Yeah after springing a leak in my original Vecto (after years of use) I like the idea of a tougher one! The Creepers socks are nice to try because they cost the same as Injinjis so it's not a huge risk. I like mine a lot! Thanks for watching!
I am going to buy one of those phone holders. It'll be perfect for backcountry skiing where a dropped phone can go for a ride downhill in the spring snow.
Very nice. The Vecto X looks like a nice upgrade. I picked up a Thermacell Backpacker Mosquito Repeller last Fall but haven't tried it out yet. The larger version was nice for car camping. This one uses backpacking gas canisters to heat up the pads.
I really like the Cnoc Vecto, but my first one developed a pinhole leak in the seam near the bottom where the screwcap fitting attaches to the bag, and I had minimal success repairing that leak with a Tear-Aid Type A patch. Hopefully Cnoc has reinforced that seam better in the VectoX.
Yeah I don't know why that happens but I found a pinhole leak on my original on a 4-day trip. Could have been bad but I hiked along a river nearly the entire time. This one feels beefier for sure, with very little weight penalty.
I use Gearaid Seamgrip WP to fix the issues with pinholes at the bag screwcap junction. I turn the bag inside out and add Seamgrip to the inside of the bad covering the junction edge. So Seamgrip on the bag and over into the plastic part that has the screwcap. No more pinholes!
Nice video! Have a look at a monocular instead. I picked up a 10x Bushnell for literally $10 at Wally world. It works for general 'what's out there' moments. Optics are better than you'd expect, but not great. The advantage is that it's super small and light. I decided a nicer optic was sometimes in order but I still didn't want to go to a binocular. I picked up a Vortex monocular for $75 and is very high quality while being a small, light package (though bigger than the Bushnell). It is a lifetime warranted item though and has a nice clip.
Great ideas andngreat video! Definitely looking at those Apex Giant acessories. I actually got to test the new CNOC-X prototype in early 2022 and was very impressed with the beefy material and the sturdier collar. I have a 2018 version and it just won't quit!
I replaced my original CNOC Vecto bag with the X, because I kept getting holes in the original. I tried repairing it with their recommended solutions, and they never held, so I decided that I'll just replace it.
@@BackcountryPilgrim - To the cordage. But an extra attachment to the poles could add flexibility. I like the pack bungee attachment from Gossamer gear. Love the cord lock/hook on that puppy. Make that obsessed. attach to a D ring or loop, wrap around whatever and hook back to itself. You can get a smaller version of the cord lock with and without the hook from Dutch Wear Gear. From under .3g for the lock to .75 g for the hook a few grams for the bungee with hook... they can't be beat for adding functionality. Stabilize a loose magnet, add a hook, loop or both to your bungee cord.
So far so good. I did notice some fuzzies after a few hikes but TBH I didn't wash them the way you're supposed to haha. Injinjis aren't know for being long lasting and I doubt these will be much better (since they're pretty close material-wise), but after half a dozen day hikes they're still fine.
@@BackcountryPilgrim makes sense. A video idea for you… wear one of each sock for consecutive days and see which holds up better. Love my injinjis and breaking up is hard to do. But if creepers are more durable I’d go for it.
The stashers have me intrigued since I first saw them. However, your b-roll of them bouncing against your legs as you walk seems to be a con. I think that would be annoying after a fashion. Thank you for the pointer on the binocular. I've been sort of looking for a decent & inexpensive monocular. I see MidTen has a good looking monocular for ~$45. I'll check out the reviews for it. (I want something worth carrying, but inexpensive enough that I won't be upset when it fails with me giving it a beating.)
The bounce depends on where you place them. I didn't have many options with this pack because there was only one cordage which was angled so they slid forward. Easily fixed, I just didn't do it on the video. I was more impressed with the MidTens than I expected to be - and I have the same theory on those that you do!
Looks like the phone holder slipped off one of the corners. I heard of several others having that issue and dropping their phone. Oops. I have one of the first CNOC bags and I love it! I keep secretly hoping it will spring a leak so I can get one with the tethered cap and slider. Haven't lost the cap yet but have gotten close several times. Nice lineup of gear and gadgets!
It can still hold with 3 but yeah if you don't get it on well the tension can pull a corner off. The new vecto is worth buying, keep your OG one for a backup! :)
Tom - Thank you for giving constructive feedback. I can see some of the more gadgety stuff not being welcome on a thru hike (note: not a thru hike gear video), but I am curious if you would you say that the Vecto X isn't worth it. I believe the thru hiker is what Cnoc had in mind for it actually. If not, what do you use for its function?
@@BackcountryPilgrim - Cnoc's gone in the wrong direction imho. Instead of making it lighter, they made it heavier. Cnoc was already too heavy, because that ridiculous rubber they use is too heavy. Any bag/water-bottle maker could make a lightweight water-bag. Cnoc's innovation was the wide fill-opening at the top, not the rubbery bag-material. Evernew made the best water-bag without wide fill-opening (42g @2L), it lasted years without leaking. Either Evernew should add a wide-fill or Cnoc should switch to the lighter/stronger Evernew material/design and keep their wide-fill? Sea-to-Summit has a wide opening, but no 28mm port at the other end. Sea-to-summit (essentially a dry bag) weighs only 23g @2L and is rated to carry water. If Sea-to-Summit were to add a 28mm-port at the bottom, they'd have a winner. Platypus makes what they call a "Water Tank" that comes close, but it still weighs too much (72g), doesn't have 28mm Sawyer-standard port and the port it does have is located poorly for gravity-feed. It also doesn't seal well when it's cold outside. With dozens of water-bag products on the market and Cnoc leading for a decade or more, it seems odd not one manufacturer can seem to figure out the winning combination? It doesn't seem to occur to a single one of them to add a wide-fill at the (hangable) top and a 28mm port at the bottom, while making it as light as possible?
@@BackcountryPilgrim I used the regular CNOC 3l bag last year on my successful Appalachian Trail thruhike. I kept having to repair pinholes in it with my tube of Seamgrip WP. I have since switched to carrying two Evernew 2l bags. I'm trying them out. I don't know if they are any better. If they don't last I'll try the Vector X. I don't think there is a rugged water bag on the market. I've even thought about installing a closable port into a two liter soda bottle bottle for gravity feed. You can smash a two liter flat and kinda roll it up. Would have to inflate by mouth before use. Two liter bottles are very cheap and rugged. Easily replaceable.
Interesting! Yeah the original vectos are such great bags until they're not haha. I've seen a few patch fails too. I hope Cnoc found the magic formula this time!
