Thumbs-up for SWAYGO...

Discuss caving lights, packs, helmets, clothing, etc.
For rope and vertical equipment, go to the On Rope! forum.
Cave electronics enthusiasts can also visit the Communications and Electronics Section forum.

Moderator: Moderators

Thumbs-up for SWAYGO...

Postby SpeleoRover » May 29, 2007 9:40 am

Finally graduated from make-shift cave packs to that sleek, black, torpedo made by SWAYGO. I bought the Pit version (medium sized) and took delivery a week and a half ago. Within 4 hours of picking it up from my front doorstep I had it underground for an evening excursion into a local cave that features some snakey fluted passages and a nearly submerged belly crawl / swim to exit. Took it through the same cave and one other the next day and thoroughly impressed the folks I was with.

I took it off maybe once, other than when I wanted water or a granola bar. At the exit, I clipped it to my chicken loop and off I went down the wet passage, floating pack full of dry gear in tow.
:woohoo:

I loved it so much I bought a used Push pack (thanks for the Michigan mud, Mark! :-) )off the board here for a backup or to outfit a guest.

I don't normally go out of my way to give a public thumbs-up, but I really like how this piece of gear performs.
Regards,

Jason
Boston Mt. Grotto
NSS#: 58276
SpeleoRover
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Jan 16, 2007 3:13 pm
Location: Fayetteville, AR
  

Postby CaverScott » May 29, 2007 10:42 am

Cool. Wow, Scott M should be smiling ear to ear on that glowing endorsement! :grin:
User avatar
CaverScott
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 7:38 am
Location: Birmingham, Alabama (TAG!)
NSS #: 19797L
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Birmingham CIG SCCi IKC
  

Postby Cheryl Jones » May 29, 2007 11:30 am

Welcome to the Swaygo Fan Club! :banana: :rock band:
User avatar
Cheryl Jones
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 2469
Joined: Sep 2, 2005 11:53 pm
Location: Virginia
Name: Cheryl Jones
NSS #: 14479 FE OS
Primary Grotto Affiliation: BATS
  

Postby Scott McCrea » May 29, 2007 11:54 am

:big grin:

Thanks Jason!

Could we add your review the testimonials on our website?
Scott McCrea
SWAYGO
User avatar
Scott McCrea
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 3198
Joined: Sep 5, 2005 3:07 pm
Location: Asheville, NC USA
NSS #: 40839RL
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Flittermouse Grotto
  

Postby SpeleoRover » May 29, 2007 2:52 pm

Scott,

Give me a few days to find some time and I'll write up a better, more coherent version with comments from others about the pack. Thanks for a great product.
Regards,

Jason
Boston Mt. Grotto
NSS#: 58276
SpeleoRover
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 113
Joined: Jan 16, 2007 3:13 pm
Location: Fayetteville, AR
  

Postby Adam Byrd » May 29, 2007 4:50 pm

Not to be a downer, but I too had my first experience with a Swaygo pack in-cave Saturday morning. The top mini-biner was lost in a rubble pile within 15 minutes.
User avatar
Adam Byrd
Frequent Poster
 
Posts: 93
Joined: Sep 17, 2005 10:49 pm
Location: WV
NSS #: 56537
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Team Poseidon
  

Postby Scott McCrea » May 29, 2007 5:40 pm

Adam Byrd wrote:Not to be a downer, but I too had my first experience with a Swaygo pack in-cave Saturday morning. The top mini-biner was lost in a rubble pile within 15 minutes.

PM sent.

Sorry to hear about that, Adam. I always replace the top biners on my packs with a real biner. I actually replace the side ones too. Then I always have three real biners with me. We don't include real biners on the packs because of the additional cost and it allows you to use the brand/style of biner you like. We would like to, but it's just not practical.

If you're coming to SERA this weekend, I'd be happy to replace your lost biner.
Scott McCrea
SWAYGO
User avatar
Scott McCrea
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 3198
Joined: Sep 5, 2005 3:07 pm
Location: Asheville, NC USA
NSS #: 40839RL
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Flittermouse Grotto
  

Postby NZcaver » May 29, 2007 5:59 pm

Scott McCrea wrote:I always replace the top biners on my packs with a real biner. I actually replace the side ones too. Then I always have three real biners with me.

Good point. FYI I've also found something else that works well on the sides of this kind of pack - a pair of small 5mm stainless delta (triangle) maillon rapides. Much smaller than a (rated) carabiner, and with about a 16kN MBS they can still be used for "other things" in a pinch. They cost about $5 each.

