Clakit StrapPacks – pouches & pockets where you want
This weekend I spent covering the Pilgrimage Music Festival in Franklin, TN. It was a two day affair and involved me carrying enough tech equipment to direct an army (a cell phone, something to charge the cell phone.) OK, that really doesn’t sound particularly impressive but I also had to bring along a glasses case for these, business cards, map, two keyfobs, and I was in shorts with crappy pockets due to it being in the 90’s.
I get it’s funny that I had bad pockets, write for Pocketables, and am writing about pockets.
I also only had an old Camelbak that had a zipper pocket capable of holding one thing I was cool with getting soaked. I mean, I could have put the 6000mAh worth of batteries back there but I feared the bladder would rupture and leak… complete leak happened so there was justified worry.
I feel the need to point out that the Camelbak was not bad, just very very old and thoroughly used. It needs a new bladder, hose, mouthpiece, pressure washing, sweat exorcism.
Enter the Clackit StrapPacks
Clackit sent me a smartphone pouch and a detachable pocket pouch. The main difference I can see between these is that the smartphone pocket has a longer flap, is easier to open, and a little thinner.
The StrapPacks have multiple ways to attach to a backpack – there’s the clip method which works for most shoulder straps, and o
n the back of the pockets there is also a different method of attachment that I’m not familiar with the naming of (keeper loops/straps?) Two snaps, two pieces of nylon, and some belt loops so if you don’t want to attach with the clamp you can attach with the fabric and button it on.
My ancient Camelbak appeared at first glance to require that I use the ClackIt clip – it had other methods of handling this I later discovered, but I was in a psychotic rush as I was hauling a Radio Flyer filled with two kids, three chairs, four water bottles, diaper kit, emergency changes of clothes, emergency snacks, and all the accoutrements that come with taking a two year old and a four year old to a two day music festival. More on that later.
I had the StrapPacks attached and filled to the brim with chargers, cables, business cards, phones, and everything I needed instant access to without fishing in my soaked Camelbak.
The chest strap mounted pockets enabled me to keep my phone dry and ready in an instant for interviews, pictures (no lens moistness due to sweat,) and charged as I ran a cable from one pocket through another to keep the charge. Initial config had me running the cable over my neck before I realized that was annoying and stacked them on top of each other.
Now how much would you pay?
I look at the pricing of these and my first thought that was $40 worth of chest pockets I was sporting. Coming in at between $15 and $22 these pockets feel like they should be priced exactly $7-$11 less than they’re priced at. While the ability to pop them off and position them any way you want in seconds is cool, I’m not thinking it’s $7 of cool.
I will note on that statement I’m a computer tech and haven’t purchased backpack equipment since 2006 so these may be good prices for good equipment, and some of their products look a lot more useful in general (water bottle pockets (not sold on Amazon yet evidently,) their adjustable utility StrapPack,) than others.
Yeah, the water bottle and utility strap pack look way more useful. They’ve also go GoPro mounts and a backpackless strap system for just pockets.
Paul hates something about everything
I used these outdoors, soaked, all day for two days. Judging by the number of places I took photos and interviews I opened and closed the smartphone pocket over 100 times and the generic pocket (business cards, charger,) about 30. The velcro is strong. I’m assuming people are going to be in nature with these and opening a strongly held velcro seal makes a lot of noise. It’ll scare Bambie away.
I’d really love to see an alternate method of closing.
But yeah, other than that minor annoyance, the things are a solid well built product.
Where can I get one?
Most of their products (both that I used,) are available on Amazon and range from $17-$22. The water bottle holders appear to only be available off of the Clackit web store.
