Songdog Packs Ultimate Off-Road Pack

SONGDOG PACKS ULTIMATE OFF-ROAD PACK

CW EVALUATION

All-in-one survival kit

LOOKING FOR PROOF THAT FANNY PACKS are just as evolved as the rest of today's off-road gear? Look no farther than the Ultimate Off-Road Pack, a modern-day example of the standard leather belt cinched around a sack full of survival items. Manufactured by Songdog Packs (11090 Rockside Court, San Diego, CA 92126) the Ultimate OffRoad Pack is a mini-survival package for the off-road, dual-purpose or even streetbike enthusiast.

For minor medical emergencies, the pack contains bandages, self-adhesive tape, non-aspirin pain relievers, alcohol and iodine prep pads, a nail clipper, tweezers, a bug container and a poison extractor. Trailside repairs are made easier with a stainless-steel multi-instrument Leatherman’s tool (itself a $43 item), 5-minute epoxy, screen and sandpaper, a nylon repair kit, a plastic glue stick, duct tape, a cable repair knuckle and a cotter key. And if you’re stranded overnight, the pack also has a space bag, a mini-mag light, a lighter, matches, a fire-starting kit, a signal mirror, a filtered straw, a sewing kit, a spare shoestring, heavy-duty string, a tow cable, a whistle, toilet paper, and a toothbrush and toothpaste.

These items are incorporated into the pack’s five Cordura nylon compartments which are held in place by an adjustable, quick-release belt. At one end of the belt is a removable three-chamber bag. Perfect for smaller items, this pouch also has a fold-out pocket that contains a compact compass, watch and thermometer. At the belt’s opposite end is a 1-quart water bottle.

The pack’s main section is divided into two heavily padded compartments. The larger of the two is accessible via a zippered seam, while the second area uses a Velcro closure that has a small pocket sewn into the flap. A thick neoprene shell preserves the compartment’s shape, and cinch straps built into the outside of the shell keep the pack’s contents firmly in place. Fully loaded, the pack is surprisingly lightweight; with a full jug of water, it only weighs 4 pounds.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to use all of the pack’s extensive features. We didn’t ride off a 40-foot cliff into dense brush to test the various first-aid bandages on our minor cuts and abrasions; we didn’t use the epoxy or hot glue to repair a hole in the cases of a damaged testbike; and we didn’t have to use the tweezers to remove cactus needles from our backside.

If we had crashed, we could have alerted a passing search party with the whistle or signal mirror, or made smoke signals with the fire-starting kit. To keep warm, the space bag would have come in handy. And if a scorpion had bitten us, we could have used the poison extractor aided by the mini-mag light. Had the canteen been dry, we could have utilized the filtered straw to purify muddy pond water. After that, we might have fixed the hole in our pants with the sewing kit.

At $348, the pack is expensive, and in its jampacked, feature-filled state, there is little room for extra tools or food; those items might have to be carried elsewhere. On the plus side, the pack gives a rider all the essentials to deal with emergencies in a simple, easy-to-use package. With the Songdog Ultimate Off-Road Pack, all you need is a twist of the hips. □