What’s in my pack: A Gobi Gear Hoboroll

There is never enough room in my backpack or my suitcase. I do my best to organize and compress things to a fraction of their original size, but the first time I dig around looking for something that inevitably is at the bottom of my bag, all of my efforts are for naught. I utilize compression sacks in my backpack to solve some of the space problem but I still have issues with organizing the things inside of the sack.

Recently Gobi Gear asked if I would like to review their new Hoboroll, so I opted to try it. The concept of the roll is simple. It’s a compression sack with dividers to separate contents into organized sections. Additionally, the compression strap doubles as a shoulder strap making the roll a handy go-bag for the beach or other excursions.

The roll was designed by adventure traveler Chez Brungraber, who explains how she came up with the concept, “I created the product for myself, while on a 3.5 month backpacking trip around Asia, because I was really tired of chaos in my pack. It turned out to be so great, I kept using my prototype, and finally went for it and started my own company. Since then, I have tested the product on Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya, the Annapurna Circuit, and many other fun places.”

I packed the roll for my recent trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico. Initially I used it to stash my unmentionables and socks rather than have them drift about freely in my suitcase. Once in Mexico, I realized our days would be full of adventure activities requiring clothing changes, towels, sunscreen and Advil. I reloaded the Hoboroll with all of these things and my small camera and headed out.

The roll performed well. My things were always easy to reach thanks to double-ended openings cinched with a drawstring and clip. On the go, I just slung the strap across my shoulder and had my hands free. The roll became my day-bag for the duration of the trip.

I don’t really have a negative point to make about the roll. I already plan to buy more to use as gifts. It’s innovative and the more I used it the more I liked it. Next month I’ll organize my caving pack using the Hoboroll so watch for an update on how it performs in that capacity. Retail price: $28.00 at the time of publishing. Dimensions: 15’ x 10” To buy, visit www.myGobiGear.com and use this code for a 15% discount: ACTIVE2012