~Stephanie
March 2, 2010
What exactly is a Mobex?? It’s probably best explained in this video, direct from Columbia Sportswear.
Columbia Mobex, courtesy of Columbia Sportswear
The Mobex is an intriguing new day pack from Columbia Sportswear. At first glance, it looks like a wee tent, mounted on a pack harness – but that’s part of its ingenuity.
The Mobex is available for both men and women, and is also available in a couple different styles (Mobex, Mobex XL (mens only) and Mobex Sprint). MSRP varies from US$80 for the Mobex Sprint to US$120 for the Mobex XL with the Mobex sitting squarely in between at US$100.
If you’re at all like me, and fascinated with pockets, you’ll definitely be drawn into this pack. I think it’s an organizational nut’s dream – with 3 small zippered pockets on the outside (on the top of the pack, the bottom of the pack and on the right hipbelt), 2 elasticized pockets on the outside of the pack (the fabric in grey in the photo). In addition, the interior also sports a slew of organizational capability.
The Mobex opens like a clamshell and has plenty of organization to keep your gear accessible and where you want it.
Small, but fully featured, the Mobex looks like it will be a joy to play around with. In addition to all the various pockets and interior organization, this pack is hydration system compatible, has an integrated safety whistle, a quick-draw water bottle holster, various tool loops and clips – and the body is made from Omni-Shield treated 20D Nylon Triple Rip fabric….what does that mean? It means it should be light weight, yet durable, and moisture, grit and grime resistant!
I’m looking forward to getting outdoors with this pack, partly so I can see what other people’s reactions are, but also to see how it performs of course!
April 20, 2010
The Mobex has plenty of room inside, though there could be a smidge more room to handle a 100oz (3L) reservoir.
I’ve had the Mobex for a month plus and am happy to say I am mostly enjoying it. I’ve had the Mobex out for dayhikes as well as some more urban walking adventures (to the local botanical garden for example). At a minimum, inside the Mobex I carry a full 3 liter water reservoir, my car keys, some snacks, a small point and shoot camera and a jacket. With this moderate sized load, the Mobex is comfortable to wear and carry. Usually, unless the jacket is quite bulky, there is still plenty of space inside the body of the pack for other items. As expected, organization of gear within the Mobex has proven to be a breeze. I usually carry a snack and my small point and shoot in the zippered pocket on the hip belt, my wallet and keys in either one of the zippered pouches on the body of the pack or inside the pack, while leaving the elasticized pockets available for maps or layers of clothing I’ve shed during the course of the day or other things I might want quick and ready access to. I have noticed during the course of use that squeezing a full 3 liter hydration reservoir into the allotted pocket can sometimes take patience as it is a fairly tight fit – I’ve also taken to leaving one of the upper connection points for the mesh separator in the body of the pack disconnected – it makes it easier for me to quickly reach inside and grab something out from the main body of the pack. I find I rarely unzip the pack completely, as I find I can typically access everything I need to without doing so.
The top pocket of the Mobex is a great place to store keys and other small items.
With the Mobex filled with my typical gear, I find it carries comfortably and wears well. The pack fits close to my body and doesn’t shift around – I don’t find it pulling, restricting my movement or causing any sort of discomfort. While the perforated shoulder straps breathe quite nicely, the back panel does not allow for much air circulation and is prone to getting damp with sweat, especially on warmer days – though no more so than other day packs. I did notice that the hipbelt buckle is fixed on one side, requiring all sizing adjustment on the opposite side – I personally prefer adjustable straps on both sides of the buckle.
Wear and tear wise, the Mobex still looks new, I haven’t noticed any staining or discoloration, and I haven’t managed to snag it on any brush or rocks on my adventures out so far. All zippers remain smoothly operational and zipperpulls intact.
May 20, 2010
I’ve had the Mobex out on trail several more times in this last month – hikes have ranged from simple on trail affairs, to more strenuous adventures requiring some scrambling on and off trail. Weather has been lovely – clear and sunny, and occasionally breezy with no precipitation.
The Mobex has lots of interior space and organizational options. And yes. I hike with yarn on occasion*
In the last month, I can’t say I’ve discovered anything new about the Mobex – though I can say it is a pack that I really enjoy having. Although I am still not very happy about how tight a squeeze a 100 oz reservoir is into the hydration pocket, the remaining organizational options on the Mobex make it a definite winner – well, that and the fact that it is quite comfortable to wear, of course!
The multitude of pockets, both inside and out, make it easy to stow items and keep them secured and in place. There’s no digging around in the bottom of the pack for my keys or wallet anymore – I always have them securely stowed in one of the many pockets that keep them easily accessible! The Mobex seems to have plenty of room for anything I might want to have on a dayhike – including an extra layer or two, food and my camera (usually in the outside hip belt pocket unless I’m hiking with my DSLR)…and sometimes it even has extra room for a book…or my knitting – you know, because ya never know when the urge to sit down and enjoy the scenery might strike.
Loaded up, the Mobex is comfortable to wear, and it doesn’t restrict my movement at all. The pack moves nicely with me, even while scrambling or moving at a faster clip down the trail – and surprisingly (to me anyhow) – I can actually reach things in the mesh pockets on the outside of the pack while it’s being worn – sometimes it can take some contorting, but I can stow and remove smallish items (for example, a tube of sunblock or an apple) without having to take the pack off, which is nice.
Even after pushing through some moderate brush and setting the pack down on various rocky surfaces, it still looks pretty much new. I haven’t found signs of abrasion or snagging, though I did come to an abrupt halt on the trail once when I caught the elastic loop for the bottle holster on a branch. After having used the pack for the last couple months, the only changes I’d make are to provide a bit more room in the hydration pocket and to make the waistbelt fully adjustable (rather than fixed on one side). I rarely carry a separate bottle, so for me, another hip belt pocket would be more useful. Even without these changes, the pack is quite nice, and has some fantastic features.
Thanks to Columbia for the opportunity to evaluate this uniquely styled pack!