Image
User avatar
NZcaver
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 6367
Joined: Sep 7, 2005 2:05 am
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Name: Jansen
NSS #: 50665RL
  

Postby cheshire » May 31, 2007 8:58 am

Yeah, I've been a fan ever since I got one to write a review for the NSS News. I had seen the website and it listed the pack as "waterproof *" with the asterisk implying that nothing is truly 100% waterproof. But the word waterproof is something that I generally take as a personal challenge when testing gear.

I tried for two days to get water in the thing, including filling it full of bricks and sinking the pack. In the end I had to declare defeat. I'm pretty well convinced that there isn't any reasonable thing that a caver can do to get their stuff wet in this thing. I'm going to be packing all of my medical and survival gear in my SWAYGO next week on a canoe trip. The pack will also be my pillow on the trip. :)
*************************
Mike Fraley
http://www.caves.org/member/mfraley
*************************
User avatar
cheshire
Infrequent Poster
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Sep 24, 2005 9:44 am
Location: Wichita, KS
  

Postby graveleye » Jun 15, 2007 4:22 pm

Another thumbs up for SWAYGO!! I took mine canoing today and it performed brilliantly even when I did not!! :snorkling:
ad astra per aspera

http://www.myspace.com/jamthecontrols

The views expressed in this post are not necessarily those of any organization I am affiliated with.

Become a sustaining member of the SCCI
User avatar
graveleye
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 2934
Joined: Mar 14, 2006 11:12 am
Location: Georgia, USA
Name: Kevin Glenn
NSS #: 57238RL
  

Postby John DeLong » Jun 15, 2007 9:58 pm

cheshire wrote:I'm pretty well convinced that there isn't any reasonable thing that a caver can do to get their stuff wet in this thing. I'm going to be packing all of my medical and survival gear in my SWAYGO next week on a canoe trip. The pack will also be my pillow on the trip. :)


Simple - forget to tighten the top of your platypus all the way. It doesn't need to be "loose" just less than really tight. Use the pack as a pillow to keep your body out of the slime while you survey. Slowly your body weight will force the water out of the bottle, into your pack where it can't escape! It's waterproof after all.
John DeLong
Infrequent Poster
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 9:23 pm
Location: Glendale WI
  

Postby JoeyS » Jun 16, 2007 10:37 am

John DeLong wrote:
cheshire wrote:I'm pretty well convinced that there isn't any reasonable thing that a caver can do to get their stuff wet in this thing. I'm going to be packing all of my medical and survival gear in my SWAYGO next week on a canoe trip. The pack will also be my pillow on the trip. :)


Simple - forget to tighten the top of your platypus all the way. It doesn't need to be "loose" just less than really tight. Use the pack as a pillow to keep your body out of the slime while you survey. Slowly your body weight will force the water out of the bottle, into your pack where it can't escape! It's waterproof after all.


Ahh, the Trojan Platypus Theory...
________________
Joey Stuckey
JoeyS
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 402
Joined: Aug 8, 2006 11:22 am
Location: Middle Tennessee
NSS #: 57719
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Nashville Grotto
  

Postby Wayne Harrison » Jun 16, 2007 11:24 am

Better your platypus leaking in the pack than your pee bottle.
User avatar
Wayne Harrison
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 2382
Joined: Aug 30, 2005 5:29 pm
Location: Pine, Colorado
NSS #: 18689 FE
Primary Grotto Affiliation: unaffiliated
  

Postby CaverScott » Jun 18, 2007 7:16 am

Very Short caving video I shot showing, not one, but two Swaygos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbIqaEu9iuM
User avatar
CaverScott
NSS Hall Of Fame Poster
 
Posts: 1132
Joined: Sep 6, 2005 7:38 am
Location: Birmingham, Alabama (TAG!)
NSS #: 19797L
Primary Grotto Affiliation: Birmingham CIG SCCi IKC
  

Postby Cheryl Jones » Jun 18, 2007 8:53 pm

CaverScott wrote:Very Short caving video I shot showing, not one, but two Swaygos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbIqaEu9iuM


Wow! See that? The packs never got in the way, rode comfortably on the cavers' backs.......
....and the cavers were able to make it through that passage without ever having to take off their Swaygos! :rofl: :banana: Way to go Swaygo!
User avatar
Cheryl Jones
Global Moderator
 
Posts: 2469
Joined: Sep 2, 2005 11:53 pm
Location: Virginia
Name: Cheryl Jones
NSS #: 14479 FE OS
Primary Grotto Affiliation: BATS
  

Next

Return to Equipment Forum

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users