntsman247]

I'm curious to see how people feel about hip belt pockets. In my circle of friends the verdict is quite mixed. I personally like them but some packs with looser zips on the belts seem to open by themselves. Which is what i rekon may lead to people not like them.

I've been wanting to get a more durable pack such as a macpac for the more scrubby bashes but I really like the convenience of stashing food and quick access items in the hipbelt. Is there any product out there that would allow hipbelt pockets to be attached or is there a better way?

[Moondog55]

Cheap army surplus MOLLE pouches

[ribuck]

My thoughts are: (1) Hipbelt pockets are too generally small to be useful. Most of them won't comfortably fit today's large phones, or if they do it makes the pocket so tight that it's hard to get the phone out. (2) A small pocket has a worse weight-to-volume ratio than a large pocket. Therefore lightweight walking depends on having fewer but larger pockets.

[Orion]

I use a bum bag turned so that it faces forward. Effectively the same as a hipbelt pocket except that it's completely independent of the belt. So I can leave it behind or put it in the pack when it would be in the way. It's nice for organizing in the tent. I also sometimes use it without the pack which is quite handy when just off to bag a peak for a few hours. The belt is thin webbing and the buckle is in the front so it doesn't cause a problem. Volume is about 2L bulging. It weighs just 41g. It's made of silnylon which isn't the material of choice if bush bashing all the time. That said, I've been surprised at its durability. It's 7 years old.

One thing about hipbelt pockets is they prevent hanging a water bottle carrier off the belt. One of my packs has an external pocket for a water bottle but in some terrain I don't trust it as much as a water bottle carrier with a drawcord. I lost a bottle out of that pocket on a tricky river crossing.

Ultimately, though, it's a matter of personal preference.

[Neo]

I like hip belt pockets. A needle and thread will fix any battle scars.

[10001110101]

Cheap army surplus MOLLE pouches

Exactly this.

There's a bunch of different sizes available on ebay or aliexpress for only a few dollars each.

[CasualNerd]

Cheap army surplus MOLLE pouches

I grabbed a few off aliexpress, $3-$5 each just to test out. One holds a 1litre Nalgene bottle perfectly which is great ! Most of them though stick out too far on the hips and get caught on things too easily so I can see now why pack makers use the shape they do. If you're walking in nice open country they would be more useful.

I'd love to see a lightweight modular pack system, always wanted more smaller pockets on the outside.

[ChrisJHC]

I carry my phone in one hip belt pocket (camera, GPS, etc).
The other pocket carries my scroggin.
That's all.
They're the only things that I think I'll need without a second's pause. Plus I really hate anything heavier than a hanky in my shorts/pants pockets.

[Heremeahappy1]

Im a fan of pockets. Snacks in left side, hardware in the right. Hardware is trip specific, paw paw ointment, knife, mozzie rep, Puritabs, ninja gloves, bic lighter.

[trekker76]

Offtrail I attach one of the military ones mentioned above. Heavyish but offers protection from scrub and quick access to GPS, compass, stuff to get leeches off etc. Defined trails I don't bother taking it, the items can go in pockets or the main pack.

[drewmac]

Use 2 pouches on my pack waist belt, Zpack arc blast , optional belt pouches, 21 grams each.

Fits...phone, compass, map folded in ziplock, notebook, pencil, spare battery pack, tissues, bug lotion, paw paw oink oink, whistle, epirb, scroggin.

Works a treat.

pouch

Screen Shot 2018-10-07 at 8.12.51 am.png (50.22 KiB) Viewed 8240 times

[Huntsman247]

Use 2 pouches on my pack waist belt, Zpack arc blast , optional belt pouches, 21 grams each.

Fits...phone, compass, map folded in ziplock, notebook, pencil, spare battery pack, tissues, bug lotion, paw paw oink oink, whistle, epirb, scroggin.

Works a treat.

Screen Shot 2018-10-07 at 8.12.51 am.png

Those pouches look good. How to they hold up to scrub?

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Hip belt pouches on my ULA Circuit are great.

Plenty big enough. Like others, one side for food and hand gel, the other for hardware - such as phone, camera etc.

The small ones on my Deuter Aircontact were next to useless.

Never had any self-unzip issues.

[drewmac]

Use 2 pouches on my pack waist belt, Zpack arc blast , optional belt pouches, 21 grams each.........

Screen Shot 2018-10-07 at 8.12.51 am.png

Those pouches look good. How to they hold up to scrub?

Hi,

Have put that pack through a bit of scrub but not heavy bashing, the pouches may suffer a little in real solid scrub.

Lightweight remember, you compromise blunt toughness for weight, I do take care with my gear, you make an effort when you trim the weight down but it's worth it.

Would I take the Arc blast through heavy scrub with the pouches? sure, just replace the pouches if they wore out.

[Huntsman247]

Use 2 pouches on my pack waist belt, Zpack arc blast , optional belt pouches, 21 grams each.........

Screen Shot 2018-10-07 at 8.12.51 am.png

Those pouches look good. How to they hold up to scrub?

Hi,

Have put that pack through a bit of scrub but not heavy bashing, the pouches may suffer a little in real solid scrub.

Lightweight remember, you compromise blunt toughness for weight, I do take care with my gear, you make an effort when you trim the weight down but it's worth it.

Would I take the Arc blast through heavy scrub with the pouches? sure, just replace the pouches if they wore out.

Use 2 pouches on my pack waist belt, Zpack arc blast , optional belt pouches, 21 grams each.........

Screen Shot 2018-10-07 at 8.12.51 am.png

Those pouches look good. How to they hold up to scrub?

Hi,

Have put that pack through a bit of scrub but not heavy bashing, the pouches may suffer a little in real solid scrub.

Lightweight remember, you compromise blunt toughness for weight, I do take care with my gear, you make an effort when you trim the weight down but it's worth it.

Would I take the Arc blast through heavy scrub with the pouches? sure, just replace the pouches if they wore out.

Thanks for the update. I do a lot of bush bashing... I'm doing the opposite going from really light weight gear to burlier stuff so that i can get some mileage out off my gear. I'm fit enough that a 20kg pack laden with camera gear doesn't feel heavy anymore. So not too worried weight of the pack and accessories on the outside of the pack if they can last longer.