Gear Review: Jansport Supersack
by Hal

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I bought a Jansport Supersack, probably 5 or 6 years ago. Nice pack, roomy, hefty zippers, leather bottom that will never wear out. I have found it to be just the thing on everything from a mid-winter assault on Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks to hauling books, reports and lunch to work. I use the thing practically every day and it scarcely shows any wear.

It's not waterproof, ain't meant to be. Therefore, it doesn't do well on the bottom of the boat. The leather takes a while to dry, so paddlers might want to try one of the rubber-bottomed packs. Unfortunately, this model is not available with the rubber.

This absorbent feature led to one problem I had with the pack. In hot weather, one tends to sweat a little under a pack, and part of the leather bottom rests against the small of my back, and soaks up a bit of perspiration. The leather they used in my particular pack was loaded with dye that didn't stay fast. The result, as you might imagine, was a brown stain on the hind end, and not too aesthetic.

So, I logged onto the Jansport website, just to see if there was some way to wash or bleach out the dye. There was nothing like that, but there was a way to contact the warranty department. I emailed them, recieved an 800 number, called it, and talked to a representative. I was pleasantly greeted by a woman who explained my options: All I had to do was mail the pack back, and they would either replace it with new, decreased-dye leather or replace it with fabric to match.

I decided I liked the leather bottom feature, so I opted for that and dropped it in the mail. A week later, I got a postcard from my pack, which was apparently enjoying "Warranty Service Camp". I was happy to hear from it, as I was using my daughter's cast-off purple book bag in the meantime, and having a hard time fitting all my junk in there.

Soon after, I got the pack back in the mail, and at first I though they sent me a brand new pack. But no, it was mine, five years old, dry-cleaned, zippers lubed, and a brand new bottom on it. I give the pack a 10 and the service a 10. Can't beat that.