The New Pilot Available for Pre-order in January 2014!

[Trailhiker]

The Case of the Missing "0" Ring.

After receiving my new Pilot the other day I am very happy with my initial impressions.
I like the fact that the main compartment now has two 0 rings and how I could fit 4 side effects as organizers within the bag.
( two in the main section and one each in the front pockets. ) with still room in the main compartment for my iPad and cashe and other pouches and shop bag in the two pockets in the main section.

I am curious though as to the absence of an "0" ring in the middle (water bottle) pocket as the copilot successfully did.
Did anyone else notice this ?

(Excuse me if this has been mentioned previously and I missed it)

[Canonsue]

Interesting as my co-pilot does not have a o-ring in the middle water bottle pocket.

[Mausermama]

Funny you should mention that. I thought there would be an o-ring in the center water bottle pocket as well, as I seemed to recall the early release photos as showing that pocket open with something (a small O.P., perhaps) clipped to it. Perhaps they changed the style? I would have liked to have had one there, as that is where my keys are ending up for some reason.

FWIW, the Co-Pilot I bought and returned didn't have an o-ring in the center pocket either.

[Trailhiker]

Hmmm, the mystery deepens,
I just checked my 3 copilots,
They all have o rings in the center pocket.
The Black ballistic has it on the right side of center pocket,
The steel ballistic and steel dyneema each have it on the left side of the center pocket.

Just checked the product description,
" (There are four total O-rings in the Pilot.)."
So, that part adds up,

Darcy, any reason I shouldn't have my shoe repair guy stich me in an o ring on a loop there?
As an anti theft stragedy at outdoor cafe's,
At times I use the center pocket to keep a retracting cable on there hooked to a carabiner, which I then hook to a chair or a table leg, the other end gets hooked to the strap hook out side the bag. (It lives comfortably there with the water bottle) It works well when the chair doesn't cooperate with rehooking the bag strap.

[bchaplin]

Huh, my black ballistic Co-Pilot does have an o-ring in the center pocket, off-set to the side. I didn't know it was there.

[Darcy]

The Case of the Missing "0" Ring.

Solved! Here's the deal: we thought the front left and right pockets on the Pilot would be even more useful if they were just a little roomier. To make that happen, we cut the mesh sides of the water bottle pocket at a slight slant so that they curve inward into the water bottle pocket. That worked great, but we also discovered that change made it so there wasn't room leftover for an o-ring in the water bottle pocket. This was one of those design and usability judgement calls, and after much consideration and even a little debate, we decided that the extra roominess in the front left and right pockets was of greater importance than the o-ring in the water bottle pocket.

As for the shiny vs. matte YKK Aquaguard® zippers: same zipper, just a slightly different look. As we switch to sewing the zippers right side up, you'll be seeing (or, really, not seeing, because it's on the inside) more of the shiny zipper.

[jmoz]

Has anyone else tried a size 3 travel stuff sack in the middle water-bottle compartment of the Pilot? It seems like the fit really isn't very good at all, so I'm wondering if I'm (somehow) doing something wrong since the Pilot's page says it "fits nicely." Thanks!

[MelissaL]

As for the shiny vs. matte YKK Aquaguard® zippers: same zipper, just a slightly different look. As we switch to sewing the zippers right side up, you'll be seeing more of the shiny zipper.

I prefer the matte but that is just me. I'm all about stealth.

[moriond]

Has anyone else tried a size 3 travel stuff sack in the middle water-bottle compartment of the Pilot? It seems like the fit really isn't very good at all, so I'm wondering if I'm (somehow) doing something wrong since the Pilot's page says it "fits nicely." Thanks!

@jmoz I thought you said in another thread that it was a size 2 travel stuff sack that you were using? I can fit a size 2 travel stuff sack in the water bottle compartment of the Pilot. If you have the Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter 2 Quarter Cubes, these also slide in nicely, but there's about 3" of vertical height above them if they sit on the bottom of the pocket, so they fit a bit better in the water bottle pocket of the (shorter) Co-Pilot -- but they have a handle that makes it easy to pull them out. The EC quarter cubes are slightly smaller than the size 2 Travel Stuff Sacks but larger than 3D Organizer Cubes and smaller than a Side Effect.

I did read the Pilot product page reference to the "Size 3 Travel Stuff Sack". Maybe they meant Size 2? I can fit the Size 3 Travel Stuff Sack into either of the two front side pockets, but not the Water Bottle Pocket.

moriond

P.S. I _can_ fit the Size 3 Travel Stuff Sack into the Water Bottle Pocket of the Pilot, but I'd probably put the empty sack in first, and then fill it. Otherwise the fit seems too tight.

[Darcy]

I prefer the matte but that is just me. I'm all about stealth.

