When a product is engineered to survive the apocalypse, like the Uncharted Supply Vault duffel, sometimes it struggles to find its place in everyday life. Such is the case with the Vault, a $200+ fortress of a bag that impressively solves problems most of us rarely encounter.
We have bought a lot of products from Uncharted overtime. When they did kickstarter on the WolfPack – I was in. The flagship store is 45 minutes from us in Park City, Christian is great and we have a lot of friends in common. Great folks, great products, but this vault holds a small amount of gold for me.
Define value
We are fortunate – BlackRifle Coffee, MTN Ops, Uncharted Supply – seems like everyone is near where we live. The flagship store is 45 minutes from us so we see the guys over there a decent bit at local events and shows, or when we go to the Park City outlet mall and stop by the shop. We were chatting with some of the team and I told them I was looking for a duffel. They showed me the Vault – it was built like a tank I decided on the 100L so I could use it to travel to Africa later in the year. I got it home, life got in the way, and I didn’t really mess with it.
Then, at the total Archery Challenge, Christian (the owner and face of Uncharted) and I were talking about hunting in Africa and he told me the Uncharted Supply Vault did really well for him. I mentioned to him that it didn’t have a an area to lock it and that kinda sucked, pondering if he had rigged up a lock. He told me, ‘I just put all my clothes in it though – nothing of value, customs will break the lock anyway. Probably just take another bag for things more valuable.’
Define valuable. How much is a bag of groceries, right? Value is different to different people.
Sometimes a lock is a deterrent before your bag gets to customs – the TSA compliant locks have done well for me traveling all over the world. It keeps the baggage guys from snooping around in your bag, and besides, I’m not loading my expensive binos and Kifaru rig, or my PLB in the bag – but, I do leave things, like charging cables, travel plug adapter, things like that in my bag on international travel. If customs is gonna steal, they are gonna steal…customs gonna custom, but they aren’t going to steal charging cables and travel plug adapters or stuff from the gift shop, or my snacks and Strike Force, or my supplements and containers.
It’s the guy who is handling the luggage that goes through your stuff before customs gonna custom that grabs your stuff. The little TSA locks – they work, they make your bag to the thief, at a glance, not worth dealing with with so many others are not locked. Plus, on long flights, I bring my essentials to travel in my Patagonia Blackhole carry-on (see what I roll with here)…I don’t want to go through a nest of non-important ‘valuables’ I don’t need to get to what is valueable.
So, no way to lock it, no way it’s going with me. This is one of the primary reasons I didn’t take it to Africa and went with the Gonex (review here).
But, it has some great features….
Built like a bank vault
The Vault’s construction is genuinely impressive – they did it right at Uncharted. This thing could survive being submerged, bombed, and run over with a truck without showing a scratch. Its bombproof construction includes:
- Completely waterproof and dustproof, heck, everything proof materials with heavy-duty sealed zippers
- An innovative air valve system that compresses contents and doubles as a drainage port
- Multiple organizational pockets for smaller items
- Virtually indestructible exterior that shrugs off abuse
Gear Packing Test
First, below is my load out for my Can-Am for off-roading (MRE, jacket, water, dog shoes), hiking (Kuiu Divide 1500, med kit, 18 in expandable carbon sticks, knife, Arcteryx water proof jacket, headlamp, nicotine, sunscreen, PSC notebook, wallet, filming tripod), and glassing (Kifaru bino kid, Glock 43, one extra magazine). These all collapse down into 4 main items. So, it’s time to shove it all into the Vault.
Oops. As you can see in photo 3, without the Kifaru bino kit and jacket, I’m already out of space. So…let’s fix that by placing the sticks inside to the side, jacket on top, and now it’ll zip:
Not bad. Then, I decided to place my Marsupial gear Lumbar kit in on top to walk without my pack…
Out of space. Then again, my friends, it’s a 65L bag. For 65L, that’s not bad, but getting to the gear, it’s going to take some sorting through.
Where the Vault Falls Short
Despite its impressive durability credentials, several limitations prevent this bag from becoming a daily driver:
That Zipper – While ensuring total waterproofing, the zipper system is like opening a can of tuna with your fingers. Even after break-in, expect to wrestle with it every time. It’s waterproof, so I get it.
It Feels Small – As you can see above, though rated at 65L, the rigid construction makes it feel dramatically smaller. The lack of flexibility makes it feel half as small means you’ll struggle to pack efficiently compared to similarly-sized softer duffels that are water proof and resistant. I’ve stuffed all of that gear in $49 Amazon packs because they have a lot of flexibility.
No Security Options – The absence of lockable zippers is a significant oversight for a premium travel bag. Even though it has straps, and is built for travel, it’s a really big challenge to overcome.
Uncomfortable Carrying – The rubbery straps aren’t designed for extended carrying, and the attachment points—particularly the bottom connectors—are needlessly complicated to detach.
Finding Its Niche
So, how do I use it? Where does it live? The SXS – it lives in the back of my Can-Am in the trunk. Inside I keep all kinds of goodies that I don’t want in my locked storage boxes. If I don’t mind losing it (because bags sometimes magically walk off), it goes in the Vault. I keep a parka, spare shirt, spare pants, spare socks – things that when someone opens it up, hopefully they’ll dump out and just take the bag. For this, being everything proof, it’s perfect to live in the Can-Am.
But, interestingly, there was another bag that lived in the Can-Am that the Vault replaced – a Gonex 80L duffel. That bag is bullet proof, flexible, dust and water proof – and $49. I moved the Gonex 80L to be a travel duffel and placed the $200+ Vault in the Can-Am.
I guess that shows it’s worth to me – if it walks off, it walks off, but it’s so limited in capability, I won’t be crying about it. I know that won’t make everyone happy, and the Uncharted fans will think I’m heretical, but I’ve used a lot of their other products and am a gigantic fan.
This one – it just didn’t work out.
So, time to rate it…4 Thumbs Up.
Form – 5
Like I’ve said, it’s built – like a bank vault. It’s tough as nails, water proof – but will hold water. It’s as versatile and tough as a bag can get. For a go bag, or bag that you’ll take into the bush, it’s a good bag – you know nothing will tear it apart.
Fit – 3
It feels…small. Barely being able to get hiking poles in with a bag is a problem. The alternate pockets are small too. But, when you get bomb-proof, you sacrifice other areas, like flexibility. I get it, but for usage, outside of throwing some clothes, or meals, or something like that in it, it’s limited.
Function – 3
While it is a vault, and what you can throw things into to take into the toughest environment you’re going to find, it also is going to get opened up and everything inside stolen quickly. This is the kind of bag you’ll need to stay with at all times. That is where the 3 comes from – in terms of toughness and water proofing, it deliver on it’s promise.
Field Performance – 5
When you realize what you have, and what you use it for, it’s unbeatable. It’s a big, heavy duty, water and dirt-proof bag. You can put clothes in it and then open the air vale and press it down. When I recognized the bag for what it is, and what it isn’t, it’s done wonderfully – I don’t mind taking it near water, the river, the swamp, in the back of the Can-Am. For what it’s built for, you won’t beat it.
Financial Investment – 4
Recognize what you are getting here and it’s worth the money. I know I’m beating a dead proverbial horse, but I want to make sure anyone who gets this bag knows what it is. You will not fit your pack and kit, your hiking sticks, your tripod, etc., in this easily. You will get all your clothes in it, or elements of everything I just brought up.