Howdy y’all! For today’s post, I wanted to essentially do a recap of what I’ve already created in a YouTube video, “The Hidden Woodsmen Haversack Review” for those folks out there that prefer pictures and words instead of video content. I’ll post the YouTube video first – you can just watch that if you want, or feel free to keep scrolling to see the rest of the post.
So let’s begin! I’ve been wanting the Hidden Woodsmen Haversack for a long time, so needless to say, I was stoked when Malcolm reached out to me to do a review of one.
Here’s some info about the haversack straight from the Hidden Woodsmen Website:
- Dimensions: 12x11x4 in
- 1000d construction with a coyote brown 500d and high vis 420d liners
- (For those of you that don’t know, that means that it’s made out of super strong nylon material. The outside is 1000d, or thicker than the inside material that’s 420d)
- hatchet loop on back
- adjustable shoulder strap
- double walled
- inside pocket
- brightly colored inside
- double flap buckle
- zippered front pocket
- molle webbing on both sides
- velcro panel on the front pocket
You can get this bag in a few different colors – Ranger Green, Coyote brown, Earth brown, Marshal Gray, and Kryptek Mandrake. I choose ranger green, because green is the best (obviously lol). The straps and buckles come in a complimentary contrasting color depending on the main color of the bag that you choose.
So I EDC’ed (Every Day Carry) the bag for a couple weeks before developing any major conclusions about it, and being that I’m still using it as my main EDC bag, I’d say that it’s pretty excellent! Not only is it very functional, in my opinion, it’s a very aesthetically pleasing bag too, if you’re into the outdoorsy styles.
One of the most important parts about a bag to me, besides looking cool, is whether or not it’s comfortable. This bag passed with flying colors. The shoulder strap is very wide and made out of a nylon material that is flexible and soft, so it doesn’t grind into my shoulder or irritate my skin.
Another critical thing to me is – Will the bag actually be able to hold all of my stuff and keep it organized in a way that I can access/find everything rather easily? Answer for this bag: Yep! There are enough pockets in this haversack to keep all of my goodies organized so I can find them, AND it has that great bright interior so I’m not digging around in the dark interior of the bag looking for my stuff.
The bag also has two flaps that fold down and velcro together on the interior of the bag. Even though there isn’t a zipper or other closure on the inside of the main pouch, these flaps, in addition to the main flap that closes with the clasps keeps your stuff secure, you can throw the bag around any way you please and your stuff is not going to fall out. Now, if you kept a bunch of loose change or something in the bottom of the bag, they might sneak out, but dude, keep that stuff in the zipper pouch! That’s what it’s there for!
Another important feature of a good bag is whether or not it’s going to be durable enough to endure the abuse of carrying it around everywhere. As you can see by the product description, the materials it’s made out of are quite rugged. All of the Hidden Woodsmen products are made by hand, and they are really put together well. I’m not a sewing expert, but the bag is sewn together really well and reinforced in all of the key areas. There is extra stitching where the straps are connected to the bag, where velcro is attached, etc. I do not have to worry about this bag falling apart at all.
So the bag is comfortable, it can hold all of my junk, and it’s not going to break. Yay! What else do I need? Well, I love a bag that has lots of features (as long as they don’t interfere with the previous requirements) and I think that even though this is a smaller bag, it’s got few extra features that just make it that much better. I’ve already talked about the interior pouches, but the extra molle webbing on the sides and the axe loop are just those little bonus features that make this bag so great.
So my verdict is, if you need a bag around this size to EDC, carry on day hikes, or use as a small bag to use around a base camp to carry your tools in, the Hidden Woodsmen Haversack would be an excellent option. Not only are you getting a handmade bag that’s really well designed and super durable, it’s made in the U.S.A.! You can’t complain about that!!
Bonus!
I also received a tinder bag with the haversack, and it’s also a great piece of gear. I think it’s important to carry a bag like this around with you in the woods so you can collect tinder and other woods bits to make fire with and keep it separate from all of your gear so it doesn’t get dirty. Personally, if I can avoid it, I don’t stick moss and sticks and stuff in my pockets (if my clothes have any, #girlproblems) because I don’t like to have to deal with it when I’m doing laundry. This little bag is super handy.
Okay! So that’s it for this review! If you want to see more, please check out the YouTube video I made about it, or just get one for yourself. You won’t regret it. Thanks again to Malcolm for sending your excellent products my way. 🙂
Here’s the Hidden Woodsmen’s contact info. Check out his gear store and the cool stuff he posts on social media!