I hear you! Being as that the shiny part is on the inside, it'll still be pretty darn stealthy we think

[jmoz]

@jmoz I thought you said in another thread that it was a size 2 travel stuff sack that you were using? I can fit a size 2 travel stuff sack in the water bottle compartment of the Pilot. If you have the Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter 2 Quarter Cubes, these also slide in nicely, but there's about 3" of vertical height above them if they sit on the bottom of the pocket, so they fit a bit better in the water bottle pocket of the (shorter) Co-Pilot -- but they have a handle that makes it easy to pull them out. The EC quarter cubes are slightly smaller than the size 2 Travel Stuff Sacks but larger than 3D Organizer Cubes and smaller than a Side Effect.

I did read the Pilot product page reference to the "Size 3 Travel Stuff Sack". Maybe they meant Size 2? I can fit the Size 3 Travel Stuff Sack into either of the two front side pockets, but not the Water Bottle Pocket.

moriond

P.S. I _can_ fit the Size 3 Travel Stuff Sack into the Water Bottle Pocket of the Pilot, but I'd probably put the empty sack in first, and then fill it. Otherwise the fit seems too tight.

If I said "Size 2" elsewhere (I might have), that was a mistake. I chose the Size 3 based on the Pilot page description, and the fit is pretty poor. Perhaps they did mean size 2 rather than the 3 that's on the page? (Darcy? Beau? Is this a typo?) To be honest, that fit is the first real disappointment I've had in a TB product (it is, of course, pretty minor, and I'm sure I'll use the Size 3 for something else. It's not really worth the postage to return a stuff sack.) I really had to shove it pretty hard to fit in the water bottle pocket, which eliminates the utility. And looking, the size 2 seem to be on backorder.

[moriond]

If I said "Size 2" elsewhere (I might have), that was a mistake. I chose the Size 3 based on the Pilot page description, and the fit is pretty poor. Perhaps they did mean size 2 rather than the 3 that's on the page? (Darcy? Beau? Is this a typo?) To be honest, that fit is the first real disappointment I've had in a TB product (it is, of course, pretty minor, and I'm sure I'll use the Size 3 for something else. It's not really worth the postage to return a stuff sack.) I really had to shove it pretty hard to fit in the water bottle pocket, which eliminates the utility. And looking, the size 2 seem to be on backorder.

If you need a size 2 travel stuff sack I can send you one (new with tags). What color did you order -- Solar to match your Nordic/Solar combination or a contrasting color? I find the size 2 Travel Stuff Sack is a pretty convenient size. And I ordered a few extra stuff sacks in Solar just in case they discontinued this color again, as Darcy hinted they might do in another thread. You can also use the Small Size Yarn Stuff Sack in this pocket, but the difference is that the bottom of the Sack is round instead of oval, and the height of the sack isn't quite as tall (6.5" vs. 8"). But as far as making best use of the volume of the Water Bottle Pocket, two small yarn stuff sacks probably fill this pocket better than the single size 2 Travel Stuff Sack. (Knitters who keep separate contents in each YSS and who use the Pilot might take note of this).

[jmoz]

That's really awesome of you to offer, moriond! Thanks! I had ordered Iberian for contrast, though actually, steel would be awesome, or solar is cool, too. I'll PM you to work out the details.

[jmoz]

You can also use the Medium Size Yarn Stuff Sack in this pocket, but the difference is that the bottom of the Sack is round instead of oval, and the height of the sack isn't quite as tall (6.5" vs. 8"). But as far as making best use of the volume of the Water Bottle Pocket, two medium yarn stuff sacks probably fill this pocket better than the single size 2 Travel Stuff Sack. (Knitters who keep separate contents in each YSS and who use the Pilot might take note of this).

OK, I'm actually a bit confused on dimensions again. The #2 travel stuff sack (2TSS) is 6.3" x 5.2" x 3.5", while the medium yarn stuff sack (MYSS) is 6" x 6.25" diameter. It seems like the medium yarn stuff sack would still be pretty big for the pocket, since it's diameter is only slightly different from the 3TSS (7.9" x 6.6" x 4.3"). Do 2 of the MYSS actually fit, or is it 2 of the SYSS??

[moriond]

OK, I'm actually a bit confused on dimensions again. The #2 travel stuff sack (2TSS) is 6.3" x 5.2" x 3.5", while the medium yarn stuff sack (MYSS) is 6" x 6.25" diameter. It seems like the medium yarn stuff sack would still be pretty big for the pocket, since it's diameter is only slightly different from the 3TSS (7.9" x 6.6" x 4.3"). Do 2 of the MYSS actually fit, or is it 2 of the SYSS??

Sorry, I really meant that two of the small size Yarn Stuff sacks will fit in the pocket. The small yarn stuff sack is the closest counterpart to the Size 2 travel stuff sack but has a circular bottom and isn't quite as tall. However, the Size 2 Travel Stuff Sack doesn't quite fill the vertical length of the water bottle pocket.

And yes, I did receive your 3 pms and replied. I was trying to look up postage details, and just concluded that it would be easier to go to the post office and mail things and then tell you what this came to. Do you think priority mail would work for this? (Your choices are Solar or Wasabi in the Size 2 Travel Stuff Sack. I'll just replace one of these in my next order.)