Review by Coy Boy
The Shasta (image courtesy of Overland Equipment)
Ever needed to go somewhere and by the time you got all your things in your pant pockets they felt like lead. I mean by the time you grab your wallet, keys, knife (especially if it is a multi-tool), sunglasses etc you are running out of room. And if you happened to need to take a camera, small notebook, pen, reading glasses, GPS, and other odds and ends you need some other means to keep all your gear handy. Enter the Shasta! I jokingly refer to the Shasta as a man purse but it is really more like a half pack. In fact, the Overland Equipment website calls it a “sling” or “half pack”. But no matter what you call it, it is a handy way to carry things. It also looks manly enough that you should not get too many snide remarks about your purse.
I have already been using it to carry my stuff to work. I know many times I need to make 2 trips to the truck to get all my stuff I will need for the day. With the Shasta, it is easy to just throw my stuff in the pockets and sling it over my shoulder. It may also serve well for trips out of town when I will need to have maps and other goodies handy. It can also serve as a day hiking pack because it has enough room for quite a bit of gear and there is even one vertical pocket on the front that is big enough for a water bottle. In fact it will swallow a 20 oz soda bottle. The picture below shows a 20 oz sprite bottle fitting neatly inside. I’m thinking I might even get a flat flask to use in this pocket which will not poke out as much. In the same photo you can see my wallet and a small notebook in the outer-most pocket.
Outer-most pocket and vertical pocket under it with 20 oz bottle
Below are a couple of more photos showing the pack on me. I will point out that the pack can easily be worn in the front or back. I’m not even sure which way is considered the right way but I am guessing in the back. And I should also mention that it is very comfortable to wear in front or back. When I have had it on in the back it is also very easy to just slide it around to the front and all zippers end up on the upper side for easy access into any of the three zippered compartments.
The Shasta worn in back
The Shasta worn in front
Speaking of compartments, the pack has the three zippered compartments I mentioned, as well as the one without a zipper which is just below the small outer-most pocket. The outermost pocket is a lot bigger than wallet size. The next two pockets are progressively bigger then the outer one and the bottom-most pocket also expands sideways several inches. The pack is made from 840 D and 1680 D Ballistic nylon. The shoulder part of the bag is padded and about 2.5 inches wide. The nylon webbing that connects the shoulder strap to the other end of the bag measures 1.5 inches wide and the buckle is quite substantial. There is enough webbing to let it out a long ways for wearing over lots of clothes (or in my case a little on the plump side…). That’s all for now. I’ll be updating this report in about a month but for now I am very pleased with the Shasta.
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Overland Equipment Shasta update
April 30, 2010
Now that I have used the Shasta a couple of months I’ve learned a little more about how to use it. For instance, I questioned if it should be worn to the front or back. But after several hikes with it worn both ways, I now have a distinct preference to wear it in the back. However, getting stuff out while walking along could not be any easier. I quickly flip it towards the front and all the zippers on the bag are looking up at me and I can easily unzip one and reach whatever I need to get out of the bag. My camera is usually what I’m after but I’ve also needed to get to my phone quickly several times. And the one zipper-less pouch where I keep my water bottle is parallel when I slide the pack around towards the front but getting my water out is easy. In fact, everything about using the bag has led to it becoming my favorite day hiking bag.
I’ve also used the bag when I go to work. I can easily put in a change of clothes, and all my thing I will need in a 24 hour shift. I’ve also carried it on one business trip. It held my full sized spiral notebook and all the handouts they gave us. Out of curiosity I tried to put my wife’s 15 inch laptop in the big compartment. It went in nearly all the way but I was just was not able to zip it all the way shut. In other words, the corner was sticking out just a little. If I had a laptop I would have no reservation using the Shasta to carry it in, but to be honest, if I were going to be carrying one a lot, I’d probably get a bag that would zip all the way just to be on the safe side.
Another big positive has been that since the Shasta does not really fasten down to my back it lets my back remain cooler than most fanny packs do. But even thought it is not fastened down, it rides remarkably stable. The only time it ever is an issue is when I bend over to pick something up and the pack occasionally slides around to my side or even all the way to the front. However, once I am standing back up it is a simple matter to flip it back around where it belongs.
I am also impressed with the volume of such a seemingly small pack. I can carry my rain jacket and plenty of water for anything from a short hour hike to one lasting several hours. In fact, I have had up to 72 ounces in the pack on a few of my longer walks in the form of three 24 ounce bottles. However, on most of my walks I am only gone about 2 hours and I have made it fine with one 24 ounce bottle. But I do carry a means of water purification in case I become stranded or I’m out longer than expected. So far I’ve only needed to treat any water once. I also never leave home without toilet paper and have been glad I had some with me a few times. But instead grossing you out about my TP…or listing all I took on each trip, here is a sample of what I had on a recent hike. I did notice I forgot a snack bar but usually packed one along. I’ll show the pack with all my stuff in it and then with the contents showing.
The Shasta with all my gear inside
Contents of the pack for this day hike
Summery thus far
The Shasta rocks as a day hiking bag, and for that matter, any other situation I have needed it for. It is great in the woods, going to work and going on a business trip. It lets me take what I need very comfortable, and so far it has been great on long hikes when the temperatures rose into the mid 80s F. Stay tuned for my next update when I’m sure it will have seen even warmer temperature.
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A final look at the Overland Equipment Shasta
May 29, 2010
Summer has arrived in full force and as a result I have been able to get out even more than just a few months back. But the downside to the warmer weather is that a day pack which fastens around my waist can be downright uncomfortable after an hour or so. And in the regard, I would have to say the Shasta has shown what a truly versatile day pack it is. I have also continued to use it to carry my odds and ends to and from work.
Since my last report I have worn the Shasta for at least a two dozen more short hikes which I do to keep in shape. These hikes usually covered around 3 miles but a couple were at least 4. I have not really learned anything new during these hikes except that the Shasta is the coolest (and I mean that literally) day pack I have ever had the privilege to use. And other than when it slides around to the front when bending down, I have absolutely no complaints with this pack. Well I did get a sunburn on my neck on a kayaking/fishing trip. The next day I went for a hike with the Shasta and noticed the shoulder strap was bothering the sunburn. But this is not really a fault in the pack, just a fact. And I’ve already mentioned this in my previous update but due to the hotter weather, I usually carried an extra water bottle because I tend to drink a lot when the temperatures climb. The pack does not really have a way to store both bottles where they can be reached so I kept one inside the inner most 
pocket. Then when the bottle I had in the exterior pocket was empty it was a simple matter to swap the bottles. One last tidbit I think worth mentioning is that when it gets really hot I often take a rag to wipe the sweat with. I found I could let the rag rest in under the strap in the front, right where it starts under my arm and it was easy to grab it as I walked along. I did this on the last couple of hikes when temperatures were near 90 F and I will keep doing it as the summer gets hotter.
Summary
The Shasta has definitely earned a spot in my gear closet. Actually it hangs on the back of a chair in the kitchen when not in use, ready to go at a moments notice. It is just the ideal size for most of my day hikes. And it carries very comfortably with reasonable loads which have included 2 water bottles on several occasions and even three when I went for a long 6 mile hike. But to me the biggest advantage is how the Shasta is not near as hot to wear like my waist packs. When I first got the Shasta it was still cold so this was a recently discovered benefit thatI was not really expecting.
I am from northeast Alabama where I spend a lot of my time divided among several hobbies that include backpacking and dayhiking, canoeing and kayaking, and just getting out enjoying nature.
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